ESOL Training with DailyStep English

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by Jane Lawson, Director, DailyStep English Training

DailyStep English is a London–based English training company providing online courses and daily online lessons at all levels of English. DailyStep English Lessons are inspected and accredited by the Continuing Professional Development Service (CPD) so you can add a DailyStep English certificate to your CV.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is the concept behind DailyStep lessons – one step each day leads to major progress over time. Our students learn to speak and understand a small amount of English perfectly every day, as well as absorbing the vocabulary, idioms, phrasal verbs, grammar structures, style and pronunciation patterns contained in each lesson.  The fact that the lessons are not too long and therefore not daunting is a major factor in motivating users to continue with them. Learning to speak at the same speed, pronunciation and tone as native speakers greatly improves listening comprehension skills as well as fluency and confidence when speaking.

What will you learn?
DailyStep lessons directly reflect the language issues that English learners consistently find difficult. Specific problem areas addressed in the audio lessons include:

  • Initiating and sustaining a conversation
  • Speaking fluently and with confidence
  • Sounding professional and friendly in English
  • Understanding fast idiomatic speech
  • Explaining, clarifying and rephrasing
  • Business meeting skills
  • Presentation skills
  • English telephone skills
  • Colloquial English where words are omitted
  • Short answers involving auxiliary verbs
  • Pronunciation, intonation and speech rhythm
  • Phrasal verbs and idioms
  • Speech techniques such as irony, understatement and exaggeration
  • Broken, non-grammatical sentences such as are used in everyday speech
  • Using and understanding humour
  • Cultural issues
  • IELTS and other exam skills
  • Appropriate use of formal and informal styles

Benefits of using DailyStep Lessons include:

  • Improved interaction with neighbours, colleagues and clients
  • Improved speaking and comprehension skills for business situations such as meetings, negotiation, giving presentations and using the telephone
  • More active participation in any kind of discussion
  • A developing ability to think in English
  • Expanded range of active vocabulary, idioms and phrasal verbs
  • Better speaking and comprehension skills for social situations with friends, colleagues and neighbours
  • Higher confidence levels when using English
  • Improved ability to make and sustain conversation and therefore to make friends
  • Better understanding of how to deal with a range of situations for life in the UK, e.g. dealing with shops and restaurants, schools, utilities companies, neighbours, tradesmen etc.

What is a DailyStep Lesson?
DailyStep English lessons are in both British and American English, allowing users to choose the accent they speak, and learn to understand both accents. Each lesson consists of a written dialogue, 2 audio recordings of the dialogue (both British and American English, so with some language changes) and notes on style, vocabulary, intonation, functions and grammar.
The method is simple and easy to learn. Here is a video showing how to use a DailyStep Lesson:
https://www.dailystep.com/lesson/how-to-use-level-3
DailyStep members also have access to an archive of audio grammar lessons, IELTS practice lessons, pronunciation tips and other learning materials.

How to access DailyStep Lessons
You can access DailyStep lessons by mobile app, by hyperlinks in emails, or directly by logging in to our website. The app and email notifications mean that so there is no chance to forget to take the lesson. You can download PDF and MP3 files of each lesson for offline use.

Every user has a Personal Lesson Bank, which records how many times each lesson has been completed. You can log in any time to catch up on missed lessons, download lessons or repeat lessons as required, even after your subscription expires.

If you would like to undertake a Daily Step English Lesson first contact the GRoW Team on info@belinagrow.co.uk and we will be in touch.

About
Jane Lawson is an English teacher with over 20 years’ experience. Jane developed the DailyStep method to address the problems faced by busy English learners living and working in the UK.

Gemma starts a Level 2 Accredited Programme with GRoW

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GRoW participant Gemma joined the programme following traumatic home circumstances which saw her having to uproot and move home with her young son a number of times.  Her local job centre adviser recommended the GRoW programme to help her prepare for finding a job and Gemma is now on the way to achieving a Level 2 qualification in Childcare.

Gemma said “I’m not always great at asking for help even if I really need it.  That’s one of the areas GRoW has been able to help me because they make a point of keeping in touch to make sure I know support is always available.  They have been really good at helping me with the things I struggle with such as job application forms. Tosin has been a great help as far as that is concerned.

