Confidence Unlocked: Jiawei Fang Thrives on ESOL

I decided to study an ESOL course at NSCG because I wanted to improve my English and communicate better with local people. One of my neighbours recommended this course, and I knew NSCG is a well-known college in Stafford. I trusted that the college could provide a good learning environment, and it really has. The teachers have been very supportive and have helped me a lot since I started.

I was born in a small city in China where, at that time, very few people spoke English and English education was not taken seriously. In fact, when I was in school, we didn’t even have English classes, so I never really learned it as a child. Later, I went to Shanghai to continue my studies. Shanghai was the complete opposite of my hometown. It’s a big city where most people value English highly. Shanghai is a city where parents push their children to learn English from kindergarten. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people fluent in English while I knew absolutely nothing.

I remember my first English exam when I was 8 years old. I only scored 9 out of 100 because I only knew three words: Miss, Mr, and Mrs. I couldn’t even write the alphabet correctly. My teacher shouted at me. I cried so hard, and the humiliation from that day has haunted me ever since.

Since then, I developed a deep fear of using English. I used to wonder, why is this subject here just to make my life harder? Even later, in middle school and university, English was always my worst subject. Every time I saw English, I would instantly feel anxious and lose motivation.

So far I have completely the Level 1 ESOL Skills For Life course, Level 1 Community Essential Skills course and ESOL How to Pass Your Driving Licence Exam.

The hardest part has been fighting that deep fear I used to have towards the English language. Communicating with other learners is definitely helping me to overcome this and to be more confident in talking to people.

There are many enjoyable aspects of the course. The classroom atmosphere is open and lively, and the teachers make learning fun. Personally, my favourite part is playing Kahoot quizzes. It reminds me of the quick tests we used to have during my university physics classes, and it always brightens my day.

My ESOL teacher has been the one who completely reshaped how I see English. For the first time in my life, there’s no one forcing me to compete for grades. Everyone around me already speaks English perfectly, so strangely, being "the worst English speaker" actually gave me freedom and this has helped me build confidence. Maybe it’s because I finally have a reason to stop worrying about rankings and just focus on learning step by step, slowly, steadily, without shame or fear.

I feel like I haven’t reached the point where small improvements turn into something bigger. For me, the most important thing about this course is that it has helped me change my attitude towards learning. It feels like a starting point. I know that the real improvement doesn’t just come from the classroom. The short time we have in lessons isn’t enough to change everything. What really helps is the extra effort and I like studying by myself in the library. So, for now, the course has helped me begin this process, but I think the real change will take time and more hard work.

I am definitely open to taking more courses. I think I will continue with ESOL because I’ve found it very helpful, and I enjoy learning here. Outside of ESOL, I’ve realised that I need to focus on learning more subject-specific vocabulary, especially in key subjects like maths, physics, and other sciences. Many of the terms used here are different from what I learned in Chinese, so I need to bridge that gap for my career opportunities.

I think learning is a personal choice and you either want to do it or you don’t so you really need to be motivated to study and make the change to your life. Studying an ESOL course definitely makes life more interesting and you will get to meet people from your local community.

Places are available on a range of ESOL courses starting soon at NSCG. Visit nscg.ac.uk/adults for more information.