THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH INTERNSHIP REPORT COMPANY LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY WOW EDU (WOW ENGLISH CENTER – DONG DA BRANCH) Student PHAN THI TUYEN Class K55N5 Student Code 19D170330 Supe[.]
THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH INTERNSHIP REPORT COMPANY: LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY WOW EDU (WOW ENGLISH CENTER – DONG DA BRANCH) Student: PHAN THI TUYEN Class: K55N5 Student Code: 19D170330 Supervisor: NGUYEN THI TRA MY Hanoi, 2023 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i LIST OF IMAGES, CHARTS, AND TABLES ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT .iv INTRODUCTION vi CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERN COMPANY .1 1.1 General information about the company 1.2 Development of Limited liability company Wow Edu 1.2.1 The process of development 1.2.2 Courses and training programs 1.3 General information about the intern branch – Wow English 1.3.1 The organizational structure 1.3.2 Detailed information about the intern department - Training Department CHAPTER 2: THE INTERNSHIP PROCESS AT WOW ENGLISH CENTER – LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY WOW EDU 2.1 Internship task 2.2 The difficulties and experiences gained during the internship process 2.2.1 The difficulties during the internship 2.2.2 The experiences after the internship CHAPTER 3: THE ACTUAL SITUATION OF USING ENGLISH AT WOW ENGLISH CENTER .11 3.1 The reality of using English in Wow English Center 11 3.2 Some suggested solutions: 12 CHAPTER 4: SUGGESTED THESIS TOPIC 14 CONCLUSION .15 REFERENCES 16 LIST OF IMAGES, CHARTS, AND TABLES No Name Image 1.1 Logo of Wow English center Chart 1.1 The increase in the number of students by age over the year Table 2.1 Internship process of Training Department Chart 1.2 The organizational structure of Wow English Center LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations English meaning BM Band manager HR Human resources IELTS International English Language Testing System Toiec Test of English for International Communication No Number TA Teaching Assistant ACKNOWLEDGMENT With global integration and development, the demand for learning the English language is increasing nowadays as a student chooses to pursue studying English at Thuong Mai University The internship period at Wow Edu limited liability company - Dong Da branch was a valuable experience for me I also have accumulated a lot of experience as well as vital skills involving teaching skills In addition, Wow English allows me the opportunity to meet many people from all walks of life as well as teach and interact with a lot of students from teenagers to adults Especially, I just take responsibility for teaching and imparting English to them On the other hand, they also taught me a lot of interesting things about life, and the way I approach teaching methods to different age groups Being approved by the company’s branch manager and board of Directors, I began my internship period with confidence, pressure, and mixed feelings Although I had a chance to work with native speakers or foreign teachers when I was a freshman, I also felt under pressure I have worked as an assistant teacher before, but in this company, I will intern as a teaching assistant and teacher about communication and Toiec English Therefore, this is a challenge as well as an opportunity for me It’s a turning point to I can pursue this journey to become a teacher in the near future after graduating My first demo was taught in front of about students and my manager However, I did not complete as well as my expectation which makes me think that I seem had lost my chance to become a teacher Fortunately, my effort paid off, and I was accepted to become an official teacher at Wow English After receiving a lot of positive feedback from colleagues and students about my teaching method, I thought I had had a successful internship at Wow Edu limited liability company because I had tried the best of my ability to complete it successfully, I am thankful to Mrs Kien, Manager at the Dong Da branch, and Mr Nghia the Directors of the company for creating optimum conditions for me to complete my internship Moreover, I want to send special appreciation also goes to the staff and foreign teachers who always stimulate and guide me enthusiastically in the first days I also would like to thank the teachers who work at the English faculty of the University of Commerce for guiding me in the process of writing this internship report Finally, I would like to wish all of you good health and success in life I am sincerely grateful! Hanoi, February 10th, 2023 (Student) Phan Thi Tuyen INTRODUCTION With global integration and development, the demand for learning the English language is increasing nowadays. The latest data from the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) has been published annually In 2022, this year, Hanoi reached a 545/673 city score, ranking 60/111 countries and territories on the English proficiency index in adults Practically, it can be seen that English has been becoming a compulsory subject for children from grade to grade 12 in the Viet Nam curriculum system This means that Vietnamese students have the opportunity to access English relatively early (beginning from grade 3), but the English proficiency of Vietnamese people often take from to year, maybe grade However, not every child can use English fluently That is the reason why English plays a vital role in modern life Especially, nowadays the demand for learning English is becoming booming, and a lot of parents want that their children can access English early by introducing them to private English centers