ESL?

[blt93933]

Sort of off topic - my SO is from Colombia and wants to sign up for ESL classes so she can eventually pursue an MBA. She wants to sign up for ESL classes at a local community college but I think she can get the same thing from a library or community center for free or cheap. Does anyone know if ESL classes are governed or regulated by any authority? I don’t see the point of paying college prices for something that’s not actually accredited or counts towards a degree.

[bjcheung77]

Don't be cheap, it's your SO you're dealing with and her future (and she can potentially be your wife). This is how I did it before my wife got her PR... I pretty much had her do all the "cheap ones & freebies" and had her work p/t to immerse her with English.

1) In your state, there should be ESL programs for new immigrants, most of them are free and several are very affordable/cheap.
Find as many in your city, community center, or library and join them all (set a schedule as some are morning/afternoon/evening).

2) Use all the online or public library resources available for her to immerse in English better, I bought my wife 3 textbooks with for English, for practicing as much Grammar/Reading/Writing. There are also audio books you can purchase cheap.

3) Have her work p/t or volunteer, my wife volunteered before she got her first job as a housekeeper for Sheraton, she has to get out to meet people and actually use what she has learned.

4) Once she completes all the possible cheap options, have her register for the ESL courses at the community college. For international students, these cost up to 3 thousand for a term (3 or 4 months), I would get you to wait for her to get PR. I couldn't afford it at that time, so we waited until she got PR, that cost dropped from 3 thousand a term to $800. These courses are prep courses for Academic Purposes - meaning, if she wants to get a Bachelors, she'll need these to get her up to par.

If your SO/future wifey is going to go for her MBA, it's a must to get up to a college English level. That is the only way to have her succeed otherwise, she will fall behind, it'll be even more of a waste of money if she fails in the future... Think of this as an ROI, the better she does, in the future it's paid for with her new job, and it may only take as less as 1 pay stub to make up the cost.

[dfrecore]

I'm assuming she has a foreign Bachelor's degree since you didn't mention that she might want to get one, but skipped right to the MBA?

I'm not sure why you'd take them at the CC if there are other resources available (and they don't count for credit). I would also consider taking some actual CC courses like English 101 or a few writing-intensive courses that will get her credit AND will give her access to feedback on her writing, which she'll need for an MBA. Preferably somewhere that offers an English lab as part of the tuition. I'd also consider courses she already took in her foreign language (maybe Intro to Management, Accounting, Macroeconomics, etc) so that she can practice her English in college-level courses without having to also learn material - she'll mostly be working on her English skills, and writing skills, rather than trying to learn new material.