English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Whether you want to communicate more confidently, find employment, support your children's learning or prepare for further education, our experienced tutors will support you every step of the way.

Our friendly classes are designed for adults aged 19 and over and provide a welcoming, supportive learning environment. With daytime and evening classes available, you can study at a pace that suits you while fitting learning around your work and family commitments.

Topics

Our ESOL course is designed to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills so you can communicate confidently in everyday situations.

You'll learn how to:

• Speak and understand English with greater confidence
• Improve your reading and writing skills
• Build your vocabulary and use correct grammar
• Communicate at work, in education and in everyday situations
• Complete everyday tasks such as filling in forms, writing emails and understanding official information
• Develop your pronunciation and listening skills
• Prepare for nationally recognised ESOL qualifications

Every lesson focuses on practical language skills that you can use in your daily life.

Why study ESOL?

Learning English can open up new opportunities and help you feel more confident in your community. An ESOL course can help you to:

• Communicate more confidently with family, friends and colleagues.
• Support your children's education.
• Access employment and training opportunities.
• Progress to further study, including Functional Skills or vocational courses.
• Understand everyday information, services and life in the UK.
• Build confidence and become more independent

Further study after this course

After successfully completing your current ESOL level, you can progress to the next level of study. Depending on your level and future goals, you may also progress to:

• Functional Skills English or maths
• Vocational courses at East Durham College
• Employment or apprenticeships
• Further educations and other nationally recognised qualifications

Our tutors will help choose the progression route that's right for you.

Entry requirements

You don't need any previous qualifications to join an ESOL course.

before you start, you'll complete a short assessment so we can identify your current English level and put you in the right class.

Throughout your course, your tutor will regularly review your progress to make sure you're studying at the appropriate level and achieving your learning goals.

Fees & funding

This course will be FREE* for most learners (*eligibility criteria applies). To find out more, please view our Course Fees & Funding page.

Apply now

You can apply for our ESOL course by visiting the course page. If you're not quite ready to apply for the course and would like some more information, please fill in the enquiry form at the bottom of this page.