DCG Success Stories

Derby College Group adult learner Maya Xie already had some English when she first came to the UK from China in 2004 but always felt she could improve on it. 

So, two years ago Maya, 41, decided to search online for a ‘proper course where I could learn the language face to face.’ 

She said: “For me it’s about personal growth. My English wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. I’d learned to speak it formally but not informally, which is very different.  

“I was nervous about writing in English and if someone looked over my shoulder while I was writing I’d just freeze.” 

Maya discovered that DCG’s Ilkeston College ran in-person functional English skills courses – and that she qualified to study for free through the Adult Skills Fund administered by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). 

She said: “I’d have been happy to pay for the course. It was so good. Getting it for free was a bonus.  

“Our tutor Caroline was amazing. I didn’t feel under pressure which made me try even harder.  

“I work in customer service in a Chinese takeaway and doing the English course has really improved my communication skills.” 

After completing level 3 of the entry level course, Maya moved on to level 1 this year and is feeling much more confident in listening to, reading and speaking English. 

She added: “Although I’d learned English at school and studied English language at college in London when I first came to the UK, I didn’t like speaking it and barely spoke it at all.  

“Now I speak it all the time. There are six of us in my class – one person who is Spanish, another who is Chinese and another from Hong Kong who speaks Cantonese as well as three English people.  

“We all help each other and have a chat in the library before lessons start. My daughter also helps me. She’s 13 and was born here. She only knows English so that’s what we speak at home.  

“When she was younger, I helped her with her schoolwork but now she’s at secondary school she’s teaching me.”  

Maya thinks more people could benefit from learning functional English with Derby College and after her positive experience, has recommended the entry level course to a Chinese friend. 

She said: “I think people find that not having good enough English is a barrier in life but don’t know how to access what’s available to them.  

“Taking the course has made such a difference to my everyday life and really helped build my confidence.”