Secretaries & Administrative Staff

English for Specific Purposes

English for Secretaries and Administrative Staff

English has become the language of business and it has therefore become important for all administrative staff and secretaries to be able to communicate effectively in English.

The focus of the course is on speaking and listening skills to ensure effective communication within the workplace. The course assumes that students will have an intermediate level of English and is ideal for students who need to further their business English within the workplace.

The course will focus on the language needed for practical tasks and communication in the workplace:

Vocabulary is of paramount importance and therefore the focus is placed on using the correct vocabulary at the appropriate time and within the correct context, ensuring effective communication between work colleagues, customers and suppliers. An emphasis is placed on real work situations using business terms and expressions, including abbreviations and colloquial expressions.

Speaking skills development activities simulate real-life communication, such as describing basic company information, arranging meetings and setting agendas, message-taking and other basic administrative functions. These are practiced using role-play and information gap tasks that involve finding out information from a partner.

Grammatical structures are introduced and reviewed according to the needs of students. Areas such as imperatives and message-taking are introduced to prepare learners for real life situations. Discovery learning activities are favoured where students are encouraged to notice and work out structural patterns rather than learn rules that have little or no practical application.

Reading and listening skills are developed through tasks that involve studying authentic and simplified authentic-type texts. Listening texts prepare students for communication with native speakers and non-native speakers by using recordings that contain different accents and regional variation. Written tasks aim to motivate students by developing their knowledge of useful language phrases and vocabulary chunks for different text types such as meeting requests, written notices and message-taking. Written exercises are used to reinforce vocabulary and grammatical.

Who is the course for?

All personnel involved in an administrative function in a company whether this be as a secretary, personal assistant, warehouse manager or an administrative clerk.

Course Information

Course Summary

Starting Dates: On request
Duration: 2 -8 weeks
Lessons per week: 23 hours
Minimum English Level: Intermediate
Maximum students per class: 12 students

Course components

Standard English
08.30 am – 10.30 am or 10.30 am- 12.30 pm
Monday to Friday

English for Secretaries & Administrative Staff
12.40 pm – 2.40 pm or 2.40 pm – 4.40 pm
Monday to Thursday

PSP times
08.30 am – 4.40 pm
Monday to Friday
1 hour per day

Price (Quoted per week)

€350 for 2-4 weeks
€330 for 5-8 weeks

Included

Tuition fees
Placement test
All course materials
Personal Study Programme
End-of-course certificate
Unlimited free wi-fi access on school premises
Access to free online English courses through Net Languages and Ih World

What is a Personal Study Programme [PSP]?

PSP is…

Managed, guided and monitored learning
Flexible and based on individual needs
An opportunity for students to work together
Supported by a wide range of activities and resources
Up to 20 minutes of 1:1 with a teacher every week
Time with qualified teachers
An opportunity for specialised English study
(e.g. for business, aviation, exam preparation, etc.)

PSP is not…

Undirected or disorganised self-access
Prescribed by teachers using a fixed syllabus
An isolated hour of individual work
Only computer-based
1:1 every day (the ratio is usually 1:6-8)
Staffed by untrained supervisors
A closed group, general English course

Why the change?

The new timetable is aimed at improving the overall ‘student experience’ by creating a network of social learning spaces. In addition to classroom learning, this will include:

● creating opportunities for interaction with a greater number of students and teachers
● providing students with a Personal Study Programme that caters to their individual needs, without the expense of 1:1 lessons
● enabling students to reach personal goals as quickly as possible through the development of independent learning skills
● offering a wider range of print and online study resources
● improving access to facilities and staff through the implementation of a more flexible schedule.

Payment: Payment can be by credit card [3.5% additional fees] or bank transfer.

Public holiday notice: Should the school be closed due to a public holiday, ONLY private lessons are made up in full.

Testimonials

Happy students

“I would like to thank IH Cape Town for the beautiful time. I had the possibility to get to know amazing people from different countries of the world.”

Marie Ritter

Germany

"I am able to say that I'm a better person because of Ih Cape Town. Ih Cape Town offered me the opportunity to meet new people; to be more open-minded and I am really thankful for it."

Elizabeth Djanie Badjoko-Wa-Lileko

Congo

“Ih Cape Town is an amazing English school. It’s location in Sea Point makes it a safe place, with a safe surrounding. Teachers are awesome. Each teacher has unique qualities and is very loveable. I don’t regret any second I spent here. I truly fell in love with the school and with Cape Town.”

Salmah Hani. Sait

Saudi Arabia

"I really improved my conversation and my English level. I met a lot of new friends. I am delighted about the school and the teachers."

Carlos Climent

Spain

"Ih is an amazing school. The teachers do their best to make sure that we students learn the language in a way that we won’t forget. Besides the teachers, the staff is like a family, takes care of us very well."

Milena Silva

Brazil

“I had the best moment of my life in IH Cape Town. I’m going to miss you guys.”

Lucia Elisa Benza Tito

Angola