The ESOL department has been expanding

The ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) department has been expanding. We now have three teachers and one teaching assistant, with three regular weekly classes running: on Mondays a literacy class and a beginners’ class, and on Thursday ‘English for Jobs’ followed by individual help with IT and CVs .

The classes are very popular and at the moment all have waiting lists. The English for Jobs course starts again in January and will be taking on new students then. As well as this we continue to offer individual one-to-one lessons and help people to find courses in other centres.

Fortunately there are still a few such places willing to accept students without papers or benefits, who are normally barred from entering FE and adult education colleges. Geography is another challenge, as many of our visitors live far from Central London and cannot afford to travel into town to study. Luckily there are still a few centres where transport costs can be reimbursed. Relationships are also being developed with other charities that offer employment advice.