Because most parents believe that the appropriate age for children to approach English is from to 10 years old which leads to a lot of English centers was established This will help them get used to a new language and have background knowledge before going to school Furthermore, they also want their children to get the high paid job in the future thanks to proficiency in English. In 2022, many universities have used the form of direct university admission with foreign language certificates Particularly, when you apply for jobs and study abroad, most need a foreign language certificate Furthermore, It can be seen that in recent years, in English such as IELTS, and TOEFL, and other certificates are converted into university scores. For example, at Hanoi Polytechnic University, with an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher that is converted into 10 points, National Economics University uses 15-20% of the total criteria for admission based on English CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERN COMPANY 1.1 General information about the company Image 1.1 Logo of Wow English centers Business name: Limited liability company Wow Edu Head office: No 85, O Dong Lam, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Hanoi city Legal representative: Dong Trung Nghia Tax code: 0109470437 Email: wowenglish.edu.vn@gmail.com Website: https://wowenglish.edu.vn/ 1.2 Development of limited liability company Wow Edu 1.2.1 The process of development Wow Edu was established in 2014 by Mr Nghia, who has experienced a lot of failed start-ups from small businesses to big businesses before CEO of the company since its establishment is Mr Dong Trung Nghia In an interview with Napa newspaper on February 26 th 2016,Mr. Nghia shared: "The first important thing is to clearly define your passion, then continue to strive and learn is the biggest motivation to help you overcome all difficulties." And with his passion for business, he decided to go to establish WOW English Therefore, over the past years, Wow has continuously made efforts to expand more than branches in many provinces and cities across the country there are two branches in Hanoi and one branch in Ho Chi Minh City (two branches: one in No 85, O Dong Lam, Dong Da district, Ha Noi, other in Lane 159 Phao Dai Lang, Dong Da District, Hanoi) With the vision of Wow, they want to aspire to become a leading educational corporation in Vietnam in the field of language and human value development That’s why Wow English mainly focuses on quality and outcomes, class sizes include 10-15 students This helps students develop comprehensively skills with activities between students Besides that, it also supports teachers in easily controlling the learning quality and progress of each student Currently, at each Wow branch, there are over 25 classes, corresponding to more than 400 students, mainly children, and teenagers, adults Especially, most of the classes were taught through online platforms 1.2.2 Courses and training programs Courses and training programs at Wow English include: English for kids, English for teenagers, English for Exams like the IELTS test preparation, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC, English training for teachers, businesses, and English communication It can be seen that Wow English has a full range of training programs not only for children but also for working people What makes Wow English special and different from other English centers? Firstly, Wow English is a pioneer in applying the teaching method “Lazy English English solution for lazy people (Giải pháp tiếng Anh dành cho người lười)” for children and adults Instead of teaching traditional methods such as learn-by-heart vocabulary or grammar, Lazy English was designed for busier or lazier who cannot spend time learning English but also want to improve their English skills This method mainly focuses on learning vocabulary through pictures and grammar by doing exercises through an online account on the Wow English app in order to help learner can remember well Based on my experiences, I think this method of teaching is one of the big differences between Wow and other centers in Ha Noi as well as other regions Moreover, the app online on Wow English websites also synthesizes all the vocabulary and grammar according to topics and lessons With this convenience, students just need to connect internet and can access and learn actively anytime, anywhere, leading to English reflex levels many times higher than students in the traditional method Finally, Wow English center organized an English club for different groups suitable for different levels of English As a result, students can practice English with friends as well as teachers 1.3 General information about the intern branch – WOW English Intern branch’s name: Wow English Center Address: No 85, O Dong Lam, Dong Da district, Hanoi Branch Manager: La Thi Kien In 2014, WOW English officially opened a first branch at No 85 O Dong Lam branch and it also became headquarter of the center as a milestone marking the 9-years journey of establishment and continuous development of Wow English With a team of native teachers, Vietnamese teachers, dynamic teaching assistants, and enthusiastic staff, Wow English has grown tremendously in the past years Chart 1.2: The chart shows the increase in the number of students by age over the years After years of officially opening a new branch at Lang street, the number of students increased dramatically year by year In 2014, the number of students in three groups accounted for under 50 students However, in the next years, the center has shifted to focus on online teaching to adapt to the distance due to the Covid-19 pandemic Therefore this