English for Speakers of Other Languages
Would you like to improve your English fluency and pronunciation? Do you need to write emails at work or essays at university? Are you learning English for the first time? From beginner level to advanced, we can help you.
You can study on general ESOL courses and practise your speaking, listening, reading or writing. Or you can focus on specific areas such as grammar, conversation and communicating at work. From Entry 1 to Cambridge C2 Proficiency, our wide range of courses will ensure you have the English you need to make progress at work, participate in social life and express yourself fully.
You will learn through a variety of different techniques– drama, dialogue, watching films and singing, making podcasts, games, play and work-based tasks. On all our courses, you will practise the skills most demanded by employers: problem-solving, analysing, working together, decision-making, attending to detail and seeing the bigger picture.
Whether you prefer to study for a qualification or not, our creative and well-qualified tutors will help you become a fluent English speaker, listener, reader and writer.
Which course is right for me?
To make sure you book onto the right course, we'll ask you to do a pre-course assessment. A face to face assessment is best and we advise you to do this. If you can’t do a face to face assessment you can do it online.
- Online assessment - Choose a course from the list below and on the next page, click on ‘Start Assessment’.
- Or book a face-to-face assessment - call 020 8078 0482 or contact us by email at universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk for an appointment.
Face-to-face assessments take place every Wednesday evening between 6 and 8pm
The courses are FREE to most learners if you earn less than £21,547.50 a year or are on Universal Credit, JSA or ESA (WRAG). They are either in the City Lit building or are live online interactive classes. For online courses, you will need a computer with a microphone, a camera and the internet.
Filters
- ESOL pronunciation: stage 2 (level 1-2)Course start date: Mon 24 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
What are the different ways of pronouncing 'a'? Does 'for' always sound like 'four'? Is 't' always pronounced the same way? Learn the answers to these questions as you focus on fluent pronunciation practising linking, rhythm and stress and discover how context affects the pronunciation of English. This course is aimed at students with a good level of English - level 1 and 2 (B2-C1), who have completed Stage 1. Please contact the department on (telephone temporarily unavailable) or universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk for more information. Highly fluent students at level 3 or above should apply to the courses in the drama department.
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - Develop your writing and language skills (level 1-level 2)Course start date: Thu 27 Apr 2023
Location on this date: Online
Have you been learning English for a long time but your writing just doesn’t seem to be improving? Are you quite a fluent speaker but find formal speaking difficult? Do you feel ‘stuck’. This course will release you! You will focus on how to improve the structure of your writing both the whole text, paragraphs and sentences. You will work on understanding the grammar of the language, and the skills you learn to develop your writing will help you improve your more formal speaking whether this is for job interviews, meetings at work or giving presentations. This course is ideal if you have been living in the UK for several years, feel quite comfortable in speaking English as a second language, but lack confidence in your literacy skills.
Before this course, you need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name). Use Chrome if possible.
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - English pronunciation: stage 2Course start date: Tue 17 Jan 2023 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: David John GwillimDesigned for people who have completed ‘English Pronunciation: stage 1’ although new students with sufficient skills can join. Develop confidence and clarity, explore diphthongs and triphthongs, inflection and the rhythms of Standard English. This term the course will be taught online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00 - English pronunciation: stage 1Course start date: Fri 28 Apr 2023 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Tutors: David John GwillimAre you a non-native fluent speaker who wants to improve your pronunciation of English and to speak the language more clearly and confidently? Work on clear formation of vowel and consonant sounds including the English neutral vowel and the distinction between voiced and unvoiced sounds. This term the course will be taught online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00 - ESOL entry 2-entry 3Course start date: Sat 21 Jan 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Are you quite confident about your everyday English? Can you have some short conversations and read and write simple emails? Can you go shopping, talk about simple subjects, and write a letter? But do you make quite a lot mistakes? Is it difficult to speak, read or write about more complicated topics? This course will help you learn more vocabulary and grammar so you can talk, read and write about more interesting everyday things and make fewer mistakes. Your will practise your speaking, listening, reading and writing so you can understand people better, talk about most daily topics, read a simple news story, and write a long email or letter.
Before this course, you need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name). Use Chrome if possible.
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £85.00 - ESOL for hospitality: front of house (level 1-2)Course start date: Tue 9 May 2023
Location on this date: Online
Are you working in hospitality? Would you like to? Do you need to develop your English to help you do the job well? On this course you will focus on the language you need to work front of house across the hospitality sector whether this is in hotels, restaurants, events, or planes. You will focus on key grammar and vocabulary as well as speaking, listening, reading and writing skills so you can ask and answer questions well with appropriate levels of formality, communicate with colleagues and customers, identify and communicate about health and safety concerns, handle complaints and deal with stocks and orders.
You need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name). Use Chrome if possible.
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £60.00 - ESOL pronunciation: stage 1 (level 1-2)Course start date: Mon 20 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tired of people not understanding you? Would you like to sound 'more English'? Do you need to communicate well with people in your work? Then this specialist course will help you. Learn how to make the individual sounds of English, hear the differences between them, and read and write the phonemic script, a special alphabet of sounds. This course is aimed at students with a good level of English - level 1 and 2 (B2-C1). Highly fluent students at level 3 or above should apply to the courses in the drama department.
Before this course, you need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Communication skills: working with people (ESOL entry 3- level 1)Course start date: Tue 31 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Online
Do you need to talk to members of the public at work - by phone, face-to-face, online? Do you have to understand your work colleagues? Does your supervisor send you emails you need to reply to? This course will help you become a good communicator at work mainly when speaking and listening but also when sending text messages and emails. You will practise how to interact and engage with customers, how to be polite, how to sell things, talk over the phone at call centres, take messages and talk at the same time, make small talk with work colleagues and write formal emails and polite text messages to your manager.
You need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - ESOL level 1 (reading and writing)Course start date: Mon 20 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Are you now a confident speaker and writer of English? Can you communicate quite easily in your daily life, understand people around you and read and write about everyday subjects? This intermediate course will help you speak, read and write about more complicated topics with greater accuracy. You will learn how to make a presentation, write formally and informally, and read about more challenging and interesting subjects. There will be reading and writing exams in July.
Before this course, you need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £160.00 - Communicating at work: formal, informal and being polite (level 1)Course start date: Thu 2 Mar 2023
Location on this date: Online
Do you need to write reports or give presentations at work? Do you have to talk at meetings or conduct video conferences? Are you writing letters, summaries, minutes, statements or copy for websites? Are you lacking the confidence to apply for this type of work? This course will develop the skills and language you need for the workplace so you can present ideas, persuade and influence colleagues to support these ideas, write them up in reports and also explain your opinions and describe facts. You will develop your ability to communicate with appropriate levels of formality and politeness as well as recognise and understand the polite conventions used in writing and conversations.
You need to do a pre-course assessment face-to-face or online. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name). Use Chrome if possible.
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click here
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £80.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list