When my son was very young I did have a job but because my home life was quite unstable it was difficult to manage the caring responsibilities and so I wasn’t able to continue.  That didn’t mean I didn’t want to work, it is something I really wanted to do and in fact I did recently have an interview for a mid-day supervisor job at a local school but unfortunately lockdown came into play and the job was put on hold.  I am still hopeful that I will be successful and will be able to start the job when schools re-open.

In the meantime I want to improve my employability skills as much as possible and GRoW’s Lockdown Training Programme is the perfect opportunity to do this, especially as I can do the whole course online in a flexible way that fits around homeschooling and entertaining my son while his school is closed.

I chose to do the Level 2 Qualification in Childcare and Education because I would really like to get a job in a school as a teaching assistant as the term-time working would be ideal for me to fit around caring for my son.  I already have a Level 1 BTEC Introductory Diploma in Sports (for which I achieved a distinction) and I also did the Level 3 National Certificate in Sports when I was at college.  To get a job in a school though it would be really helpful to gain a qualification specifically around caring for children and young people. I have seen quite a few jobs advertised for PE Teaching Assistants which would be perfect for me but because I don’t have the relevant qualifications I haven’t been successful in applying.

I am finding the Level 2 course really quite easy to do. I tend to do more work in the evening when my son is calmer.   I have a dedicated tutor to help me through the course and she recommended I work 3 hours a day.  This would mean that I could effectively complete the course in 5 to 6 weeks rather than the 10 week period that is allocated for it. I’ve almost finished my first assessment which is due this Friday and I’m on schedule to complete the course by 28th July.

The course is all online and if I get interrupted I can easily just stop and pick up from where I left off.  I find having a pad and pen to take notes while I read through the course the best way to do it as I then have everything I need when it comes to completing the assessment at the end of each module.

I am really excited about gaining this qualification as I feel that it will really equip me and stand me in good stead for when schools reopen hopefully in September.  I anticipate that schools will likely need more staff to help children catch up on what they have missed over this lockdown period and with my new qualification I will have so much more to offer them.

 

 

Banu develops a new career

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Banu started her journey back to work with the GRoW Programme two years ago and after completing her Level 1 Childcare course and embarking on her Level 2 she has now found work in a private nursery.

Banu said “I went to the GRoW Programme when I became a single parent and wanted to change my life for the better.  I had worked for 20 years in Turkey before coming to this country and I didn’t want to just survive on benefits.  I had a successful job in a global Advertising Agency and wanted a better life for me and my daughter in the future.  I applied for an English course at my local Adult Learning Centre and I went to the workshops that the GRoW Programme offered.The GRoW Workshops helped me with information such as how I could become self employed and also how to improve my CV.  They also helped me understand about how recruitment agencies worked and could help me find work.  Another thing it really helped me with was improving my confidence.   Just meeting the other mums on the programme and realising they were in a similar position to me was so good and I made new friends.  Being on the programme helped me to improve my English speaking too as I got to practice talking with other people and doing role play.

I really felt that what I learned on the GRoW Programme helped me to prepare for getting a job.  I started a Childcare course and finished my Level 1 before starting on the Level 2 which I am still doing now. As part of the Level 2 I needed to do some volunteering work and first did some volunteering helping a teacher at an ESOL beginner class which led me on to finding another volunteering role in a nursery. The Adult Learning Centre got me the DBS check I needed to work at the nursery and this experience helped me with my Level 2.  I am planning to do the Level 3 once I complete the course.

One of my friends at my Childcare Course told me about a job at a Private Nursery which is close to my home and is term time working only. I rang Tosin at the GRoW Programme and she helped me put together a really good cover letter to go with my cv.  I sent it off to the manager and the next day she rang me for an interview and by the end of the week I had got the job!

The job is perfect for me as I have an 8 year old daughter and I don’t have any support networks.   It’s a very different job from what I was doing before but it really suits me now as it also gives me the freedom to be able to back to see my family and friends in Istanbul during the school holidays as I will not have to work then.  Lots of women want to do a school job and I feel really lucky to now have one.

