Learn English at Home

My favourite city in the world.

חג פסח שמח

Will you be reading the Haggadah this Pesach/Passover?

I guess you know the story in Hebrew, but have you ever read it in English?

This is a nice way to challenge yourself by reading a story you know, in English.

If you want to challenge yourself, let me know in comments and I will send you a PDF made available by chabad.org

Dawn - שחר

This is the time when the sun rises in the morning.

If something dawns on you, an idea rises into your thoughts.

If you were in a meeting and thought you understood something, later when you are talking about it with a friend or a colleague you might realise that you didn't completely understand. You can say.....

"It's just dawned on me, what he was talking about in the meeting".

He had a point!!

Are you crazy?

Can you change the world?

Small steps, let's start with improving your English 😜

There are many things to consider before a job interview.

Today we will look at another of the important things to know about, the position you are applying for?

Is this a position you have experience in or are you new to this field of work?

Research the type of technology used, platforms, systems and make sure you know about them.

Even if this is a new area for you, think about skills or experiences that will help you in this new sector. What can you bring to the company that they will want?

Either way, you should have some questions about the role, so what do you want to know?

An interview is a 2-way conversation, so relax and ask about the onboarding process, the team etc

My most popular business classes cover interviews and presentations in a very focused way.

Reach out for more information.

There are many things to consider before a job interview.

Today we will look at another of the important things to know about, what are they going to ask you?

If you are going for the initial interview, brush up on the basics - talking about yourself, weaknesses and strengths, challenging situations etc.

If this is an interview with someone who knows how to do the job you are applying for, search the internet for position specific questions.

Pay attention to questions that will be difficult to answer - practice these a lot!

My most popular business classes cover interviews and presentations in a very focused way.

Reach out for more information.

There are many things to consider before a job interview.

Today we will look at another of the important things to know about, what to wear - or what not to wear!

If you are applying for a senior position, smarter dress is normally required so dress accordingly.

How would you feel if the CEO of the company interviewed you wearing flip-flops and a bikini top under her blouse?

You can find out a lot about the way the company expects it's employees to dress from the internet, look at photos of departments or fun days.

Smart professional or smart casual? If you are still unsure - ASK!

One final tip, please brush your hair (men as well)

My most popular business classes cover interviews and presentations in a very focused way.

Reach out for more information.

There are many things to consider before a job interview.

Today we will look at one of the important things to know about, who is the person that will conduct the interview?

Is the interviewer from an outsourcing company, from HR, a departmental manager etc?

You can find out a lot about a person from LinkedIn or Facebook - they will probably have searched for you to see what they can find out as well!

By reading about them professionally and personally, you will get a better idea of the type of person they are and maybe you have hobbies or interests in common. Have you worked with people they know or have you worked at the same company as they did previously?

Use this information to prepare for your interview, talk about things you have in common or avoid bringing up topics you know they don't like.

My most popular business classes cover interviews and presentations in a very focused way.

Reach out for more information.

There are many things to consider before a job interview.

Today we will look at one of the important things to know about, the company.

Is the company a start-up, more established or global?

You can find out a lot about a company, their culture and philosophy by visiting their website or LinkedIn page.

You can see some the the staff members and how long they have worked there - do they retain staff or have a high turnover?

Use this information to prepare for your interview, it shows that you have taken the time, and interest to do your homework on them.

My most popular business classes cover interviews and presentations in a very focused way.

Reach out for more information.

It is important to make sure you have all of your ducks in order, or in a row.

If you do all the preparation you need, and make sure everything is well organised, you can say you have your ducks in order.

Nice idiom for the workplace!

How many false friends do you know?

False friends are words that sound the same in your native language and in English, but they have completely different meanings.

In Hebrew, היא means girl, but in English 'he' refers to a male. How confusing!!!

We have many words which are the same in our languages, sport, microphone etc.

Can you think of any more false friends?

I love helping people improve their English skills.

I love seeing how happy they are when they achieve a goal.

I love seeing people succeed.

✅ Confidence soars
✅ Vocabulary increases
✅ Fluency improves

If you want to succeed contact me now!

I get asked this a lot.

When to use 'Yours Sincerely' and when to use 'Yours Faithfully'.

Do you know the NAME of the person you are writing to?

YES - Yours Sincerely

NO - Yours Faithfully

Phrasal verbs are a great way to express yourself in English but they can be tricky.

If something breaks down, it stops working.
Although we can't say a person broke down, we can say that a person had a break down (generally mentally when they are under too much pressure).

Example: My car broke down on the way to work this morning.

Try using this one next time something stops working.

