Anastasiia Kaniuk, came across to the UK to improve her English and help build her career. She was a qualified English teacher before she relocated but wanted to improve her speaking skills. This allowed her to apply for a job to help Ukrainian students learn English during their time here in the UK. She is loving living here but is also ready to go back home and start teaching again in the Ukraine where she can be with her family.
I went to the job centre and they recommended the ESOL course.
“I am from the Ukraine. My dream was to move to the UK and live a good life. I understood that if I wanted to live in the UK, I need to do lots of work experience and learn English. That’s why I went to the job centre and they recommended the ESOL course at Chesterfield College to improve my English. It was an amazing experience. My tutor was an amazing teacher. She taught us everything about living in the UK, including grammar, theory, British history and traditions. She explained how important British values are.
I liked how there were so many methods of teaching.
I always wanted to come to college, I needed to come into college to improve my English and it was a nice place to be. I liked how there were so many methods of teaching, from presentations to watching videos and putting our skills into practice. That was great when it came to passing our exams as we could relate back to our experiences within the classroom.
It can be hard to adjust to a whole new life.
I was worried when it came to exams but there was no need to be. Chesterfield College also has a well-being centre where you can go and talk to someone if you are concerned about anything. Coming from the Ukraine, it can be hard to adjust to a whole new life and see how normal life is here. If you talk to people, they can understand more about what you are going through. We also got taught about being respectful to others and kind to others. Its been interesting to hear about cultural differences.
I have a job at a local secondary school translating for Ukrainian students.
I am going back to the Ukraine as my heart is where my family is and it’s important for me to be with them. I have had lots of life experiences here, first time I moved to the UK I volunteered in two primary schools and a nursery. In the Ukraine, I was a qualified English teacher in a primary school. This spring I will of completed my degree, which means I will of lots of experience to take back home. I put this all in my CV and managed to get a job at a local secondary school translating for Ukrainian students.
The students have done a great job, I’ve seen so much progress. Some of them want to stay in the country for a long time so English is very important to them. Some of them are going back home after the war, so learning English isn’t as necessary for them.
When I go back to the Ukraine I will carry on with my teaching.
I like working in a school with students. I am also a teacher online, I teach English to students in the Ukraine. Sometimes it can be difficult because in the Ukraine because of the war, I have to vary times and schedules to suit them. When I go back to Ukraine I will carry on with my teaching. I visited the Ukraine in December to see my family, and I have realised how much I have missed them.
My tutor gave me that confidence back.
When I started my ESOL course, I wasn’t very confident. I didn’t know how to start conversations or ask people questions. My tutor gave me that confidence back. Now I can do whatever I want, it was an amazing experience answering a question from a member of the public for the first time.
It’s very important to me to be a translator and also a support system.
I love working in the school. My sponsor who I live with, helped me find a job. We found a company that supports Ukrainian translators. I didn’t think I would be able to work in a secondary school but I did it. My colleagues are kind and I feel safe. It’s very important to me to be a translator and also a support system. I want to help them progress and get good results. They get better every day and are able to conversate with the other students and teachers. English is a second language for them so they worry about people not understanding them. We have learnt the Derbyshire dialect too (laughs).”