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.
- ESOL: Develop your listening skills (entry 3-level 1)Course start date: Tue 2 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you tired of asking people to repeat themselves? Do you nod and smile when you don't understand? Do you wish you could understand the TV better or follow phone conversations more easily? Good listening skills are essential to your English language development and students often never learn specific listening techniques. This course will help you change your experience of listening to English. It will change from being a stream of meaningless sounds into one in which you can identify the words and focus on the meaning of what you are hearing. You will be able to relax when you are having conversations and enjoy films without subtitles!
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 hereFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Grammar in practice: upper intermediate (level 1-2)Course start date: Fri 3 Feb 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Unsure when to use present perfect or past perfect? Is reported speech still causing you problems? Do you need to practise your conditionals? Join this course and put your grammar into practice in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Gain confidence in using grammar effectively through high level and engaging tasks
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 hereFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00 - 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 and making podcasts: pronunciation, presentation, expression (level 1-2)Course start date: Sun 21 May 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your pronunciation, learn more about how you sound when you speak English and develop your speaking? A podcast is a digital recording, which can be used in a very practical way to help develop your English. On this course, you will discover how to make and edit a podcast to record yourself as well as what to say and how to say it. You will be able to practise speaking on your own and interviewing others as well as learn how to prepare what to say and how to say it. Podcasting is a fantastic way of improving your pronunciation, your vocabulary, your spoken accuracy, and your fluency.
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). Please note you will need to download the free Audacity software and have a headset with mic to do this course.
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 hereFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Grammar in practice: intermediate (entry 3-level 1)Course start date: Wed 25 Jan 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Confused by verb tenses? Need to know when to use past simple or present perfect? Puzzled by the passive? This course will make English grammar simpler for you and increase your confidence by giving you lots of opportunities to put your grammar into practice.
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 hereFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00
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