THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY INTERNSHIP REPORT Company APOLLO EDUCATION AND TRAINING ORGANIZATION IN VIETNAM APOLLO ENGLISH Student Class Student Code Luu Minh Hanh K53N4 17D170191 HANOI, 202[.]
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES LIST OF ABBREVIATION Abbreviation CM EC CSO LXO TA MO English name Centre Manager Education Consultant Customer Service Officer Learning Experience Officer Teaching Assistant Material Officer GCM SLXM học Group Centre Manager Giám đốc tập đoàn Senior Learning Experience Trưởng phòng đào tạo SLXO Manager Senior Learning Experience Trưởng nhân viên phòng đào tạo CDM Officer Centre Development MKT CFO Facilities Management Marketing Chief Financial Offier Vietnamese name Giám đốc trung tâm Nhân viên tư vấn tuyển sinh Nhân viên chăm sóc khách hàng Nhân viên phịng đào tạo Trợ giảng Nhân viên quản lý dụng cụ dạy and Quản lý sở vật chất hạ tầng trung tâm Phịng Marketing Giám đốc tài ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Ha Noi, January 19th, 2021 It is my privilege to thank all the people who made this period an unforgettable experience in my life First of all, I am very thankful for teacher Hoang Thi Anh Tho at Thuong Mai University who helped and provided me with instructions to be able to complete this internship report Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to the board of director, who gave me the chance to work at Apollo Junior Thirdly, I appreciate all staff of the Training Department at Apollo Junior I received a lot of advice from many colleagues Although they were very busy with their work, my colleagues still support to help me get the best internship experience during training Especially, I am very grateful to my supervisor - Ms Ta Duong Thanh Huong for providing me professional guidance and training within these weeks This internship was really one of my most valuable experiences This is the first time I have the opportunity to work in a professional and dynamic environment with great people I will try my best as well as take advantage of the knowledge I have learned to improve myself further in the future Sincerely, Luu Minh Hanh INTERNSHIP REPORT INTRODUCTION Nowadays, education and training has become one of the key factors that bring major human development to Vietnam The world has become increasingly 'flat' following the trend of globalization Becoming a global citizen opens up to students the opportunity to study and work in many countries, and achieve great success Moreover, students will easily adapt and steadfast on the path of the everchanging future For that reason, Apollo Education and Training Organization in Vietnam was born with the purpose of developing global citizens As a pioneer for teaching English language as a foreign language and with the slogan “Where the best become better”, Apollo continues to strive to maintain as the top class English teaching organization in Vietnam As an Business English-majored student of Thuong Mai University, I have an opportunity to study and work at Apollo Junior for my internship course I myself think that the company is an ideal organization that students of foreign languages can collect information and get valuable experience of work After one month (from December 21st, 2020 to January 17th, 2021), under the valuable support and instructions of supervisor and colleges in the company, I was able to apply the knowledge obtained at university into practice, meanwhile collecting basic information to complete the internship report However, because of the limited practice time, combined with the many shortcomings of the skills, my report still has some mistakes I hope to receive comments from the teachers to complete this report PART 1: AN OVERVIEW OF APOLLO EDUCATION AND TRAINING ORGANIZATION IN VIETNAM - APOLLO ENGLISH 1.1 Information about Apollo Education and Training Organization in Vietnam - Apollo English 1.1.1 Background of Apollo English English commercial name: Apollo Education and Training Organization in Vietnam - Apollo English Business field: Education and training Established year: 1995 Headquarter address: 181-183-185 Pho Hue, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi Internship center address: Apollo Junior, 2nd Floor, Savico Megamall, 7-9 Nguyen Van Linh, Long Bien , Hanoi Tax code: 0100774857 Phone: (8424) 73002999 Website: http://apollo.edu.vn Logo Picture 1.1: Logo of Apollo English (Source: http://apollo.edu.vn) 1.1.2 History of establishment and development Apollo English, founded in 1994, is the first fully foreign owned English language training company in Vietnam Apollo English is proud to be an affiliate of International House – a well-established and trusted name in English teaching With the slogan “Where the best become better”, Apollo English continues to strive to maintain as the top class English teaching organization in Vietnam Always a pioneer for teaching English language as a foreign language, Apollo English was also one of the first language centers in Vietnam to create a junior-only centre, called Apollo Junior Apollo English currently has more than 40 modern English language learning centers in major cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong and Da Nang Apollo English offers English learning programs that are based on international standards 1.1.3 Vision, mission, achievements and working culture The vision of Apollo English is to train the young generation of Vietnam to become global citizens and promote the prosperity of individuals through English language courses