figure significantly rises in teens and adults groups Especially, with the increasing demand for international English certificates such as IELTS, and TOEIC, a number of adult learners took part in these kinds of certificates 1.3.1 The organizational structure BM: La Thi Kien HR Dept Sales Dept Marketing Dept Training Dept Chart 1.2 The organizational structure of Wow English Center BM: Branch Manager HR: Human Resources 1.3.2 Detailed information about the intern department - Training Department The training department takes responsibility for teaching and searching teaching documents about courses This department will have a meeting on Saturday each week The meeting includes the manager and all the teachers in the brand who teach offline at the center The teacher will give their opinion about the teaching methods which is productivity or not Moreover, if teachers have any feedback or recommendations for teaching materials, they can discuss them with the manager to make sure they adjust quickly and on time At the same time, the manager will summarize the evaluation and comment on the teaching methods of each teacher so that the teacher can continue to promote their strengths and try to improve their weakness per week The head of the department is responsible for recruiting foreign teachers, attending classes to assess teachers' capacity, and then recommending and implementing appropriate teaching methods for them In addition, the head of the department is also a bridge connecting foreign teachers with students' parents, regularly exchanging students' learning situations with parents, recognizing suggestions, and offering improvement strategies In addition, general management of activities at the department and coordination with other departments to develop the center Some teachers in the training department will take part in grading and correcting homework or class work for students such as IELTS writing or speaking during the whole course Besides, qualified and experienced teachers will participate in composing documents for the center and updating the latest exam questions, especially Ielts or Toiec exam I’m proud that I was chosen as a member of this department during the internship period so I can express ideas and opinions about the teaching method of the center With the position of Teacher intern, I have completed all the tasks of teaching and composing material for the center CHAPTER 2: THE INTERNSHIP PROCESS AT WOW ENGLISH CENTER – LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY WOW EDU 2.1 Internship task Coincidently, my friend is currently working as a manager at the Dong Da branch Because of my two years of teaching experience, she decided to introduce me to the job center as an English teacher In the first round, I submitted my CV, and after the HR department looked through my CV, I was accepted in the second round a demo session in front of managers and students at the center After the demo teaching, the manager made a decision that I officially joined the teaching staff of the center Although I have had two years of experience working as an English teacher, I have to train in the teaching method of the center in two days That's the "lazy English" method of learning English for lazy people I was instructed to use an English app which is the center's separate English learning app for students enrolled at the center My main job is teaching communication English or Toiec Certificate for students from 19-24 years old At the same time, I also decided to challenge myself by working as a teaching assistant for foreign teachers as well as correcting pronunciation for students. Working type: Full time: a.m - 5.30 p.m Week Week Position Teaching assistant Task Tasks: Before class: First: check classroom equipment such as projector, and laptop, and fix classroom furniture before students arrive Second: For kid's class: Prepare materials: such as color pictures related to the content of each lesson as well as textbooks for students For IELTS or Toiec classes: print more materials and exercises for students, especially advanced courses During the lesson: Remind students who are talking to them during class to make sure all students are focused on the lesson content Support to answer questions that students not understand while the teacher was teaching Translate for students when students did not understand the native teacher After the lesson: Grade and correct homework for students such as Ielts writing, and practice speaking with students Week Teaching demo Before class: Find and Prepare individual teaching materials based on the center's curriculum such as games to increase interaction between students, and the main content of each lesson During a class: Answer students' questions and correcting homework The main task is to be responsible for teaching and imparting knowledge to students Guide learning methods for each skill such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing After the teacher: Grade students’ homework on the center's app Make comments as well as assessing students' abilities in each lesson such as strengths or weaknesses Week Teacher official + Take responsibility for fulfilling the job of 3 + Member of training teaching official as week department Take part in designing and solving Toeic test with other teachers in the training department Work with the native teacher in order to discuss teaching methods which suitable for Vietnamese people Table 2.1 Internship process of Training Department 2.2 The difficulties and experiences gained during the internship process 2.2.1 The difficulties during the internship Each job has its difficulties, and is interesting, particularly for an intern like me There are a lot of challenges