Volunteer English Class Assistant
The English class is a part of the Creative Arts and Skills Programme (CASP) and runs on Mondays, 12-2pm, during term time. It is a safe space for clients to improve their English at their own pace, making friends and immersing themselves in learning to forget some of their daily challenges, whilst being continuously supported by our team of dedicated staff and volunteers throughout their journey.
This weekly English class is a relaxed and friendly space for clients of all language and literacy abilities to practice their English together and develop the confidence to later enrol in a formal college ESOL course. While this class is mostly for beginners, it is also attended by clients who are less comfortable in busy environments and would prefer to learn or improve their English in a smaller group. Some clients are already in college and use this space for extra practice.
We are looking for a volunteer to assist the main teacher in the class, predominantly as a friendly and supportive presence and to provide extra support and encouragement for clients who may need it.
Main tasks and activities
- Supporting the set up and smooth running of the class;
- Assisting clients one on one who might need a little bit of extra support;
- Provide a friendly and supportive presence;
- Other assitance as required by the main teacher.
Skills and experience needed
- Understanding of, and commitment to, the objectives of the Helen Bamber Foundation;
- A demonstrable empathy for our vulnerable clients, including asylum seekers, refugees and survivors of torture and trafficking;
- An understanding of the challenges facing our client group;
- Punctual, reliable and self-motivated with a positive, ’can-do’ attitude;
- Experience of working or volunteering in a supporting role and/or with vulnerable people;
- Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage own time and workload, and to prioritise a range of competing demands;
What you will get out of the role:
- A strong understanding of how HBF’s integration programmes contribute to the well-being of our clients;
- An appreciation of the processes and systems that asylum seekers and refugees navigate within the UK;
- Access to training opportunities within HBF
- Increased experience and confidence in teaching English as a second language;
- Increased teamwork skills;
- An ability to multi-task between competing priorities.
Please provide a Cover Letter along with your CV to be considered for this role.
Equal Opportunities
Our commitment to principles of equity, diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our approach to our clients, our volunteers and our staff, and we are an equal opportunities and Living Wage employer. We are committed to attracting and recruiting diverse candidates because we are keen to make sure that all our staff, trustees, volunteers and ambassadors reflect the communities we serve and the wider community we work in.
We genuinely welcome and encourage applications from a range of backgrounds, especially people of colour, people with disabilities, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, refugees, stateless people and others with lived experience of forced migration or trauma.
Statement on artificial intelligence (AI) and recruitment
At the Helen Bamber Foundation / Asylum Aid we don’t make decisions based on artificial intelligence (AI). We have a human approach to hiring and all applications are reviewed and assessed by our team. Similarly, what we are most interested in hearing about is your individual motivation, experience, skills and values. AI doesn’t know about you or what motivates you – we want to hear from you.
AI may be a helpful tool, but typically leads to generic answers repeated by multiple candidates, not stand out applications. Please make sure that your responses reflect your own thoughts and experiences.