It can be challenging to find a job or carry out tasks like making a medical appointment or asking for directions if English isn’t your first language. But, Ealing Council offers a host of free courses to help speakers of other languages to develop and improve their communication skills for life and work.
Over the next few weeks, we will be chatting with some learners who have successfully completed an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course with Learn Ealing, the council’s adult learning and skills service. This week, we met with Muhammad Noor, a 29-year-old learner.
Building confidence
Muhammad, who lives and works in the borough, wanted to improve his English speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. He moved to the United Kingdom from Saudi Arabia in 2022 and was keen to find a job. His mother helped him find a job at Ealing Council as a cleaning operative and he was recently promoted to security officer.
He heard about the free courses and, after discussing his options with Learn Ealing, enrolled onto the Level 1 functional skills course.
He said: “It helped me a lot. I learned the basics of the English language, such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling. My tutor, Natasha Julien, was very humble, down to earth, and had all the good qualities that a teacher should have.
“The course helped me in my day-to-day activities, both in my personal and professional life. I am now able to communicate with customers, staff, and contractors who come into the council offices.”
Next steps
Muhammad would highly recommend the ESOL course that he has taken. He said: “It was a truly valuable experience. I am very thankful to Learn Ealing and my tutor who have both been exceptional.
“I wanted to continue to develop my English skills. I have recently been promoted at work. I enrolled onto the Level 2 functional skills online course, which suits me better in my new role.”
Why not explore what an ESOL course can do for you?
If you would like to find out more and explore ESOL courses, please visit the Learn Ealing website.