Liz Sewell FIEP Speaks at Summit

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Belina director Liz Sewell FIEP took centre stage at the recent IEP Summit, an industry event for senior employability professionals to discuss and debate the future of work and the challenges and priorities facing the employability sector now and in the years ahead.

Liz presented alongside Dr Jo Ingold, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management & Public Policy at Leeds University Business School on the subject of employer engagement and the fact that despite the UK having the highest ever recorded employment and lowest unemployment rates that many people still struggle to get into, and stay in, work that has decent pay and conditions. 

Liz said “I absolutely advocate alternative thinking in employment practice, such as term time only working and providing people with free ESOL and functional skills learning. At Belina we support many women who face challenges such as being lone parents and not having English as their first language.  They want to work and have many skills that would benefit employers but employers need to recognise that a more flexible approach is needed to make work work for everyone.  We also need to find ways for smaller organisations to engage with employers.”

“I was delighted to be involved in the IEP Summit to debate these important issues with people who are so passionate about employability and improving people’s lives.”

Mehnaz finds motivation is key to getting back to work

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Mehnaz was referred to the Newham GRoW Programme by her Job Coach following a 7 month period of unemployment and has successfully found work locally as a Family Support Worker.

Mehnaz said “I found the GRoW Programme really useful in helping me understand the skills I’d developed whilst being at home looking after my child.  I hadn’t really considered how handling things like the household budget would contribute to my employability skills and that they were transferrable to the workplace.  It was also a great motivator as it taught me that you have to start somewhere in order to get to where you want to be.“

“I was looking for work that would allow me to use my prior experience.  I used to work in a school and a private nursery as a Nursery Nurse and I have a Level 3 Children and Young People Workforce Diploma and also a Degree in Psychology. My new job is as a Family Support Worker, carrying out parent assessments for court, it is really interesting and I am enjoying it so much.  I look forward to progressing in this role and building my career further as well as my earning potential in the future.

“I would really recommend the GRoW Programme to other women.  Not only do they help to motivate you but they also help you identify your skills and potential.  They help with practical things too like preparing your CV.  My CV was four pages before and they helped me edit it down to two pages making it far more readable and effective.

“I think the biggest thing I took away from GRoW is that they teach you that everybody has to start somewhere, that there is a journey to take and that you just have to take the first step”.

Leanne’s journey to get ready for work

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Mother of two Leanne came to the GRoW Programme to help her find the right kind of job when the time was right and is now about to start a training course and is planning to start her own business.

Leanne said “Before I had children I used to work in admin and though I was fairly confident of my employability skills I was concerned about finding the right kind of job that would fit around my children.  I don’t have regular support so I was panicking about how I would make it all work – hours – childcare – reasonable wages etc and I felt that the best option was to just wait until my youngest child was in full time school before I could really start thinking about it properly.

“I spent a lot of my time at the Harefield Children’s Centre and they suggested I go along to the GRoW Programme to help me think about getting ready for work.  I am so glad I did because from the moment I got there it was a huge eye opener!  I went along with one of my friends and we did the Programme together which was really nice.  We met people there who we didn’t know before and it was a really lovely group, they all helped me realise what I could achieve. I’ve always loved being around kids and I could see that working in a school environment would suit me and my family.  I’ve done work experience in a nursery before and I’ve helped out at the Children’s Centre too so I thought this would be a good route to pursue.

“When it came to January my friend and I could not wait for the Open Day at Brookfields Adult Learning Centre. We both enrolled on training courses and are doing our first course together in ‘Understanding Behaviour and its Challenges’.  The course is a Level 2 and will run from this month until July and then I am starting another Level 2 course in September to train as an Early Years Practitioner.

“The people at the Learning Centre suggested the Level 2 Understanding Behaviour course would stand me in good stead before doing the Early Year Practitioner and I’m now looking really positively to the future with a new outlook. I have options of working as part of my placement or working in a school at the end of my Early Years course or I might even go on to train as a Teaching Assistant.

