What Price Professional English?
Check out this business and professional English blog!
What Price Professional English?
Check out this business and professional English blog!
Posted in EFL, English Language, Language for Business
Tagged academic english, Advanced English, British English, Business English, CPE, Education, EFL, English as a foreign or second language, IELTS, International English, language, language learning, language performance, Language Schools, language teaching, preparing for university, Proficiency, Quality, Standard written English, University preparation, up-to-date teaching
Jump Aboard: The financial benefits of investing in You as the economy picks up.
What are better language skills worth to you? Will investing in English classes transform your bank account?
Looking at the latest issue of The Economist, I am struck by the powerful case made in their leader article for nurturing the recovery in the UK economy through considered investment.
Apparently, all of us – governments, companies and individuals – need to start spending sensibly again. But, while the Cabinet tries to decide how to invest for growth, how do we make similar strategic decisions?
Famously, you get ‘owt for nowt’* in this life so, if we want to progress, we will need to invest in our own careers. This is as true for me at 54 as it is for my kids at university, and learning new languages is money well spent.
How does that work for me? Well, I go to French classes each week, which helps me think about how I use language. Also, my extra linguistic ability allows me to see things differently and increases my confidence in communicating, both in French and my other languages.
But the best option for the non-native English speaker is going to be improving their English. That is simply the best strategic investment anyone can make in language-learning.
There is a direct link between the quality of your English and your earning power. Those who communicate well tend to do well. They are always able to put their point of view across in an interesting and persuasive way. In almost every situation, they have the advantage because they know how to express themselves clearly.
This confidence is translated into more formal situations, too. Whether it is in closing sales, winning contracts or gaining promotion, good English will be worth money in your pocket every step of the way.
But don’t just take my word for it. Research into the financial benefits of learning English (Pinon & Haydon 2010), conducted on behalf of the British Council, found that employees with advanced skills in English were promoted faster, enjoyed more international business trips, had greater training opportunities and were more likely to gain economic benefits for themselves and their families. This was true even in countries where English was not an official language.
Interestingly, in spite of these findings, they found that objective reality was not the determining factor. It was the perception that good English was necessary for career advancement that drove recruitment as individuals believed ‘…that they will benefit from higher salaries if they speak the language.’
So, what is better English worth to you?
When you are considering whether to invest in a HELLO English course, one question you may like to ask yourself is: how much – in cash terms – is better English worth to you? The fact is you will only need to increase your annual income by a very small result to pay for the course.
Almost all our students confirm that they have reaped financial benefits worth many, many times more than the cost of tuition. This is why we describe the course as being ‘value for money’.
A first class vocabulary, the ability to write well, improved conversation skills, accurate reading and reliable spelling…these are benefits you’ll enjoy as a result of studying at HELLO English. Benefits that will translate into a higher income for you.
Your investment of time and money at HELLO English will increase your income. That is our experience and also what research tells us.
So, base your investment decision on good sense. Invest for your future in excellent English, taught by experts. It will boost your earning power… and kickstart your economic recovery.
Sources
Leader Article (2012); ‘Heading Out of the Storm’; The Economist, 29th September 2012.
Pinon R & Haydon J (2010); The Benefits of English Language Learning for Individuals and Societies: Quantitative Indicators for Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Bangladesh & Pakistan; Report compiled by Euromonitor for The British Council.
*Originally a Yorkshire homily:
‘Ear all, see all, say nowt;
Eyt all, sup all, pay nowt;
And if ivver tha does owt fer nowt –
Do it fer thissen.[5]
Translation: ‘Hear all, see all, say nothing; Eat all, drink all, pay nothing; And if ever you do anything for nothing – Do it for yourself.
Posted in EFL, English Language, Language for Business
Tagged Arts, British Council, Business English, CPE, Education, English language, FCE, IELTS, language, Language Arts, language teaching, learning English, preparing for university, Proficiency, Rwanda, The British Council, The Economist, Translation, up-to-date teaching, Value
It is often said that Great Britain and America are ‘two nations divided by a common language’: a saying usually attributed to one of two Irishmen: Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw, although it is found in neither’s published works.
Shaw’s sentiments are famously paraphrased in the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ – a reworking of his ‘Pygmalion’ – when Professor Higgins concludes that in America they haven’t spoken English for years. This is an exaggeration to make a point, of course, but we do have different vocabulary and this can cause problems.
NAmE is an acronym standing for North American English. What with Hollywood movies, the Web, and Word on our computers, we’re becoming more familiar with US version of English, but it’s still easy to get it wrong.
Most of us know about problem words like ‘pants’ or ‘ass’, but what about ‘parking’? In America that can also mean “romantic intimacy in a parked car”.
So see if you can avoid social or business embarrassment with these; give their US meanings:
a) AA
b) to appropriate
c) casket
d) compensation
e) fancy dress
f) first floor
g) graft
h) hoo-ha
i) lavatory
j) napkin
k) pud
l) spook
m) to table
n) to tap
o) through (as in “It’s open through lunch.”)
p) to wash up
Click on this link to see how well you did.
Posted in EFL, English Language, Language for Business, Language Learning
Tagged American English, British English, Business English, CAE, CPE, EFL, English, FCE, George Bernard Shaw, Higgins, IELTS, language learning, My Fair Lady, Oscar Wilde, Proficiency, Pygmalion, quiz, Shaw, United States, US, vocabulary
Getting it Write: Six tips for better English essays
No matter what level of student you are – from beginner through to doctoral candidate – there will come a time when you have to sit down and write. No more scruffy note-taking and no more background reading: the time is now and your seat is waiting at the desk.
So, what is it that stops you from starting? Why do you dither, prevaricate, procrastinate?
Could it be that you make mistakes that others see when you can’t? How do you feel about English grammar? Does writing give you the jitters, collywobbles and screaming abdabs?
Well, here are six simple tips for how to control your fears, reduce uncertainty and get better marks in English written tasks.
Did I mention the evil word ‘grammar’? It is guaranteed to strike fear into the students across the continents. My EFL students assume (wrongly) that they are the only ones who need to be concerned about grammar. Everyone should be. Without it, meaning runs amok.
We need grammar, punctuation and syntax (word order to you and me), to make those funny squiggly things sit in the right sequence and mean what we want them to mean. For that is what it is all about, in the end: controlling meaning. If you don’t master meaning it will govern you … and ruin your writing.
So my six simple tips will put you in control. Believe me, they correct the mistakes that most irritate examiners, so they are really worth knowing.
Of course, this is just a glimpse of what to watch out for in your own or your students’ writing. For a fuller picture, and for a thoroughly expert grounding in English, you should come to HELLO English – our independent language school based in Moseley, in the English Midlands.
At HELLO English (www.hello-english.com), we have classes and worksheets aplenty on all these failings. Among the range of courses we offer, we can help you with your academic writing and written English, and you can choose from our General English (GEC), Pre University Package (PUP) or various A-level, Cambridge and IELTS programmes.
Why not contact us today for more information?
Posted in EFL, English Language, Language Learning, Pedagogics
Tagged academic english, academic writing, Advanced English, Arts, Cambridge, CPE, EAL, EAP, EFL, English classes, English classes in Birmingham, English Grammar, English tuition, Exam preparation, FCE, Grammar, Heart of England, HELLO English, IELTS, Individual Learning Programme, Intensive English, Moseley, preparing for university, Proficiency, reading English, Simple past (English), Spell checker, Spelling, Standard written English