I have met during the internship process Difficulties in Teaching Assistant (TA) role: Language barriers at the workplace Since native teachers at Wow come from many different countries such as England, Ireland Canada, etc, this leads to them having different accents or tongues and dialects when they speak English as well as the working style of each teacher Therefore, I must understand each teacher's teaching habits and pronunciation Moreover, when discussing foreign teachers about students' learning situations, I also need to be careful in choosing and using vocabulary and grammatical structures to be able to understand and impart information accurately Communication and interpreting skills As a Teaching Assistant (TA) in the center in the first week, I have to translate English into Vietnamese about what foreign teachers say to students to make sure that all students in a class can totally understand what native speakers say during the lesson For example, in each lesson, foreign teachers sometimes use difficult words and long complex sentences that students cannot understand I would have to paraphrase by using simple words and sometimes have to use the free translation method On the other hand, sometimes I would translate Vietnamese into English for students to make sure that foreign teachers can understand what students say In conclusion, a teaching assistant's task is to make sure the class runs smoothly, and productively Challenges in the Teacher role: Classroom management difficulty Although I had experience working as a teacher for at least year when I take over classes for adult students (from 20-22 age) I also meet a lot of difficulties in dealing with my emotions and how to impart knowledge to students according to simple way and easy to understand Finding and creating documents Since each student will have a different ability to absorb knowledge, it would be difficult for all students can concentrate and gain the main content of the lesson For example, the knowledge of the IELTS class will be different from the Toiec and communication classes Therefore, I had to spend tons of hours composing documents as well as doing homework for my students Finally under pressure, mainly from students and a manager Firstly, after each lesson, the teacher will evaluate each student in the classroom and vice versa Students would also have the right to evaluate students Teachers' evaluation criteria for students are based on three factors: homework completion, classroom attitude, and lesson comprehension Moreover, secondly, student evaluation criteria for teachers are based on elements such as teaching method, imparting knowledge skills, and teacher's attitude towards students Thirdly, from managers, the administrator will re-evaluate the method and discuss it directly with the teacher At first, I will need to adjust a lot of things regarding teaching methods based on the center's core teaching method Especially with support from co-workers in the Training department and managers I completed my internship period within one month successfully I have overcome difficulties that help me gradually become an authentic and qualified teacher Gradually, every job will have joys and difficulties If you want to enjoy joys, you have to through difficulties 2.2.2 The experiences after the internship Within one month in the internship role, it is not too long but not too short However, I have accumulated hands-on experiences, which contribute to my career path in the future First, accepting challenges, mistakes, and stress is normal I had to create a fixed mindset that you are young since the things you need that challenge and stress In the transition from student life to worker's life, I spent days to adapt as worker's life Work-life and study-life balance is impossible. At that time, I was the leader of several subjects in school, so I have to deal with working stress from the center as well as my task at university I really up to my ears and spent almost my time for study and work Aftermath, I thought if I get over these challenges, you would become mature and realize that everything is a simple thing as the way you welcome them, Second, improving classroom management and emotional skills Luckily, I have opportunity to teach adult students, so I have to learn how to deal with managing one class successfully base on my hands-on experience before One of my memorable experiences, I taught one class that includes boys, the first thing that come to my head is not only how to impart knowledge to them easily way but also how to deal with my emotions because all of them are very handsome boys and I am just a girl I have to admit that I know it will more or less affect my teaching process But after all, I had learned how to deal and enjoy with these things and up until this time, I thought I had known how to control my feelings efficiently. Third, learning problem-solving in many circumstances in class During the teaching process, I met a lot of circumstances such as students forgetting to bring their textbooks or they did not complete all my tasks and sometimes some students singing in class suddenly or using a smartphone To avoid these things happening again, I would give them my discipline in the first lesson of the course to make sure that all my students understand classroom rules Besides, I also enacted strict punishment with stubborn students who intend to ignore my regulations and can announce them to the manager. Finally, being active in almost situations, and free to express personal opinions Trying to learn through observation and pay more attention to other coworkers and learn from them This is also an opportunity for me to bond and broaden my relationships before graduation 