English course with work experience
03/07/2016
Alessandra, from Italy, took English with Work Experience course. She studied in the mornings and did an intenrship in our school gaining experience in administration, marketing and customer service.
By the end of the internship it felt like she was a part of our “Communicate family”. It was very hard to say goodbye! Here is Alessandra’s story.
My three and a half months in Manchester started on 13th of February, when I arrived in this city, which was a little bit grey and gloomy, and in fact completely different from the other cities in which I used to live. Its impact has been strong because I live in Italy in a very sunny coastal city and there are a lot of differences that have affected me since the first moment.
My internship in Communicate School started only some days after, on the Tuesday. When I arrived at school for the first time, I felt a little bit nervous both because my English wasn’t so good – I’ve never had the opportunity to practise it enough before – and because I haven’t had any job experience in an office’s language school. I have been heartily welcomed and I immediately felt at home. Regarding my office tasks, everything was made easier with my colleagues helpfulness, explanations, and encouraging me to challenge myself.
One of the most beautiful impressions that I’ve felt was being taken in consideration and being involved in key decisions: this is the main difference I noticed between England and Italy. Since arriving here I have been addressed by everyone in a kind-hearted and friendly manner without exception. For this reason going to work has been a pleasure every single day. A really familiar and stimulating atmosphere.
Right off, the feeling in the class was the same: two and a half hours in an English class can seem long, maybe too much, but thanks to the teacher’s ability to create lessons in which it’s possible to learn by having fun and getting to know each other, hours have always flown by. In my modest opinion, there’s a good balance between the technical study of grammar and the practise of language through fun games and, personally, it turned out to be the perfect combination to achieve the results I’ve obtained which are, results absolutely beyond my expectations for such a short period of time.
The prime occasion to practise your English and to get to know a wide range of students from different countries, is the Social Activities organised by the school, a way to discover a little bit more about Manchester, its food, its history, and its places.
I’m going to take home with me a wonderful experience, shared with beautiful people, and the idea – that I’ve never previously taken into consideration – that I wouldn’t mind coming back to this country where the kindness reigns and that also, little by little, I’ve learnt to appreciate more and more each day.
Read more about the English with work experience course.