with excellent teaching quality In a constantly changing world, developing the necessary skills will bring great advantages for outstanding success, both domestically and internationally The mission of Apollo English is to develop global citizens Always focus on the teaching quality of English language study programs to make students more successful With over 20 years of teaching experience, 100% foreign teachers with a high level of expertise, and the exclusive LETS methodology not only helps students to use English fluently and confidently but also develops life skills necessary for high academic achievement and future growth Besides the dedication to foreign language training in Vietnam, Apollo English also actively participates in social activities such as awarding scholarships, organizing extracurricular activities, training teachers at schools and sponsoring television programs such as "Ring the golden bell", "The Road to Olympia", "Olympics English" As well as being the sole International House affiliate in the country, Apollo English has gained recognition from a number of prestigious awards including an MBE for Services to Education in Vietnam, awarded to the company director and co-founder, Khalid Muhmood In 2006, Mr Khalid became the first foreigner in the private sector to receive the Medal for the Cause of Education In 2007, Apollo English received the Golden Dragon Award (and continues to get this award every year since then) and Best of Vietnam Award In 2018, Apollo English won the highly esteemed Education Investor Asia awards Apollo English is an exciting place to work due to the team spirit built into the workplace The values at Apollo English are Passion, Accountability, and Integrity Whether it’s working together to create lesson plans in the Teachers’ Room or socializing during regularly scheduled outings, Apollo English has enthusiastic and dedicated teachers and staff Combined with Apollo English’s motivated and respectful students, this creates a rich and fulfilling working culture 1.1.4 Information about Apollo Junior Picture 1.2: Logo of Apollo Junior (Source: http://apollo.edu.vn) The world has become increasingly 'flat' following the trend of globalization Becoming a global citizen opens up to students the opportunity to study and work in many countries, and achieve great success Moreover, students will easily adapt and steadfast on the path of the ever-changing future Apollo Junior cooperates with strategic partner National Geographic Learning to introduce the exclusive, most advanced AGLS (Apollo Global Learning System) based on international standards These are the efforts of the team of Apollo Junior experts to bring the best quality of education in the path of training students to become global citizens The idea of Apollo Junior program is designed to engage learners in developing their understanding of the world and ensure that learners develop their language skills through a process of enquiry Therefore, AGLS includes LETS (Learning English Through Subject) teaching method to help children add a 4C skill set while studying at Apollo Junior Learning English will help children have a broader view of the world and help them learn many other interesting subjects Apollo Junior courses for children: KINDERGARTEN (From years old) PRIMARY (From years old) SECONDARY (From 11 years old) IELTS (From 13 years old) 1.1.5 Other learning programs Apollo 360 a When learning English for adults at Apollo 360, learners will be thoroughly instructed by international teachers on active learning methods through the preparation of lessons before entering the class In the classroom, with their high academic expertise, international teachers will help learners to fully understand the lesson's knowledge through useful discussion and teamwork activities Apollo 360 builds a solid foundation of knowledge and English skills, helps you confidently communicate at work and in society, use English fluently and professionally to achieve career goals Apollo Advance b Apollo English cooperates with leading international educational partners such as National Geographic Learning, Oxford, RoyalABC… to launch Apollo Advance - Accelerated and personalized course This is a specially designed and researched course for students 3-16 years old to help them learn English days a week, focusing on the goal of improving and surpassing faster 10 1.1.6 Organizational structure of Apollo Junior OVERVIEW Group BOD Group Legal Head Group CFO Procurement Accounting GD North GCMs SLXM SLXO 11 CDM Local MKT Training Call Centre CENTER CMs ECs/CSOs Security Guards, Cleaners Schedulers LXO Teachers MO TA Supervisor TAs Diagram 1.3: Organizational structure of Apollo Junior (Source: http://apollo.edu.vn) 1.2 Information about Apollo Junior’s Training Department The roles and responsibilities of the Training Department is to lead and manage the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of the education of all students in a community through the strategic deployment of resources provided by the Department Teacher management: - Recruiting new teachers - Manage information about teachers' qualifications - Record teacher’s attendance and their academic hours Study records management: - Manage students’ study records - Update entry test scores, study progress scores, study results,… Learning results and print certificates management: - Based on results of attendance, results throughout the learning process of students to calculate the learning results of students 12 - Print graduation certificate - Send