If you’re looking forward to working in Australia, we recommend that you learn English amongst the natives and get a good IETLS score first. The Brazilian student Mariana is now on her second English language program in Sydney, getting her English exam preparation and already glimpsing a good position at an Australian company. Know more about her experience and get the inspiration you need!
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Mariana is currently studying the IELTS Test Preparation course (ITP) at UNSW Institute of Languages where she has also studied General English. She is interested in working as an Audiologist. As such Mariana needs to achieve a certain IELTS score to work in Australia. Mariana arrived in Sydney in March but she has studied English in Brazil when she was younger and her fluency reflects this. In spite of her already good English, she still insists that she is learning quite a lot in her ITP and General English classes: "The Cambridge exam is very difficult, especially the learning component. ITP has made listening easier for me and General English made me feel more relaxed and confident while talking".
Image above: Mariana is now happy with the English language level she achieved in Sydney. One aspect that has also assisted Mariana is the fact that she needs to speak in English on a daily basis: "I enjoy interacting with my fellow students; half are from South America, there are two Europeans and others from a mix of Asian Countries. I learn a lot about the other students and their cultures and we find a lot of things in common. I am doing a lot of networking and I’m sure we will stay in contact". When asked if she finds the variety of accents difficult in the group, Mariana replies: "I have learned to understand a mixture of accents in English. I don’t know if it’s on purpose but we have English teachers from different English speaking countries. I have teachers from England, South Africa, Singapore and Scotland. I personally find American English easiest but this diversity has helped me understand different pronunciation that would otherwise be difficult in a test situation". Mariana also appears to enjoy the location of her Institute of Languages classes: "I like the environment, classes are close to facilities on campus such as swimming. There are also lots of activities happening". In terms of the classes, Mariana’s perspective is fairly typical of a UNSW Institute of Languages student: "The teachers are good and I like the way the classes work. There are formal tests and assignments and a good structure to the classes but it’s not too stressful. We also learn a fair bit about Australia at the same time". |
Source: University of New South Wales - Institute of Languages
