Báo cáo thực tập tốt nghiệp ngoại ngữ specialist skills and knowledge at epica international english center

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT After spending nearly four years in An Giang University majoring in English Language, I am now going to graduate from the university In this final semester, I am fortunate to be able to take the internship at EPICA English Center with substantial supports from the organization and individuals that I would like to thank as follows Firstly, I would like to acknowledge AGU for giving me, as well as other senior students opportunities to experience internship in companies to apply what we have learnt I would like to offer my special thanks to my instructor- Ms Duong Thi Diem Phuc, for her support and guidance during my internship Secondly I would like to express my gratitude to EPICA English Center for offering me this amazing work experience I wish to extend special thanks to the staff of EEC for the assistance with the data collection of this internship report I am particularly grateful for a great deal of supports from my supervisors: Ms Bui Thi Ngoc Phuong, Ms Vo Vu Anh Vi and Ms Nguyen Truc Phuong Finally, I would like to thank my family for supporting me financially and mentally and giving me advice when I need My most grateful thanks go to my parents for their patience, love and devotion If it had not been for the support from all of these people mentioned above, it would have been impossible for me to complete this internship and the internship report ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .1 TABLE OF CONTENT LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION AIMS OF THE REPORT .6 PART A DESCRIPTION OF EEC .7 II Basic information Name Location .8 Contact details II Organization Managerial Staff .8 Teachers Assistant counselors .9 III Company policies 11 Dress code .11 Working hours 11 ion .11 PART B DESCRIPTION OF INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES 13 I Main duty as an intern 13 Welcoming students 13 Translating 13 Teaching 14 Consulting .14 Other duties 15 5.1 Checking student attendance 15 5.2 Teaching assistant .15 5.3 Preparing for Rewarding Event 16 II Advantages, Disadvantages and Solutions for myself 17 Advantages .17 Disadvantages .17 Solutions for myself 18 PART C CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE INTERNSHIP COMPANY, AN GIANG UNIVERSITY AND ENGLISH MAJORS .20 I Conclusion 20 II Recommendations .20 For EEC 20 For AGU and English Majors .21 LIST OF FIGURES Figure The general view of EPICA English Center Figure The outside view of EPICA English Center Figure Board of EEC Organization Figure Courses design Figure Students and Staff off EEC on the Rewarding Event Figure The Director, Deputy Director and outstanding student LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EEC: EPICA English Center AGU: An Giang University INTRODUCTION Internship is such a great chance for college students to not only experiment working environment but also apply their academic knowledge that they have learned into practical work In the last semester of the fourth year of college students, every student has to internship as a course not only to write the internship report but also learn and gained working experience before graduating I was introduced by my instructor Ms Duong Thi Diem Phuc to work at EEC as an intern for weeks from 22 February to 18 April During internship I did all assigned tasks and journal all the details related to those consist of what I did, advantages, disadvantages and also what I learned from it The journal is needed for my internship report because the information I had from doing the tasks and from the internship company would be data for the report The internship report is an integral part of the internship experience The majority and professional experience which a new intern gained is fully reflected through writing the report Through writing the report the intern can also practice their critical and analytical skill capability The report aims to reflect fully my internship weeks from 2 February to 18 April, 2021 It will briefly go over three parts Each involving: description of EEC, the internship activities and finally some recommendations for the internship company, An Giang University and English Majors This report was collected and refine from the pub my personal experience and close observation AIMS OF THE REPORT This internship report is written after I have finished two-month internship at EEC The report aims to provide an overview of my internship progress Particularly, all the assigned tasks I had done during internship are record in detail and also lessons learned Hence, this internship report is a tool to record my valuable experience of working for EEC Undertaking and underwent an internship is an experience that can significantly influence my individual's final career decision Therefore, through writing the report also helps me to evaluate whether the job I have undergone is match with my interest and expectation, or if I feel uneasy about embarking on a career within this field PART A DESCRIPTION OF EEC This chapter provides a general knowledge of the internship company, from th iness operations, services to a diagram of Figure 1: The general view of EPICA English Center EEC is