Recommendations on resources for learning to speak, read & write English

September 16, 2024 12:02 PM

My mum is from Bangladesh, she works in a nursery here in the U.K. For most of her life she was a housewife, and as a community (and family) that doesn't tend to integrate she never really learnt English beyond the basics. She has been working there for a number of years and constantly experiencing a lot of difficulty and pressure from her workplace and she is worried about being fired.

It's very painful to experience on multiple levels, but essentially she is treated like crap at her work because though she is excellent at looking after babies and children, she can't do the paperwork necessary to her role. I question why the hell they even gave, or kept, her this position if they knew her English levels were not up to scratch. They are not very nice to her as she is unable to fulfil her role to the level expected. That's entirely their own stupid fault firstly. Have to get that off my chest.

Secondly though, my mum has some pride and she *does* want to learn and be able to hold down this job and be treated better. She is very busy, living in a terribly chaotic and frankly emotionally abusive, troubled home. So she doesn't have much time.

But, I would really appreciate if anyone could provide advice or the best possible resources that might help her improve. What T.V shows could she watch? What books should she read, any podcasts she could listen to?

posted by Sunflower88 to Work & Money (15 answers total)

I think you need to have a low intermediate level to get something out of it, but the BBC has a lot of great resources for English learners.
posted by pangolin party at 12:06 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Can you use a service like TaskRabbit or Facebook to find a Bangla/English speaker who can just do the paperwork for her, or train her on it? Maybe a high school student who lives nearby who can do an hour a week for $20 or something?

For learning the basics of a language, watching children's TV in that language is usually very helpful, as it's slower and the sentence constructions are easier.

If there's any show or genre she likes - especially if the actors are speaking in a regional accent that's relatively close to where she's working, she can watch it in English with the English subtitles on as well. That's hard work, so she should just pick any show topic that interests her - just getting that much English exposure will help, no matter what she watches. Bridgerton? BakeOff? Literally anything that she finds interesting enough to want to "read along with".
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:52 PM on September 16 [3 favorites]

Check with a teacher’s college in the area. When I was doing my ESOL cert (United states Florida but still), I had to do some hours per week with students in the visa program to help them learn English. If they won’t assign a student, they might still know of resources. In the US, a lot of public school districts have free ESOL classes for adults, so you might check if your local free school district has this resource.
posted by toodleydoodley at 1:17 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

I have some suggested resources from my library's program for English language learners. If we were anywhere near you, I would highly recommend their services, but sadly we are on the wrong side of the pond for that. But their list of online resources is curated and gives a rundown of each website, so you can chose which one or ones might be helpful for your mother.

I wouldn't use an app alone, but both Mango Language and Duolingo have English and it can be a helpful addition to other learning.
posted by carrioncomfort at 1:49 PM on September 16

I think hiring a tutor, who can at least/first help her understand the forms she needs to fill out regularly so she can do that would be step 1.

In my community we have a group known as the "English Language Learner's Alliance" where people can gather at the local mall for informal English practice. Maybe there's something similar where you are.

I don't know if you are in the same city as your mum, but if you are and she's in a controlling environment, maybe you can couch these learning opportunities as "time with child" to minimize grief/conflict.
posted by brookeb at 2:16 PM on September 16

TV and books usually aren't sufficient for learning a language. They're better than nothing but if this is important and if you want fast progress then she really needs interaction. A tutor could be one answer to that. A club where she's not mistreated could be another, though you say she doesn't have much time. You speak English - could you commit to spending time with her where you only speak English with her?

But whatever happens, "learn English" isn't a solution to the immediate problem because learning a language takes time, no matter how ideal the conditions or how quick the learner is. In the meantime, can you get her help in filling out these forms and in understanding these forms specifically? Is this something she needs to fill out on the job, or is it something she can bring home and complete with someone who can help?
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 3:10 PM on September 16

Canada has a program that provides language instruction for new Canadians - it is offered through the government free of charge and any new Canadian is eligible. The purpose is to give new Canadians (immigrants, refugees) enough language so that they can work and function in society. I taught in this program and over the years taught several students like your mother - they'd been in Canada for decades, but totally ensconced in their own-language community and for one reason or another needed/wanted to learn English.

There might be a similar program in the UK. I found a couple links - not for a specific program but it seems such a thing does exist.

Community based English language training.

Integrated communities English language programme.

