Our excellent team of volunteers and paid staff provides free drop-in English language classes and IELTS preparation classes for refugees and asylum seekers. See our activities timetable for more details.

ESOL

Our classes are designed to be open and welcoming to all learners no matter their ability - most of our classes are mixed ability with no need for prior registration. We understand that mixed gender classes aren't for everyone, so we offer a women's only session on a Monday with free creche provision.

We design the lessons to be applicable to everyday life, such as shopping for food, finding housing, and making hospital and doctor appointments. Other topics include using transport, accessing emergency services, and telling the time - we hope that this will help to make adjusting to a new country that little bit easier.

The aim of our classes is to build our clients' confidence in a familiar environment before accessing an accredited course. Our staff are happy to assist clients with booking a REACH assessment in order to join an accredited ESOL course.

Providing a high quality service is incredibly important to us, so all of our volunteer teachers come from a teaching background and/or have studied for a CELTA / TEFL certificate. Each day classes are taught by a different teacher, who is supported by a teaching assistant. All teachers have a different style, with some classes even focusing on storytelling! Our teachers are also able to provide practical guidance about educational pathways and future careers.

Our classroom is fully equipped with a projector, computer, and whiteboard for teachers to use. We understand that travelling to Splott isn't accessible for everyone, so we also offer a number of online classes. Oasis Cardiff is currently partnered with Adult Learning Wales and REACH Cardiff and runs Entry 1 classes additionally. These classes are taught by a dedicated teacher and are adapted to the needs of students.

Our teachers also teach at hotels housing newly arrived asylum seekers around Cardiff in order to aid the integration process.

If you have what it takes to be a volunteer ESOL teacher or teaching assistant, please visit our Volunteer Roles page to find out how to apply. 

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about English classes.

IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardised test for non-native English speakers.

In order to gain access to university or practice your profession in the UK (doctors, nurses, etc.) you must achieve a certain IELTS score which represents your level of English. Often the cost of a course to study for the IELTS exam makes returning to university inaccessible for many of our clients.

Oasis Cardiff recognised the need of this client group and set up three IELTS preparation classes alongside working in partnership with the charity, RefuAid, who help fund the cost of the IELTS exam. We offer the only free service for asylum seekers in Cardiff, which can also be accessed by refugees too.

Previous projects have included courses run by Adult Learning Wales and securing funding for the tutoring of a blind student for the IELTS exam.

Our IELTS class is currently full, but there is a waiting list. Please contact [email protected] to find out more.