We. Are. Back.

Hello everyone and welcome to the 2020/2021 school year!

There’s no doubt that the first half of 2020 has been a tad rocky, so to speak, but at ES we have started this school year stronger than ever. We couldn’t be more proud of our teachers and administrative staff for all the hard work they’re putting in and, most importantly, we couldn’t be more proud of our students, who have adapted to this “new normal” showing not only responsiblity, but also the same eagerness to learn that motivates us to keep going every year. For all of this, and much more not included in this text:

Thank you

In this post, we are going to sumarise all the changes we’ve undergone over the past months so that we could go back to class in the safest possible way. Take a look at the following Q&A:

What are the first changes I’ll notice when I go to ES?

One of the most noticeable changes is that, when you buzz, the street door opens automatically to avoid touching surfaces. When you leave, there’s a pad with a sensor in the hall: simple swipe your hand close to it (without touching it) and the door will open. 🙂

The second change you’ll notice is that, since the summer, both doors at ES are opened and the corridor is now one way. This means that, while you will still enter the school through the usual door, you’ll need to follow the arrows on the floor to leave through our (new) “exit door”.

Is there any procedure to be followed before we go to our class?

Indeed, there is. We’ve changed our London mat for a new one that will allow you to clean a disinfect your shoes and, once in the reception, you’ll have your temperture checked and you’ll need to use hand-sanitising gel.

Are the classrooms different?

Yes. We have reduced the number of students and placed transparent pannels in between each one of them, as well as the teacher, so that you can have your lesson with the most safety. Also, ventilation is really important so we have one of the windows in the class slightly open and, when possible, the door will stay open as well.

Note that, as the number of students per class has been reduced, we have limited spots and some times are already fully booked so, if you want to learn with one of the best schools you possibly can, don’t take too long in popping by!

Our new classrooms.

Can I feel safe at ES?

We have done, and keep doing, everything in our hands to make you feel that way. The classrooms are disinfected in between classes and we have created closed groups to reduce the number of people you’re in contact with. We feel safe at ES, and hope you do too. 😀

Is there any alternative to traditional face to face lessons?

Yes, there is. This year we are also offering the possibility of attending the lessons online, whether they are in a group or private one-to-one classes. Give us a call or send us an email for more information! We’ll be happy to talk to you!

Are you ready?

Our contact details

Phone number: 981 140024

Email: info@euroschoolofenglish.com

Address: C/ Fernando Macías 13, 1º 15004 ( A Coruña)

We really hope to see you soon. Until then: #staysafe

Syncopation for the nation part 2

Hello everyone! Happy last day of June!

Even though we may feel as if we have been robbed of a couple of months this year, summer has finally arrived and we are ready for it! Continue reading “Syncopation for the nation part 2”

Job Hunting Part 3: The Interview

Hello everyone and happy May 1st!

To celebrate international workers’ day we’re posting the long overdue final part of our job interview special. If you missed them here are the links for the first two parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Now we are ready to start. Scroll down for part 3!

 

The questions

Once you’re sitting down and the (hopefully great) initial impression has been made, now it’s time to answer some questions. We can divide these into 5 categories, depending on their nature:

 

1. Basic interview questions 

In many interviews, the first question you’ll be asked is “Tell me about yourself”. This is a great opportunity to explain who you are and the value you would bring to the company, albeit you don’t start telling them about your memories of day care or your school friends. Talk about your skills and interests, your achievements and your professional projection being humble and honest.

Other basic interview questions are:

  • What are your strengths / weaknesses?
  • Why do you want this job?
  • Where would you like to be in your career in five years from now?
  • What’s your ideal company?
  • What attracted you to this company?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • What do you know about this industry?
  • What do you know about our company?

 

2. Behavioural questions

They are designed to learn about your professional life but also to analyse your personality. For example, if asked “What was the last project you headed up? What was the outcome?” the interviewers may be more interested in what image of yourself you’re portraying than in the project itself and if asked “can you describe a time when your work was criticised?” you are being assessed on your self-criticism, on how well you receive others’ opinion and whether you’re able to change your way when things are not going well.

Other behavioural questions are:

  • What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
  • What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
  • If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something you disagreed with, what would you do?
  • What’s the most difficult decision you’ve made in the last two years and how did you come to that decision?

 

3. Career development questions

This is the time when you should bring up professional experience and achievements relevant for the position you’re applying for as well as your future projection and ambitions. Some of the questions you may be asked are:

  • What are you looking for in terms of career development?
  • How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?
  • What kind of goals would you have in mind if you got this job?
  • If I were to ask your last supervisor about your training approach, your dedication or commitment, what would they say?

 

4. Salary related questions

This is a tricky area, should you be honest about how much you want to earn? Should you ask for a certain amount? Well, the answer depends on the job application and the description of it. If the salary was part of the job advert you already know what you are going to earn and, supposedly, you agree with that number or you wouldn’t be there. On the other hand, if the ad did not mention anything about salary, make sure you do your research and go to the interview with an estimate of how much people in your position earn. You may want to ask for more but you should offer a good reason for it.

Some questions you may be asked in this area are:

  • What salary are you seeking?
  • What’s your salary history?
  • If I were to give the salary you requested but let you write your job description for the next year, what would it say?

 

5. Other questions

This is a miscellaneous category where the interviewers will find out additional information in any of the areas they feel thay need to and these are some questions to give you a general idea:

  • How would you describe your working style?
  • What would be your ideal working environment?
  • What do you look for in terms of culture – structured or entrepreneurial?
  • If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
  • List five words that describe your character
  • What is your greatest fear?
  • What is your biggest regret and why?
  • Tell me one thing about yourself that you wouldn’t want me to know

 

After this, all we can do is go home and wait for that phone call or email giving us the answer. Just remember, not all companies reply and if you do not receive any notification from them in 4 weeks, it is understood that you have not been selected. That’s ok, just keep up the good work and you’ll get there! 😉

 

What’s your opinion of our job hunting special? Have you found it useful? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below!

Have a great May!

 

 

I want it all and I want it now (Part 2)

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the second part of the post that topped the charts last week! Continue reading “I want it all and I want it now (Part 2)”

Academic English, what’s that?

Hello everyone!

How’s the week going? This Friday we bring you a website  that we really think  you are going to love: the Cambridge blog on “Academic Perspectives”. Did you even know this exists? Continue reading “Academic English, what’s that?”

I want it all and I want it now

Hello guys!

Today we are very excited to bring you a collaboration post about all of those questions students often ask about exams: Continue reading “I want it all and I want it now”

Spanglish

Hello everyone!

Today we’re going to talk about typical mistakes made by Spanish students. Continue reading “Spanglish”

Resources

Hello everybody!

Today we bring you just a quick post to draw  your attention towards a great website to learn from home. It’s called ‘Cambridge en casa’. Continue reading “Resources”

Happy (special) Easter!

Hello everybody and happy Easter!

We know that this isn’t how we had planned to enjoy the long weekend starting tomorrow but we bet you also never thought you’d had the opportunity to spend so much time with your loved ones. Today, we’re going to help you celebrate Easter in a rather special way, scroll down! Continue reading “Happy (special) Easter!”

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