These evaluate or describe a language program, but you'd have to search a bit more to find an actual class.
posted by lulu68 at 3:58 PM on September 16

In the short term, could the forms be translated for her so she can fill them out? Especially if it's information like the time of day a kid arrived/left or number of diaper changes and feedings.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 5:08 PM on September 16

I am sorry this has happened to your mother, and I think she is really brave to step out of her comfort zone and into the mainstream UK society.

However, I also want to say that taking care of children in a formal and even informal settings nowadays has very high expectations, especially so in the UK. It is not just 'taking care of babies and toddlers' anymore. Most childcare staff now have certifications and training courses in just about everything. Childcare staff in professional and informal settings need to be able communicate well and are familiar with the EYFS framework. I will gently point out that it may not just be your mother's English -- it may be her entire way of communicating and handling children.

I also say this as an immigrant and person of colour, who has grown up in a third world country (and then moved about since). The difference between someone who has a 'Western' education and not Western education is huge. The other day, I went to an activity where the teacher (who was a recent immigrant) started roughly pulling the arm of a toddler who was not on his best behaviour. I mean, this is just not done or acceptable, not in the UK. We use our words to communicate what we want, as I like to tell my children.

Also, childcare is now so expensive in the UK that it is a luxury good, and most mothers who cannot afford childcare will choose to stay at home. So the parents who can afford childcare will be invariably be more wealthier than normal, are more likely to be professionals, and will expect a certain level of professionalism. (Please, if you are from the US, refrain from commenting, it is not welcomed. Post-tax £2000 a month childcare may be cheap in your eyes but it is the average wage in the UK after deducting for tax).

Good news is that childcare staff are highly in demand, and well sought after. I would recommend your mother get a certificate in childcare, i.e. 'Level 1 Certificate in Childcare'. There, she will learn to a) improve her English by speaking to teachers and other students and b) learn about the EYFS framework.
posted by moiraine at 9:11 PM on September 16 [4 favorites]

[deleted as double post! not sure what happened there... ]
posted by moiraine at 9:15 PM on September 16

I'd suggest looking at local FE colleges, since they have ESOL classes. Due to changes in funding, these classes aren't very long (they went from say, 3 hours a day 5 days a week to about 6 hours a week total) but it's a good start. If she gets to a certain level, she could go for the Level 1 Cert that moiraine mentioned.

Note that these classes should be free or if not, very low cost.

Some local churches often also run free ESOL classes in the evening staffed by volunteers.

If you're anywhere near Birmingham, send me a message.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 1:29 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

Pimsleur
posted by Jacqueline at 1:37 AM on September 17

I found this childcare course which is in Tower Hamlets / Hackney. The course is free for most students but she does need some English and Maths...
https://www.ncclondon.ac.uk/adult-courses/caring-for-children-level-1-diploma/

Tower Hamlets also does offer FREE English language courses:
https://www.ideastore.co.uk/learning/skills-for-life/esol

This will get her out of the house and let her interact with others in the community.

I assume your mother lives in the borough of Tower Hamlets, but most councils with a high proportion of a foreign population will have free English language courses too.
posted by moiraine at 2:18 AM on September 17

If it really is the paperwork that is holding her back, the best thing seems to be to just help her learn how to fill out this specific paperwork.

Can she bring copies of all the forms she's expected to complete home? Start with the easiest ones first. Is there a form that's mostly checkboxes and times? She could probably learn to do that one very quickly. Could you make her a list of short phrases or sentences that would often be relevant on another form? She could keep that list on a phone or in a notebook until she has it memorized. If she's expected to write little anecdotal reports, could she learn to use Google Translate quickly?

Really learning a language is a long process. Filling in some specific paperwork might be a much easier task. Try starting there.
posted by MangoNews at 4:37 AM on September 17 [1 favorite]

Yes, she should find something with in-person meetings and ideally on-on-one tutoring. Where I am in the US, a lot of English language learning takes place in community education programs that are actually labeled "literacy," in addition to the usual ESL/ELL classes. Writing seems to fall more on the "literacy" side. I have worked on both sides in community education and run into a lot of people with spoken English that's like, 80% of the way there, and who specifically needed to be able to write better for their jobs. Truth told, I would sometimes say, "Look, we'll get you to 90% eventually, but for now let's just do this paperwork together." I vividly remember writing up an action plan for a cook who needed one to be promoted.

Anyway if I were your mom, I would sign up for every class I could find in both English and literacy, and try to find someone able to help her with the work stuff specifically. Just don't give money to those crappy programs where you pay a lot to supposedly get rid of your accent or something.
posted by BibiRose at 8:58 AM on September 17