10 CHAPTER 3: THE ACTUAL SITUATION OF USING ENGLISH AT WOW ENGLISH CENTER 3.1 The reality of using English in Wow English Center Wow English has a variety of courses for all ages and different purposes which supports for success of learners According to data from the Training Department, the number of students at Wow English is gradually rising year after year and the rate of students completing the course with high results is over 80% The figure for students who get IELTS over 6.5 scores accounted for nearly 35% and Toiec over 700 + is approximately 30% and the rest is the number of students has the ability to communicate proficiency These things can show that Wow’s teaching method is effective However, as a trainee teacher, who is responsible for teaching within month at an internship and months working as an official teacher also saw a lot of problems involve in the actual use of English at Wow has many limitations First, there are small a number of employees at Wow English who actually can communicate in English expecting employees and teachers in the Training Department Therefore, most employees discussing by Vietnamese during the working process I understood that communication by Vietnamese can help them work together productively and effectively Although it cannot have fixed limitations for staff to communicate in Vietnamese with each other in an English center, this is gradually eroding a professional international environment and the long-term reputation of the center Second, there are several teachers who mainly taught English during the lesson such as IELTS or Toiec Teachers or intermediate communication teachers because, with this kind of class, students had a certain amount of knowledge Therefore, the teacher will easily convey the lesson by using English On the other hand, since most classes in Wow English for kids or beginners, teachers will tend to use the bilingual language Vietnamese and English in the lesson to make sure that students can absorb knowledge and bring more productivity That leads to a classroom environment that will limit using English in class 11 Third, students at Wow English only communicate in English during class, especially with foreign teachers As mentioned before, depending on the specificity of each class, the frequency of using English students is more or less For example, in Ielts class, students have to speak English about 90% of class expecting some circumstances However, in Toeic class, students mainly used Vietnamese to explain and discuss exercises Similarly, students in communication class will use English when making a conversation or roleplaying in class within 25 minutes For classes with native teachers, this means that the maximum amount of time students interact with foreign teachers at Wow is 60 minutes Of course, no student has a chance to speak continuously during the lesson That is the actual time will certainly not reach 20 minutes per student in a lesson As experiences worked at two centers English before, I knew that Wow English is not the only center that still has this limitation in the way using English It is necessary that the manager, as well as the director at Wow English, should regulate and introduce more regulations in the way of controlling and operating to make a difference with other centers 3.2 Some suggested solutions: The solution for the reason of not using English frequently at Wow has not been limited to practical activities and regulations I think improving these limitations does not challenge but what matters is effort and companionship, determination of the whole staff and students at the center Senior staff of the center such as the managers of departments or a director has to speak English as much as possible during working hours Besides, additional criteria when recruiting employees in departments in the company, being able to use English fluently required These things contribute to creating a synchronous and professional working environment between employees in the center Moreover, employees such as sales who work on the first floors of the center should be trained in using English talk, and interact with students through simple sentences such as “ Hello, What’s going?”, “ How are you today”, and “ How was your day? Are you hungry?” whenever they meet any students 12 For students, speaking English is required in the area of the center Particularly, students have to communicate with each other, and with staff and teachers in English Parallelly, the center can invest install a camera system available in the classes, and elevators which can help staff more easily manage the language used by students all the time This can help create habits and a passive environment for students to practice speaking English when they learn English at the center Moreover, students should be encouraged to speak English during lesson hours The center also organized debate contests in English for the student to can improve their language skills as well as create a reputation for the center There is a competency test very six months for employees Because it is an English center, I think competency tests for employees not matter It not only makes an employee think that they are taken care of but only helps employees acquire their knowledge and become more and more professional and the ability to use English when working at the center English compare to other environments. The above solutions are not extremely difficult to put into action The effort, determination, and enthusiasm of all employees at Wow is one of the crucial factors in whether Wow will make difference from other centers, and whether the center’s reputation will strengthen or will only keep the development at the current level. 13