Many ESL students are unemployed or underemployed, and often the students who do have jobs cannot receive promotions or better employment because they lack the English language abilities to perform the job. Finding a job in a new country that requires a new language can be very intimidating. We as instructors, then, are tasked with helping the students to learn the language they need to find employment or a better position if they’re already employed.
The English Forward curriculum offers at least one unit that may be helpful to your students in finding employment. In the curriculum, Unit 5 English For Work offers six lessons that teach students about important topics such as talking about their job, common careers, their job goals and requirements, among others. This unit gives students basic knowledge and information that will help them to look for a job and communicate effectively in the workplace. There are several other lessons throughout the curriculum, such as 2.1 Personal Information, that can help students either on the job or in job interviews. Once you understand your students’ employment needs you can create a custom English Forward unit that meets their needs.
Of course, there are other activities that you can bring into your classroom to show your students what skills and abilities are needed to hold a job. One great example can be found on pg. 14 of “Integrating Workplace Skills in ESL Classes” by Ronna Magy and Donna Price (2011)() They have created a checklist of “Skills to Help you Succeed at Work” that allows students to evaluate their current skills and determine what they need to improve to gain employment and what they already do well.
How do you help your students to gain the skills and abilities to gain employment? What do you use to teach or bring into the classroom? Let us know in the comments below!