Your First Week at Catholic Cathedral College

A Warm Kiwi Welcome & Your Step-by-Step Onboarding Guide

We want your first week at Catholic Cathedral College to be filled with excitement, not stress. To ensure you feel completely at home, all new international students participate in a supportive Onboarding Programme during their first week with us.

Making Friends & Settling In

To help you feel right at home, you’ll be paired with a friendly local buddy from your year level. They will give you a guided tour of our central city campus, locate your classrooms, and introduce you to your teachers, our support team, and the College Principal. During morning tea and lunch, your buddy will introduce you to their friends and escort you between classes throughout your first week so you never feel lost.

Setting You Up for Success

Prior to your arrival, you will complete a gentle online English assessment at home so we can get to know your language level. Once at school, you will sit down for a friendly chat with our International Student Director, who will help place you into the classes that offer the exact right level of English support for you. Together, you will discuss your unique learning goals, choose your favourite elective subjects, and finalise your personal timetable. Afterwards, our IT team will get your personal laptop connected to our secure College network, activate your school email, and walk you through our digital portals so you can access your course materials with total ease.

Everyday Support & Essentials

To make sure you feel confident and fully set up outside the classroom, we take care of all your practical day-to-day needs. We will help you secure a local New Zealand SIM card or eSIM and choose a budget-friendly pre-paid mobile plan so you can stay connected with your host family and parents back home right away. We will also help you set up your Metrocard for the local bus network, guide you through opening a local bank account so you can manage your pocket money safely, and take you to our uniform shop—or assist you with our short-term uniform loan pool so you are fully fitted out and ready to go.​​​​​​​

Peace of Mind for Families Back Home

We understand that sending your child to study abroad is a major milestone, and family well-being is at the heart of everything we do. To give families total peace of mind, students and host parents have access to a dedicated 24/7 emergency contact number and pastoral care staff at all times. Our team personally assists students with local doctor registrations, health appointments, and medical insurance claims whenever needed. We also carefully match homestays to accommodate specific dietary requirements—such as Halal, vegetarian, or allergies—and take time to introduce students to local international food markets in Christchurch so they can easily find comfort food from home.