Why Not Stay at ETHOS While You Study?

As mentioned in our other pages, we offer housing to any ETHOS student who needs it. We have a DORMITORY apartment option, but we do not require our students to stay in our housing. Students are welcome to stay wherever they want in the city.

Staying in ETHOS housing makes a lot of sense. Students are very close to school. Most will only need to walk a couple of minutes to reach the front entrance! This will make it very easy for them to be on time for the start of classes! Staying outside means daily traffic, which might take an hour or more coming to school each day! That will be frustrating and expensive over time, so, it is good to consider staying in ETHOS housing.

Please understand that all ETHOS housing is reserved and booked on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Ok, let's take a closer look at housing options.

Option 1: ETHOS DORMITORY Apartment

Staying in one of our DORMITORY apartments is the least expensive housing option for you. Students are given a bedspace in a shared room. Males and females might be housed in the same apartment, but they will be in separate rooms. Male and female students sharing a dormitory should interact socially in the common areas of the apartment.

These items ARE included in the DORMITORY housing price:

Free Wi-Fi.
Air Conditioning.
Rooms cleaned twice a week.
Bedding and towels are provided.
Towels and bedding changed once a week.
Hot water heater in the bathroom.
Hair dryer.
TV (with limited Netflix).
Toilet tissue in the bathroom.
Back-up water system.
Purified drinking water.
Complete kitchen. (There are two large supermarkets nearby.)
Large refrigerator.
Free water and electricity.

These items ARE NOT included in our housing price:

Laundry service.
Medical expenses.
Groceries for meals.
Personal care items.
Snacks and drinks.

Each DORMITORY apartment is managed by a member of the ETHOS staff who lives with the students. In situations of disagreement among students, the decision of the manager is final.

Option 2: BAYFRONT HOTEL

The Bayfront hotel in Cebu City is a very nice 3-star hotel with two locations offering ETHOS students very nice facilities for those who want a little more freedom, comfort, and convenience during their study.

You can find more details about each location at the following links:

Depending upon traffic, both locations are about 20-30 minutes’ drive from ETHOS. You can easily arrange daily transport to ETHOS with the hotel, or, for no extra service fee, we can arrange daily transport for you. (Students need to remember that daily classes on weekdays begin at 9:00 AM, and so they need to leave the hotel with enough time for traffic. To assist in this, ETHOS opens each weekday at 8:30 AM for the convenient early arrival of students!)

For all Bayfront locations, check-in time is 2:00 PM and check-out time is 12:00 NN. These are Non-Smoking Hotels. While their rooms offer the same level of quality and comfort, each location has its own unique features.

These items ARE included in the BAYFRONT HOTEL housing price:

Free Wi-Fi.
Air Conditioning.
Daily Breakfast **
Complimentary Coffee
Complimentary Bottled Water
In-room Wired Internet and Wi-Fi access
Free Parking
Free Gym Access

** The daily FREE breakfast is only available for guests paying the daily rate. It is not included for guests paying the monthly rate.

So... What About MEALS?

We have a meal program available for our students. Charges for the meal plans are not included in our study package quotation. The meal program is an add-on that students will choose once they arrive at ETHOS. Here are the options and the costs per week for each one:

One meal per day costs 1,000.00 Pesos per week. (This includes 5 meals)
Two meals per day costs 2,000.00 Pesos per week. (This includes 10 meals)
Three meals per day costs 3,000.00 Pesos per week. (This includes 15 meals)

We will cook food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast is available between 8:00 and 8:30 AM.
Lunch will be served at NOON.
Dinner will be served between 5:30 and 6:00 PM.

Arrangements will be done on a week-by-week basis while students are with us. They will pay for their desired meal plan on Friday for their meals during the following week. Our different meal plan options are only available on weekdays (Monday through Friday). Meals on weekends and school holidays during the week are NOT included. (You can see the list of ETHOS school holidays for 2025 HERE.)

Very Important: There will be no refund for missed meals.

There are also a number of restaurants located within walking distance of the school. There is both a McDonald's and a Jolibee just one block from the school. There are also several local native Filipino restaurants near the school where students often eat their meals. Also, we are just 5 minutes away from the SM SEASIDE shopping mall, which has many different restaurants. (We keep a current list of restaurants and locations at school.)

In addition, we have a number of food delivery services (GRAB and Food Panda) available in the city, which can deliver food from almost any restaurant in the city! So, food will not be a problem.

Other Considerations:

Students who stay in outside housing only pay tuition for the classes. However, it will be the responsibility of the student to be at the school on time for the start of classes each school day at 9:00 AM. Therefore, it is important for students staying outside to leave for school with plenty of time to make the trip and arrive on time. (Please note that ETHOS opens its doors at 8:30 AM each school day.)