“During the GRoW Programme Mercedes Grant came and did a session on ‘GRoW Your Own Business’. She was brilliant and so funny and the advice she gave on self employment was really helpful.  I will be doing Childcare at the end of this month as part of my course and I am also doing an online Fitness Instructor Course at the moment as my friend and I are looking to set up our own Fitness Club. It was useful to get Mercedes’ insight.

“Before I went to the GRoW Programme I really thought my best option was to just wait until my children had grown up before I could think about doing anything related to work.   I couldn’t have been more wrong.   GRoW has really helped me to recognise my worth and to see that returning to work is a journey.  By undertaking these training courses now I am increasing my skills and knowledge and will be fully qualified by the time my youngest child is in full time school.”

Are there any words you should or should not use in a CV?

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by Mercedes Grant MIEP, Development Director and CV Workshop Co-ordinator at Belina Consulting

A CV has one function – to get your candidate an interview with a particular employer. It has to show why this person should get that job, so to begin with the key words are those that make sure their CV matches that employer’s requirements. That means each time a CV is sent it should be tailored.

What not to say:

Too many CVs contain strings of meaningless adjectives that cover as many bases as possible in their allotted two sides of A4.  A CV that begins “I am a hard worker; able to take instructions and work on my own initiative. I am honest, punctual and a great communicator” does not impress.

Your candidate may well be honest, hardworking, punctual and energetic or have a will to learn. But just ask yourself – is there anyone out there applying with a CV that says “I am lazy and a bad time keeper; curmudgeonly and antipathetic to work?  The key message is don’t just make a list of adjectives. An employer wants to have examples and to know that your candidate understands why these attributes are important. Let’s take a list of words that you might want to use and think about how we can best deploy them.

  • Confident
  • Creative
  • Dedicated
  • Helpful
  • Punctual
  • Team worker

You could say:

I am confident, creative and dedicated. I am always punctual and helpful and am able to work on my own and in a team

But far better to say:

With my NVQ level two in Childcare and recent experience at a Children’s Centre I am a confident childcare worker. Dedicated to helping children fulfil their potential, I make sure I am there early each day to prepare creative sessions and work with the whole team to create a safe and secure environment where children can develop. I am responsible for supporting individual children at play time and mealtimes. Each day I write a short report for parents and post a picture to their phones so they can see what their child has been doing.

Use more verbs

At Belina we love verbs. Particularly the simple past tense that usually ends in an ed.  This tense shows that they did the task themselves. Here is part of a list that we provide to our candidates, with examples from just the first letter of the Alphabet.

·       Accomplished

·       Achieved

·       Administered

·       Advised

·       Analysed

·       Approved

·       Applied

·       Arranged

·       Assessed

·       Assisted

·       Attained

We would help a candidate come up with a sentence that added value to the verb for example.

·       Assisted the team to meet its sales targets.

·       Achieved a certificate in Food Hygiene.

·       Applied the company’s Health and Safety rules and arranged for machines to be inspected.

Don’t worry about first or third person

I think formality is important in a CV, so make sure it is written in good clear prose, with correct spelling and punctuation. But I don’t think it really matters whether it is First or Third person, as long as you are consistent. Personally, I prefer the third person as it cuts out a lot of superfluous ‘I ams’, but sometimes it feels more personal, especially where there are human relationships involved, for example in care work and childcare, to write in the first person.

 

Haritha GRoWs her skills and confidence

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Haritha joined the Hillingdon GRoW Programme in November 2019 as she was looking for ways to improve her employability skills. 

Haritha said “Before I attended the GROW Programme I really struggled with my confidence.  I have never had a job before and felt I didn’t have the right skills to get employed.  My husband and I came here two years ago from India as he has a job in a company doing IT.  We have two young boys who are not yet at full time school and I went to the GRoW Programme to help me gain the skills I need to prepare me for work.  At the moment I am only looking for part time work, preferably in retail, but I do hope to get full time work once my youngest boy is in school full time in September.

