English may be a simple language for us locals but for former refugees and immigrants it is another hurdle to jump when settling into South Canterbury.
Now English Language Partners Aoraki is asking for more volunteer home tutors for its one›on›one English teaching sessions.
English Language Partners Aoraki co-ordinator Jess Callaghan said last year tutors delivered about 200 hours of English language teaching, which was double 2021’s amount.
‘‘To keep up with the growth we are looking for more volunteers to help teach English, especially to recent refugees from Syria; they are our priority.’’
Volunteer tutors were given training before and while being assigned to a learner, and women were partnered with women, and men with men, Miss Callaghan said.
‘‘The tutor will go to the learner’s house for a one-hour lesson once a week at a time that suits both the learner and the tutor. Some reasons for having the lessons at the learner’s home include them looking after their children and for convenience, especially if they don’t have a driver’s licence,’’ she said. The idea was that learners were enrolled in an English class as well as one-on-one lessons with a home tutor. ‘‘The tutor sessions help build on things specialised to the learner and what is relevant to their life while the classes build on the basics of the English language.’’
There was a real need for these lessons. The company had 20 volunteers and the learners were excited to learn, Miss Callaghan said.
‘‘Prior teaching experience is helpful but not required, but tutors have to be patient, interested in foreign cultures, be empathetic and be able to relate to others.’’
They were particularly looking for male tutors as they had a lot of male learners but not enough male tutors to pair them with, she said.
English Language Partners Aoraki tutor Jill Proudfoot said she learned so much from her students, just as much as they were learning from her.
‘‘You become an advocate for them. This job has made me realise how they can be taken advantage of, and we are able to help them.
‘‘It really opens your eyes. You have a bond between you and the learner, trust is built and they feel they can open up to you.’’
She had two learners at the moment and each lesson was tailored to the learner, with topics relating to their life, Mrs Proudfoot said.
‘‘With my intermediate learner Layeang Kang, we go over sentences relating to the workplace, while my beginner learner started with no English but we go over topics relating to cooking as it is something she likes to do and it introduces measurement terms.’’
The next training course begins on June 22. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer tutor, visit the English Language Partners Aoraki website or email [email protected] for more information.