About Our Water Supply in ETHOS Housing Units:

Our ETHOS housing units get their water supply from the Cebu City water company, and that service is not very reliable. Some days we have running water all day while on others we only have running water in the midle of the night. The owners of ETHOS agree that no one wants the experience of flushing a toilet or taking a shower and having no water. To solve this problem, each ETHOS housing unit has a water storage tank with a limited quantity of water. To make certain that everyone has water for the day, we ask everyone to agree to the following:

Shower only one time each day, either morning or evening.
Limit your shower time to 15 minutes per person.
All laundry must be done through local laundry shops.

We Have A Few Additional Things to Consider:

To maintain ETHOS' good reputation, we have some common-sense requirements for anyone living in our housing facilities. Please keep in mind that ETHOS is not a resort or a hotel. We supply inexpensive housing that is clean and well maintained in order to provide a safe and quiet place for our students to live and study while they are with us. To maintain a good home environment, we ask everyone to do the following:

Students must treat all ETHOS staff and students with respect.
Respect one another’s property and privacy.
If you break something, you must repair or replace it.
Anyone found in possession of or using illegal drugs will be expelled immediately.
Smoking is only permitted outside of the school and housinig facilities.
Alcohol consumption is only allowed outside of the school and housiong facilities.
Any student who comes to any ETHOS facility intoxicated will not be allowed inside.
Outside visitors are not allowed in any of the housing facilities.
Students should be home by midnight on school nights. (Sunday through Thursday)
Those who plan to stay outside on weekends should inform us where they will be.
Only married couples, parents with kids, or siblings may stay in the same rooms.
Same-sex couples must stay in separate rooms or in outside housing.
Male students are not allowed in the rooms of the females.
Female students are not allowed in the rooms of the males.

There are a few additional rules that provide fairness and equity for all students coming to ETHOS. They also are based upon common sense, and we have not had any major difficulties following these in the past decade of operation. All we ask is that our students remember that they are here for language study!

Need more information?

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Some photos to consider:

This is our entrance!

We have a modern facility!

We have small classes.

Maximum of 6 students!

More classrooms upstairs.

We have a large library and student lounge.

Where we have our graduations!

Comments from our students:

“It was so much fun and I’m glad I chose Ethos. My pronunciation has greatly improved and I made a lot of Filipino friends. With the study abroad plan I can work in a hotel in Australia and I think it is fascinating. I had fun when I went out to eat BBQ with the teachers and students and it tastes good. I enjoyed talking about various things. I got to eat chocolate cake when there is a celebration or everyone’s birthday. I was very happy when I passed the interview for working holiday and we celebrated.” - M Shimakawa (Japan - studying English)

“I used Google maps and analyzed all English schools in Cebu. ETHOS had English native speakers, English culture and traditions, perfect studying conditions, American pronunciation, safe area, two big malls nearby, common meetings. I am totally satisfied. Pronunciation and reading lessons were more than I expected. I improved my writing. The Bible elective classes were high level and I regret that I didn’t attend them more often. I stayed in the dorm and it was the best one that I have ever stayed at. Modern, clean, and fully packed, comfortable two floor house with any item you might need just a minute from the school. What could be better? Perfect 100%.” - O Davidova (Russia - studying English)

“I enjoyed talking with my teachers’ every day and went on a trip with everyone. It’s cheaper than going to America since American teachers can teach you English. It was so much fun and the day ended too soon!” - R Hashino (Japan - studying English)

“A friend introduced me to ETHOS. I chose this school because it’s all American. The learning atmosphere at ETHOS is very good. The students are very well taken care of by ETHOS. I felt good, they took good care of me. I liked the Home Stay feeling very much.” - J Tsai (Taiwan - studying English)

“When I searched the internet for studying abroad in Cebu, I found a blog and found out about Ethos. I was able to learn English from native speakers, I had Home Stay housing in an American teacher’s home. I was able to talk to a native speaker every day, which really helped me learn a lot. I had an experience I will never forget. I’m really glad I came. Thank you very much.” - S Endo (Japan - studying English)

“It was really fun to be taught by Americans and being able to Home Stay in an American home. The teachers and Filipino staff were friendly and the overseas students who came were all serious and kind, so I felt like we had been together for a long time even though I only had two weeks.” - Y Sato (Japan - studyng English)

“The teachers really taught me thoroughly so I tried hard and did my best. I was able to go out to eat a lot with my fellow overseas students. I had a lot of fun with the American teachers’ kids and I enjoyed spending time with my neighbors.” - S Tamura (Japan - studying English)

“Actually, I really wanted to go to America but if I didn’t have the money and could study with Americans in Cebu, I thought it would be okay to go to Cebu without going to America. It was really fun! I’m really glad I made it to Ethos. I’m very happy that the teachers treated me as their own family. The daily lessons were very fun that four months passed by just like that.” - Y Okamura (Japan - studying English)

“I worried about the peace and order of the Philippines. Could I make it through graduation with my English knowledge? I had Home Stay and I enjoyed every day. It was a very fun 13 weeks! And I was able to make a lot of good memories with the intern. We always had fun every day!” - M Fujimoto (Japan - studying English)

ETHOS Language School