“The GRoW Programme has helped me in so many ways and the team are so friendly and helpful. As well as increasing my confidence I have really improved my conversational skills and I have enrolled on an ESOL course to help me improve my English language.  I have also learned how to search for jobs, how to write a really good CV and I check the Jobs Bulletin they send me every week so that I can apply for part-time jobs that look suitable.  Not only have I improved my skills but I have also made so many friends through the Programme which has been so good for me.”

 

Elena signs up for ESOL course

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Elena heard about GRoW through Altmore Children’s Centre where she was a regular visitor with her 2 year old daughter.

Elena said “Before I moved to England I was working in Scotland on a Broccoli Farm, helping with packaging.  As I was expecting my daughter when I came to England I was not then working and have not worked since she was born so when I heard about GRoW I was interested to find out how the Programme could help me find work.

I have found the GRoW Programme really useful in so many different ways.  Since having my daughter I have been staying home a lot and I was beginning to feel that I needed to get out more and meet new people.  GRoW has enabled me to meet lots of women who are in similar situations to me and it’s opened up lots of opportunities for me that I hadn’t thought about before such as what I really want to achieve in terms of work and what I am interested in.

I have an interest in IT and also I really like working with make up and beauty products, I only do this at home at the moment but it would be really great if I could find a job that would allow me to do this type of work.  Through the GRoW Programme I found out about an ESOL Course I could apply for to help me with improving my English.  I went along to the College in Newham yesterday and applied for a course which starts in February.  If it hadn’t been for GRoW I wouldn’t have known about this at all!

Focus Group in Hillingdon –  a discussion with single parents about universal credit rules to look for when their children are pre-school age

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by Laura Dewar, Policy Officer, Gingerbread

In the middle of November GrOW kindly hosted a focus group of single parents at a library in Hillingdon.  There are just under 100,000 single parents who have moved onto universal credit in London and new rules for those with pre-school children to become job seekers.   The purpose of the focus group was to talk with single parents with young children about the practicalities of moving into work.  Gingerbread has just started a year-long research project on this issue and the focus group was an opportunity to hear about the key issues.  

Whilst single parents were keen to work they also thought that there were few part-time jobs to apply for and had concerns about childcare matching jobs.  Single parents talked about most jobs being advertised full-time.  There was fierce competition for any job advertised within school hours and these jobs were rare. Single parents also talked about the difficulty of having to deal with the on-line journal and apply for jobs on-line.  Most of the parents do not have a personal computer and have to rely on applying for jobs from their phone.  The technology is limited and it can be hard to complete applications on a mobile phone.  Single parents talked of the difficulty of jobcentres not allowing access to computers.

In terms of childcare single parents talked about the high cost of childcare for pre-school children. A single parent talked about her son being happily in nursery of fifteen hours but if she moved into a job, and she accessed the thirty hours of free childcare, that there was not space for her to do that at his nursery.  So if she moved into work she would have to change her son’s childcare (and she does not know if there are places elsewhere) and settle him into a new setting when he was happy at his current nursery.

The single parents who had already moved onto Universal Credit were not aware that there were different rules for those with pre-school aged children.  They were just told to find a job of at least sixteen hours.  None were told about the flexibility that could allow them to train for up to a year.  A single parent was at university.  She felt under pressure under universal credit to look for work even though she is studying. The single parent gets some help with her childcare costs but has to work as a cleaner at the weekends in order to meet the shortfall in childcare costs.

Single parents in the group were unclear how much money they would keep when they moved into a job. Work coaches did not provide calculations in how much better off you might be if you moved into work.

A number of the single parents have children with disabilities and claimed additional benefits to support their child. There was a lack of knowledge about how much these single parents could work before they lost benefits.  Again the financial gains of working were not made clear by work coaches.

The focus group was a valuable way of talking with single parents about universal credit.  The single parents shared their experience of looking for a job, accessing childcare and the jobcentre.   The single parents were keen to work (many thought this was more reasonable when their children were at school age) or to study to improve their job prospects.  Many were left confused by the universal credit rules and how much better off or not they would be moving into work.  The focus group was a vital first step in Gingerbread’s research project and we are incredibly grateful to the single parents who shared their lived experience.

Laura Dewar, Policy Officer, Gingerbread