Farzana and Sandra, two former students, did two-month internships as administrative assistants. The internships with us formed part of the final assignment for their Business Administration and IT courses at Whitireia.
Not only did we give them real-life experience in their field, but we are also able to provide a reference for their time with us – and a reference from a Kiwi employer is so very important for obtaining employment.
We also benefited from some of our administrative and coordination work being carried out by very capable people, allowing us to work on tasks that are not so ‘everyday’.
Thanks Farzana and Sandra- you both did a top job!
Having volunteers to assist specific learners during class allows our teachers to focus on the general group, or to divide the class into groups at different levels (bearing in mind that no class ever has students who are on a par across all English language skills!)
These classes tend to be at the pre-literate, beginner and elementary levels, where the learners are still developing their skills of independent learning or where some of the learners are struggling with one skill and need extra help.
The volunteers that come into the classes are often already working one-to-one with a learner in their home, but are really keen to give that further support by working alongside a teacher.
Such dedication to the community!
Volunteering starts with our ESOL Home Tutor training course – If YOU would like to volunteer with English Language Partners as an ESOL home tutor, visit our Volunteer page for more info. Find details for your nearest centre here.