an international company which was established in 2019 EEC carry the mission of create a professional environment for English learning EEC aims to train to develop English skills for students at a very young age, helping them have a solid background of English in the integration period of the country II Basic information Name Registered name: EPICA English Center Abridge name: EEC Representative by: Mr Tran Nhan Tam (Manager) Location Address: 92A, Ham Nghi Street, Binh Khanh Ward, Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province Figure The outside view of EPICA English Center Contact details Telephone number: +842966526060 Email: anhnguepica@gmail.com Website: http://epica.edu.vn II Organization In EEC, there are three main parts as follow Managerial Staff Mr Tran Nhan Tam- Director He is responsible for running all activities of the center He is the one who approves all decisions related to the administration and facilities of the company Besides, he is responsible for approving tests that teachers will give to students as well as approving the organization of extracurricular activities at the center He is also the person who will write proposals to obtain support for the center Ms Bui Thi Ngoc Phuong Deputy Director She assists with management in certain areas Besides that, she is also a researcher and devising strategies aimed at improving service quality and development of the center In addition, she also solves the problems in the center namely resolving the complaints of the parents and working with the teacher to provide solutions to overcome She is also responsible for organizing financial affairs in the center Mr Nguyen Tuan Vu Marketing Manager He is responsible for making the center's long-term development strategies Besides, he is the decision-maker for things related to promoting the image of the center from offline advertising to the center's activities on the social networking site Facebook and on the website He is also the main website manager for the center and the events taking place at the center are also organized by him Teachers Teachers at EEC include native speakers and Vietnamese teachers The teacher is responsible for teaching classes, monitoring the student's learning progress They evaluate students' learning ability through periodic tests Besides, they also observed and evaluated the behavior of the trainees and wrote on the contact sheet when the course ended In addition, the teachers in charge of IELTS classes are also responsible for assessing the level of new students through the entrance tests in order to arrange the class accordingly Moreover, they are in charge of organizing and joining English clubs with students on weekends Assistant counselors The center's two main aides are Ms Vo Vu Anh Vi and Ms Nguyen Truc Phuong They are responsible for the main support of the director and deputy director and the bridge between the customer and the center They work as a consultant for parent and student courses They are responsible as the custodian at the center from tuition collection, daily expenses and expenses, management of school supplies and other resources of the center to writing year-end financial statements Besides, they also arrange schedules for students and teachers, and assist teachers in managing the classroom when needed Director ( Mr Tran Nhan Tam) Deputy Director Marketing Manager ( Ms Bui Thi Ngoc Phuong) ( Mr Nguyen Tuan Vu) Assistant Counselor ( Ms Vo Vu Anh Vi) Assistant Counselor ( Ms Nguyen Truc Phuong) Teachers ( foreign and Vietnamese teachers) Figure EEC Organization 10 III Company policies Dress code EEC is a professional working environment where staff are expected to dress formally for maintaining professional image because every staff is seen as a representatives of the company The staff uniform is a grey t-shirt with the company logo and slogan printed on the left side of the chest It is obligational for the two counselors but optional for the teachers Furthermore, every student also has an orange t shirt as a uniform which is encourage wearing at an event of the center Working hours 9:00am -9:pm, from Monday to Sunday Organizing course for children and adult with suitable levels Supporting students in participating in Cambridge examination Organizing English club or outdoor activities aiming to create favorable environment for students to practice speaking English Applying scientific teaching and learning methods, creating an environment for students to exposure to Standard English 11 EPICA BABY PRE-STARTER 4,5 months levels ( 12 months ) For children form 4-7 years old STARTERS MOVERS FLYERS levels ( 12 months) levels ( 12 months) levels ( 12 months) For children form 7- 13 years old KET PET levels ( 12 months) levels ( 12 months) For students from 14-17 years old EPICA FOR IELTS BAND 4.5 BAND BAND 5.5 BAND BAND 6.5 ( months) ( months) ( months) ( months) ( months) For students over 17 years old Figure Courses design 12 PART B DESCRIPTION OF INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES This chapter provides descriptions of internship activities, what I have learned from each of the activities and some difficulties I found while doing given missions I Main duty as an intern Welcoming students The very first task I have to whenever I go to the center is welcoming