Volunteer English Home Tutors, New Zealand

English Language Partners New Zealand is New Zealand's largest organisation working with migrants and refugees and operates in 23 locations throughout the country. In 1992 the National Association of ESOL Home Tutor Schemes (Inc.) was formed. In 2009 the Association was renamed as English Language Partners New Zealand. They have more than 6,000 adult English language learners 3,000 volunteers supported with resources for teaching. They have 200 staff members and 1,000 new volunteers are trained annually to New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)-approved course ‘Certificate in ESOL Home Tutoring’.

What is ESOL?

ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages, pronounced ‘ee-sol’ is used in New Zealand to describe English language tuition for any age group, state schools as well as private language schools catering for international students. ESOL Home Tutors differs from other ESOL providers by working one to one with learners, often in the learners’ own homes. It is a free service provided to adult refugees and migrants living in New Zealand. The tutors are volunteers who are trained and supported through community-based offices known as schemes.

Services Provided by English Language Partners NZ

All the branches are incorporated societies: autonomous entities registered with the Companies Office. ESOL Home Tutors centres are members of the National Association of ESOL Home Tutor Scheme, ranging from small centres with fewer than 75 learners to centres with over 900 learners. In addition to offering free one to one home tutoring, centres also offer some or all of the following services:

• Certificate in ESOL Home Tutoring: NZQA-approved volunteer course
• Social English Groups – where learners can meet and learn together
• ESOL-Literacy classes – where those who are able to can attend classes and learn English.
• English for Migrants: pre-paid tuition programme (Tertiary Education Commission administered)
• English for work in New Zealand
• English for resettlement of young families

• Job mentoring – Trained volunteers help refugees and migrants find jobs according to their qualifications and work experience
• English for specific purposes according to local need

For more than 30 years ESOL Home Tutors have been rendering volunteer service, supported by small and dedicated group of local coordinators and national office staff. Their services are not only about English language tuition, but also about friendship, social integration and successful settlement. This involves tutors imparting a knowledge of New Zealand society, its unique Maori dimension, supporting the retention of new migrants’ own cultures, languages and identities, and in turn learning from the learners about different cultures.

According to report released by the Value Added by Voluntary Agencies in June 2004, the value of the work by ESOL Home Tutors’ volunteers was estimated at being between $5.1 million and $9.7 million in the 2002 year. However, while the value of volunteers can be defined in monetary terms, ‘the value of effective settlement for refugees and migrants and the social capital built within the wider community cannot be quantified so easily.’ (Annual Report, 2004:5)

History: Extending a Helping Hand

The history of immigration to New Zealand began in the 1840s when the British began building settlements and till the end of World War II, the vast majority of immigrants came from the United Kingdom and English was the common tongue.

The end of the war brought an influx of refugees from several European countries. From then till the 1970s peoples from other countries like the Pacific Islands, Cambodia, South Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Chile, Eastern Europe and the Middle East arrived in New Zealand.

In 1987 the government introduced an annual quota of 800 refugees (now 750) were allowed to seek asylum. An open door from China coincided with this open door into New Zealand. In the 1990s people who needed support with their English included those from Somalia, Ethiopia and Bosnia. More recent refugees have arrived from the Middle East: Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, Congo and Burma.

Home tutoring by volunteers started in a small and informal way, as people realized that an increasing number were isolated because of their limited English. In the 1970s in various parts of New Zealand, groups began to be set up to deal with this situation.

The earliest initiatives were made in Hawke’s Bay, Wellington and Auckland and these were noticed by others and soon there were a growing number of home tutor projects around the country. The focus was on women migrants confined to their homes. Later, priority was given to refugee learners, who generally had fewer financial resources.

Formation of a national organization

In 1981 home tutoring found direct support from the Department of Education however the late 1980s was the era of the withdrawal of the welfare state and funding was stopped. English language tuition was mostly given through polytechnics and community colleges through which funding for home tutor schemes had been channeled. There had been many discussion on separating from them and the need was felt for an autonomous organization to formalize the nationwide network of home tutors. This was achieved in 1992 when the national association was incorporated.

In order to apply for direct funding from the Ministry of Education, the association had to register with the NZQA as a multi-site private training establishment and become accredited. It was necessary to design a training course and materials that could be accepted and delivered by all schemes which met the requirements of NZQA accreditation. The JR McKenzie Trust and Lottery Welfare had provided some funding over the years.

The battle for funding was not yet won. Even in the early 1990s, direct funding was not yet allocated to the national association from the government. It was not until 1995 when Auckland schools made the headlines by charging immigrant pupils for extra help with English that things began to change. In 1994, the national association had gained Charitable Trust Status so all donations to it became tax deductible.

Funding for Adult Basic Education was increased in the government’s 1995 Budget and paid directly to the two main providers, ARLA (Adult Reading and Learning Assistance, now Literacy Aotearoa) and ESOL Home Tutors. The national association would finally be distributing funding to all schemes, starting January 1996. In 2000, the funding formula was reviewed and revised to establish a system of bands of schemes to fund fixed costs.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), established in 2002 by the Ministry of Education, took over funding of ESOL Home Tutor which was by then $2.8 million. It increase by $100,000 in 2003, but has had much smaller increases since then.

Settlement through English

For more than 30 years, since ESOL Home Tutors began, many refugees and migrants have benefited by the home tutoring service. Home tutors are the learner’s door into New Zealand society, the people who can explain how to handle life here. One to one tutoring gives the greatest possible flexibility in learning. It overcomes the problems of lack of transport, childcare responsibilities, and any cultural restrictions on women’s activities.

In the early days most tutors were New Zealand-born or British people. Of today’s New Zealand-born volunteers, a high proportion have spent time living and working in other countries, experiencing the hospitality of other cultures. Increasingly immigrants form non-English speaking backgrounds offer to work as tutors.

Learning a new language is hard work and learners benefit from the individual attention given to their needs by their tutors. Speaking and listening are the main challenges, as these skills are used more often than reading and writing, it takes time to make oneself understood as well as understand New Zealand English and the accent.

Empowerment of non-English speaking persons

Learning to communicate in English is an empowering experience since it allows the refugees and migrants to participate in New Zealand society. Arriving in a new country can be a stressful experience and not knowing the local language can become a handicap. ESOL Home Tutors help in overcoming these obstacles by empowering people with the knowledge of English and help them to integrate into the community.

Learning the language is only the means and not an end. In a society that is multicultural, being able to see other points of view is essential in cultivating positive relationships among groups in the wider community. There are benefits both ways, the learner and tutor gain a greater understanding of other cultures and others’ experience through home tutoring.

References:

Settlement through English: a history of ESOL Home Tutors, published by National Association for ESOL Home Tutor Schemes (Inc), 2006