notifications to students and their parents Academic environment management: - Ensure that a suitable learning environment is maintained throughout the department with high standards of teaching and learning - Keep up to date with developments in the teaching and education in general to ensure that best practice is adopted within the department - Ensure the department is effective in meeting the needs of all pupils - Contribute to the broader development of the centers by supporting and leading curricular and extra‐curricular events 13 PART 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNSHIP PROCESS AT THE COMPANY Internship time: From December 21st to January 17th 2.1 Tasks performed during the internship a Job descriptions: - Send SMS and check SMS; check students’ and teachers’ attendance - Call to parents monthly to inform them about students’ studying progress - Arrange the final tests, reports and certificates for all young learner classes - Collect test results & reports for issuing certificates & reports for young learner classes - Update entry test scores, study progress scores, study results,… - Print student certificate, print register, etc - Being Teaching Assistance when needed - Support the other EFL Officer in taking care of EFL Library/Materials and in the execution of all EFL courses when the other EFL Officer is not in the EFL/ teachers' room when teachers need support - Perform other duties as assigned by Learning Experience & Admin Supervisor b Position responsibilities: - Provide a child safe environment in accordance with the child safe standards as well as ensure a suitable learning environment that is maintained throughout the department with high standards of teaching and learning - Liaise with Learning Experience Coordinator/Learning Experience Manager to supply tests for young learner classes - Update the Mid-term and End of Course report forms on Apollo Online and let teachers know the deadlines of the results and reports - Ensure that reports are collected/signed and documented appropriately - Report to Academic Coordinator or EFL Supervisor any delay in reports and test results 14 2.2 Difficulties and lessons learned during the internship 2.2.1 Difficulties During my internship at Apollo Junior, particularly in Training Department, I have to face with some following difficulties My first difficulty is, the application of theory and skills into practice is constrained, which is lead to some problems that I still have not handled quickly Therefore, the work efficiency is not high Working in a professional environment that requires high flexibility, I had to make a lot of efforts to observe and learn knowledge and skills of my colleagues I also feel very nervous and need a plenty of time to adapt Additionally, I have been exposed to a lot of English but I need to improve to be more confident in an English speaking environment My English speaking and writing skills still need to be improved a lot Also, I’m still making many grammatical errors Although this is not too influential when communicating, but it will have consequences when typing documents or communicate with foreign teachers or translate teachers’ comments Moreover, using the correct grammar is also important because it will directly affect whether the partner understands the main content in the right context or not My job requires applying a lot of soft skills However, I find myself lacking in necessary skills at work Although I have a mentor, making mistakes is inevitable and I have received a lot of criticism and suggestions Work pressure and time pressure are the other difficulties I have encountered In addition to ensuring my studies, I also have to complete the duties assigned at the internship company Besides, with a high workload, I have difficulty managing my time My job is not only professional issues but also administrative matters These jobs are not the main jobs but also take up a lot of my time to complete 2.2.2 Lessons learned After finishing my internship at Apollo Junior, I have learned a lot of valuable lessons and experiences for myself, which is the foundation of my career growth in the future Lessons of initiative and observation are the biggest and most valuable lessons after my internship I need to learn and apply the initiative from the smallest things 15 like greeting or asking questions about problems at work Taking the initiative helps me quickly overcome my limitations and helps me feel more confident Besides, observing how work is done, observing how colleagues handle the problem, etc, also helps me learn office skills and working culture Secondly, I realize that practicing is the key to improve everything Students should apply the knowledge and skills learned at university (pronunciation, vocab, translation, interpreting, etc.) on the job However, I see that the knowledge learned at university is not enough and I have to learn more about how to use it effectively is decided by practicing in the real life Thirdly, soft skills bring the learned theory closer to reality at work This is something that not only college students, but even working people, constantly have to improve Soft skills are easily demonstrated through communication, listening, teamwork and presentations, how to handle problems, thinking ability to make quick and effective decisions, etc In addition, my internship brought me new relationships with colleagues They are the people who help me, teach me a lot of things, and give me a chance to express myself These relationships sometimes help us in