A new year means lots of new bright ideas at The Dock – and The English Corner is one of the brightest yet…
Lots of our customers in Dock Cafe come from all over the world – but for those who are settling here (and sometimes, for those who want to volunteer at Dock Cafe) there’s often a bit of a language barrier – especially when a bunch of Belfast locals get chatting to each other!
The English Corner will be led by Jackie, one of the Volunteers in the café. She has been a teacher here in Northern Ireland for 30 years and has taught English to Chinese students in Jilin University, Changchun for 3 semesters, living in China for almost 2 years. She has recruited a number of retired teachers to help in this project.
The idea is to give foreign students a class where they can practise and improve their English – and maybe even learn some ‘conversational Northern Irish’ as well!
So if having a bit of banter with yer wee mucker when it’s baltic out leaves you scundered and holding yer wheesht and saying “Here’s me wha?” rather than enjoying the craic, then catch yourself on and get stuck in!
(translation: if you haven’t a clue what any of this means, maybe the English Corner is for you!)
You can pick up an application form at Dock Cafe or click here:
English corner app final
All students must be aged 18 or over. Classes will start at the beginning of February and you’ll also get to enjoy a mug of tasty soup and meet some new friends as well as practising your language skills.
Beezer! Keep ‘er lit!
Hi there, I am a teacher who is not working at present. Are there any opportunities for me to help with the English classes too? I’m available mornings and lunchtimes until 2pm.
Thanks for getting in touch Christine – if you get a chance to call in to Dock Cafe and leave your details, we’ll get you connected with Jackie and see if there’s an opportunity to get involved