students Every day from 5.45pm to 6.15pm the two counselors and I would wait for students to come at the door Because of the Covid-19, every student must wash their hands before taking part in their class I was responsible for pumping hand sanitizer into their hands and checking their temperature also They are almost kids so I try to remember all their names in order to get on well with them After classes finished, I would also stand at the door saying goodbye and paying attention to every single one until their parents pick them up Sometimes I talk with them while they were waiting for their parents I have learned a lot through this task First, I learned how to be patient On my very first day coming there I was quite strange for those kids, they did not greet me back But after two weeks o keep a friendly attitude toward them they became acquainted with me gradually and even talk to me about themselves Second, I also learn to be more open with everyone around me by listening and sharing more Last but not least, I learned how to behave and take care of kids Translating On three day from 10 to 12 February before two courses Starter-1 and Starter-2 ended t cards and after teachers wrote their feedback I would tran tests were marked by teachers, I converted the score into A, B, C, D, and F based on metrics on the report cards At first, I translated some onto a paper and hang 13 on to Ms Truc Phuong before writing directly on the report cards However, after considering some she said I did well and could write directly on the others without her consideration I did not have any problem doing this task because those are just common words, the only thing I needed to is make it smooth to read Teaching Teaching was a surprising mission I was assigned I was responsible for teaching one class of Movers on 13 March because of the lack of teacher that day When I was given this task I really nervous because I have never taught a class before Ms Truc Phuong calmed me and gave me student and teacher books and showed me the lesson I must teach on that day She told me what to She also taught me how to design a game for the class I followed her guide and finished the preparation part Then I taught based on what I had prepared Finally, I finished the task without any problem Actually, I was really grateful for this opportunity because it gave me a chance to work as a teacher It was such a great chance for me to challenge myself and overcome my fear Although it was just one day, I have learned a lot I learned how to operate a 90- minute lesson plan, how to interact with students and how to keep the atmosphere active and cheerful My shortcoming in doing this task is that I was not confident when I received it However after well preparing I feel more confident I also realized that my good skill at PowerPoint did work So I did not run into problems when designing games for my students Although I have not fully confidence whenever I make a presentation in class, I really enjoy and relax teaching the class I believe that was because of the pond I built with them before and good preparation Consulting I had an opportunity to work as a consultant During the first month of my internship, I had been observing the way the two assistant counselors communicate with customers I also know about all courses at the center such as price, study route, and the curriculum of each course as well 14 On 17 th March, Ms Ngoc Phuong offered me to work as a consultant on Friday and Saturday within salary I have to provide course information for customers, testing students to arrange them into relevant class, and collect tuition fees In the first week of my probationary period Ms Truc Phuong and Ms Vi were appointed to work with me and guided me particularly was my work learning week In the second week, I started working individually While working as a consultant I recognized that I lacked communication skills and because I was not familiar with the job I did everything slowly to make sure I did not make mistakes However, after three weeks of working, I matured a lot more than I used to be I am able to communicate better and give information without looking at notes anymore I was trained to deal with customers with a positive attitude and how to anything faster when I had to face many customers at the same time Other duties 5.1 Checking student attendance Another two small tasks I was given is to check student s attendance and print documents About checking attendance task I was given a list of students of each class then 15 minutes after those classes started at 6pm I would mark on the list presence students and absence one through a cameras screen This task helps ook part in the printing task was very useful because it is the needed skills in almost every office job I printed some documents related to advertising cards of the center and exercise for students when teachers needed them 5.2 Teaching assistant The next task is teaching assistant Some classes of under 10- year- old students while they studying with native teachers need me to interpret for stabilizing when they naughty The center sometimes has a power failure 15 Students were panic when the lights went off I had to take care of them and kept them safe by preventing them from running outside 5.3 Preparing for Rewarding Event