our career and future progression without requiring any monetary value I was acquainted with the actual working environment at Apollo Junior and learned numerous valuable lessons I have also improved my communication skill, time and work organizational skill, attention to detail, ability to work to strict deadlines, teamwork, etc Moreover, I understand more about the organizational structure as well as working culture of a company All of those will be great tools for a final year student of Business English Department for studying and researching in the future 16 PART 3: THE REALITY OF USING ENGLISH IN APOLLO JUNIOR 3.1 The reality of using English in Apollo Junior Today, English has become a global language English is widely spoken and is the preferred language of communication This shows the importance of English in daily life and work In addition, English is an important key for every business English represents the bridge between businesses, thanks to English, businesses will find a common voice English is also the key to providing opportunities for business expansion, cooperation with foreign partners and investors This will improve the efficiency as well as gain great profits As a company specializing in the field of education and training, English plays a crucial role in Apollo English’s operation in general and Apollo Junior’s operation in particular Apollo English is the first fully foreign owned English language training company in Vietnam The company director and co-founder, Khalid Muhmood and the team of teachers are all foreigners Therefore, Apollo English is a company with a multicultural working environment English is used mostly in speaking and listening Most of the Apollo Junior officers at least can use English at basic level Especially, the Training Department uses English regularly to communicate and contact foreign teachers All of the LXOs have background knowledge and professional knowledge which is used directly to work However, the usage of English at the company is not all the same Except for the Training Department that uses English regularly to communicate, most employees in the center not use English fluently and often Partly because other departments not regularly associate with foreign teachers, but they interact with and exchange with Vietnamese customers, so the use of English is not frequent 3.2 Recommendations for solutions After a time of working with the staffs at Apollo Junior, I have a plan to address the company’s difficulties related to the use of English at the workplace To minimize these drawbacks and expand business activities in the future, I propose some recommendations for solutions ● For the company 17 Implementing policies aiming to raise the level of English used in the company, especially enhanced recruitment criteria: being able to communicate fluently in English An English document with common sentences used for office should be shared out for all of the staffs Although English is required for all of the staffs of Apollo Junior, I supposed that some of them are still struggling when using it For this problem, the manager can arranged a staff who can use English well at each center Apollo Junior is a good place for communication; the staffs always have many chances to practice English so I believe that they can make a progress quickly To serve the expansion of business operations in the future, the company should make plans in training language for all employees For example, carry out synchronized English training for Customer Service Department so that they can understand and give appropriate advices for student when introducing and selling English courses In addition, employees who are proficient in English should be given priority and regularly guide other colleagues ● For the employees Self-train, cultivate more knowledge as well as the ability to use English by increasing the use of English in all environments This is a necessary practice for growing the company in an integrated economy today Attend courses and programs organized by the company to find out the limitations and advantages of yourself so that you can continue to improve Strengthening foreign language, increasing the association with other members of the company, towards common goals, further developing the company 18 PART 4: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHOOSING A GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC Currently, English has become an global language Realizing the importance of English in my studies as well as my career in the future, I would like to propose the topic of graduation thesis in the direction of "Difficulties and solutions to improve first-year English major students’ English speaking skill at Thuong Mai University Most students are still quite timid when communicating in English This research is crucial to focus on finding solutions for helping all students to have a better way of learning English and improve their English speaking skill 19 ... OF APOLLO EDUCATION AND TRAINING ORGANIZATION IN VIETNAM - APOLLO ENGLISH 1.1 Information about Apollo Education and Training Organization in Vietnam - Apollo English 1.1.1 Background of Apollo. .. 1.1.1 Background of Apollo English English commercial name: Apollo Education and Training Organization in Vietnam - Apollo English Business field: Education and training Established year:... a final year student of Business English Department for studying and researching in the future 16 PART 3: THE REALITY OF USING ENGLISH IN APOLLO JUNIOR 3.1 The reality of using English in Apollo