Teaching English at the Hackney Migrant Centre

As well as funding Jagtar's teaching position at homeless charity Crisis, the International House Trust also supports the Hackney Migrant Centre in East London. Here IH London teacher Ben Darby is busy teaching English to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.

Read Ben's first update from the Centre to find out what he's been doing and the important role the Hackney Migrant Centre plays in the community:

"I teach English at International House London. Since September I have also been teaching English at one of the charities which International House is helping to support; the Hackney Migrant Centre.

The Migrant Centre is a charity that runs a weekly 'drop-in' for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. It is based at St Mary’s Church by Clissold Park in Stoke Newington on Wednesday afternoons.

It is an inspiring project. Staffed mostly by volunteers it offers excellent support services and a welcoming and sociable environment. Legal advisors help with immigration, welfare and housing problems. Lunch is cooked with food donated by local businesses. The centre is unique in Hackney as it offers these services to all migrants, regardless of nationality or immigration status.

The centre has been running since 2008 and in 2010 International House offered their support. In June 2010 International House started providing teachers to the centre, enabling them to run a two-hour English class every Wednesday.

English lessons are held in a room above the vestry, with the church windows as a backdrop. There are basic facilities: a portable whiteboard and a CD player. The class size averages ten.

The majority of the students are African, mostly from Eritrea. Many are refugees, not all of them have been granted leave to remain in the UK, and some have been homeless. We focus on practical, day to day language. Recently we’ve been looking at topics related to transport, for example asking for information about buses or trains, vocabulary for topping up an Oyster card, and how to ask for directions.

There’s a lot of role play and because some of the students have difficulty with written English we’ve practised tasks such as composing an email and filling in forms. The students are co-operative and very supportive of one another. They have said that they are keen to have more English lessons. International House and the Hackney Migrant Centre are currently looking for ways to try to increase the amount of English classes."

- Ben Darby

Look out for more news from Ben at the Hackney Migrant Centre in 2011.

Advice on living in London: A student's perspective

Recently we have been discussing the pros and cons of life in London. Of course there are more positives (pros) than there are negatives (cons) but for those of you who are thinking of coming to London in the near future, the students of Lower Intermediate A have put together a few pieces of advice that we hope

you might find useful:

Transport: The most common problem experienced

has been the 'tube' (underground train). This can get very busy at rush hour (between 8am - 6pm) and if you don't like confined spaces we suggest you take the bus or walk! The best way to use the

transport in London is to buy an oyster card. This is a plastic card (the size of a credit card) t

hat allows you to use buses, tubes and some overground trains in the city. You can either buy your travel for a month or more or, 'top-up' the money you spend as you go (e.g. £10, £20...etc). You can buy an oyster card at the ticket desk of any tube station or on the Internet at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/). Tube maps are free so we suggest that you pick up one at your local station and keep it in your wallet.

English for beginners: Some students choose to come to England when they are at elementary level. This is a great way to start but also has its difficulties...We suggest that you buy a dictionary before arriving in the UK, perhaps also an electronic dictionary (these might cost a little more) and learn some 'key phrases'. Here are some examples that our class suggest are helpful:

"I would like to go to this address please......"
"Where is the nearest tube station?"
"How do i get to..........?"
"Please"
"Thank you"
"Hello, my name is .........."

Accommodation: Living in London is fun but if you don't like your accommodation it can dampen your enjoyment. Here are a few suggestions that our class recommend looking at before you arrive:

1. Contact IH London and find out about their help with accommodation (http://www.ihlondon.com/) different options include: student apartments and host families.

2. You might want to live on your own or with a friend who is coming with you. If you choose not to live in

the accommodation that IH London provide you might want to look at flats that you can rent privately. There are thousands to choose from in the city but we suggest that you research the area first, before you make a decision. Some areas are more convenient for student living than others. Decide your budget, research an area (district of the city) and then look on the Internet for different rental sites.

Weather: Ah! The famous English weather! In the winter the temperatures can be anywhere below or around 0-10 degrees (cold!)....we suggest that if you are coming in the winter, you bring warm clothes: a coat, a scarf, a hat, gloves and warm shoes or boots! This especially applies to those of you travelling from the Middle East or South America who have very little snow or rain! In the summer, temperatures are usually warm but definitely not too hot!

These are just a few of the points we have discussed and agree would be useful to know before coming to London. City living is great but it can also be a very new experience for most students. Make sure you are well prepared before you arrive, everyone will be experiencing similar problems too remember!

Speak to you soon,

Signed,

Lucy & the class of Lower Intermediate A