Because of the covid-19 the rewarding event of 14, 15 had to be cancelled Therefore, EEC decided to organize a big rewarding event for the three courses at the same time The event was organized on Sunday April One week before the event, the two counselors and I had to some preparations I would fill the student names in the invited letters then send those to the students and ask them to give their parents Ms Truc Phuong and I went to Nguyen Trai primary school to hire uniform for students Then we write the student names on the clothes based on their sizes Student certificates were printed under the director supervision and I was responsible for putting those into glass frames Before the event started officially, the two counselors and I welcomed guests and bring them water bottles After that, we arranged the frames in order based on the list The students who received Cambridge certificate would wear bachelor uniform, so we helped them wear it before their names were called and also adjust when they were taken picture Thanks to the event, I understand the basic stages which needed to organize an event I learned the process of preparation, how to organize things to make sure the event happen successfully Figure Students and Staff off EEC on the Rewarding Event 16 Figure The Director, Deputy Director and outstanding student II Advantages, Disadvantages and Solutions for myself Advantages The first advantage that I lucky to have is the huge support of Ms Vi and Ms Truc Phuong They were always willing to help me complete the tasks and answer my questions Before asking me to something they always spent time to instruct me thoroughly Besides, all EEC staffs were very friendly so I did not feel any stressed when working there The second advantage is my adaptability It is really important when throwing myself into entirely new environment Some skills I have before internship such as MS office and Power Point also helped me a lot in completing tasks for example the teaching task mentioned above Moreover, my knowledge in translation which I learned at university was applied completely Therefore I could complete the translating task easily Last but not least, I was allowed to bring laptop and work on my internship report whenever I did not have many tasks to Disadvantages My first disadvantage is that I have short term memory so even I could remember the student names but I still had trouble Particularly, before the rewarding event the two counselors and I have to prepare inviting letters for student parents Then Ms Phuong asked me to give the letters to students based 17 names Therefore, she had to help me And sometimes when parents asked me to call child, I also could not and had to call Ms Truc Phuong or Ms Vi for help The second one is that I did not search to know about the courses of the center until I was offer for consulting job so it took me more time to know totally Solutions for myself In my opinion, the two disadvantages I mentioned share the same reason It is because I did not have flexibility At first, I just remember the student names for easier checking attendance so I just remember their English names I did not think that there will be more things to which require me to remember their names The same as the first disadvantage, I did not search to know about the courses because I always worked with Ms Phuong and Ms Vi, I did not think that will be become my task someday The lesson I learned for myself is that I should always pay attention to every work around get to know about them even it is not my affair especially during internship when I was there to learn It will be worth when I getting a real job Sometimes we have to others work because the lack of employees so flexibility is badly needed Moreover, one have flexibility will stands out from others candidates III What I have gained from the internship Doing my internship at EEC is such a valuable time for me because I have gained lot of knowledge which is useful for me and my future job also First and foremost I experienced living in professional working environment That means a lot for senior students like me especially at this stage when I am going to graduate and find a job after the internship I was repaired some soft skills which I was not taught in school These skills are badly needed for an employee Communication is one of the most important skills I learned while working at EEC Communicating is always confusing me because I am an introvert and I was really bad at communication At EEC, I have to communicate with students, teachers and customers every single day that pushed me forward Therefore, until 18 now I could communicate better than I used to be That is really a big self-changing I gained thank to this opportunity the second thing I gained form internship is confidence I always lacked confidence and believed that I was not good enough to become a teacher However the teaching task proved me wrong The next one I want to mention is consulting skills For me this is also selling skills because I did not just give customers information but persuaded them register at the center I not only learned but also had a chance to pra really grateful EEC for giving me that opportunity Besides, I also learned some office skills such as printing, scanning, marking which are really helpful 19