When I interview people, I am looking for certain things and I expect to see them within the first few minutes.

Does that seem unfair?

Well, initial impressions count, and what you do, or say in the first few minutes of an interview, can mean that you have already failed!

⭐️ Presentation
What are you wearing?

⭐️ Background
What is behind you (online interviews).

⭐️ Body language
Are your actions saying something different to your words?

⭐️ Communication
Can we read anything negative into what you are saying?

I have seen and heard some funny and terrible things, here are a few:

Presentation - It looked like the person was naked as they were wearing an off the shoulder top. 👎🏼

Background - The person was sitting in front of their bed with a vi****or on the bedside table 🤦🏻‍♀️

Body language - Playing with your hair or rocking in your seat shows that you are nervous or scared. 🪮

Communication - Saying things like "I love to go to a bar with my friends at the weekend" makes me wonder if you will arrive on time or if you will phone in sick every Sunday morning. 🍺

Think about your words and actions.

If you need help to improve your interview technique contact me for a business package, it might get you that pay rise you are after.

When you move to a bigger company, it can be a bit daunting. Not only are there more people for you to meet, work with and remember their names, there are also all of the job titles that they use, and the abbreviations 🤦🏻‍♀️

Here are some of the job titles you might come across, if there are any I have missed that you don't know the full meaning, let me know in comments.

How many false friends do you know?

False friends are words that sound the same in your native language and in English, but they have completely different meanings.

In Hebrew, דם means blood, but in English it is a dam, this is a man made structure that holds back water.

We have many words which are the same in our languages, avocado, radio etc.

Can you think of any more false friends?

Presentations.....

Do you attend?
Do you participate?
Do you lead?

Do you hate the feeling when you really want to ask a question or give your opinion but don't feel confident enough to do so?

I have worked with many people who feel exactly like that, and over time they have conquered their fear and given great ideas or asked relevant questions which improved their self-esteem and made them feel valued by their colleagues.

Don't sit in the corner......lead from the front!

If you have an interview or a meeting it is important that you dot the i's and cross the t's.

This mean to make sure everything is correct and you are prepared.

What do you do before an interview or meeting?

Did you know that Valentine's Day is not actually a single day celebration?

Valentine's week starts on February 7th and finishes on the 14th.

Many people give roses and chocolate on February 14th but today is all about love, not flowers and chocolate.

Here are the days of this special week:

Day 1 🌹 Rose Day Feb 07, 2023
Day 2 💍 Propose Day Feb 08, 2023
Day 3 🍫 Chocolate Day Feb 09, 2023
Day 4 🧸 Teddy Day Feb 10, 2023
Day 5 🤞 Promise Day Feb 11, 2023
Day 6 🤗 Hug Day Feb 12, 2023
Day 7 💋 Kiss Day Feb 13, 2023
Day 8 ❤️ Valentine’s Day Feb 14, 2023

Now you can prepare for next year.

Do you find it difficult to speak confidently and fluently?

You’re not alone!

Let's work on:
✅ Vocabulary
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Confidence
✅ Grammar

Contact me now to secure your place this summer.

Imagine this.......

You have been given a project at work, you have just given it to your boss to look through and he asks you to beef it up a bit.

Do you know what your boss wants?

He wants you to strengthen it, give it more substance, expand in areas to give the project weight, meaning, credibility.

You can ask, is this ok, or do I need to beef it up a little more?

False friends are words that sound the same in your native language and in English, but they have completely different meanings.

In Hebrew, חם is hot, but in English it is ham, you don't want to mix these up in conversation.

We have many words which are the same in our languages, avocado, radio etc.

Can you think of any more false friends?

Have you heard this idiom at work?

If your boss tells you to pull the plug on a project, you need to stop working on it.

"There is no more funding from the investors, we have to pull the plug on it".

Interview etiquette: do you do EVERYTHING you can to keep your name in the 'YES' pile?

I have interviewed many people over the years and seen, and heard some things that should never happen during an interview.

But what about after the interview?

Do you take the time to write to the company to thank them?

They have invested their time as well as you, and this is your opportunity to remind them of who you are, that you will be great at the job and keep your name in their mind.

False friends are words that sound the same in your native language and in English, but they have completely different meanings.

In Hebrew, ים is the sea, a nice place to relax at the weekend but in English it is a type of potato.

We have many words which are the same in our languages but these are definitely not in that list.

Can you think of any more?

Have you got your marching orders?

I hope not!

If you get your marching orders, you are asked to leave 🥲

Similar words with different meanings.

These can cause difficulties when speaking depending which one you use, the verb or the adjective.

Remember, an adjective describes a noun (person, place, animal or thing).