The Business School casual “English Conversation classes” are a great place to meet other students and gain confidence in spoken English. In these classes, a fellow student will host the discussion, making sure that conversation is easy for everyone and covers a diverse range of topics such as current affairs, friendships, Australian culture, and university life in general.
Conversation classes FAQ
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This is a program is designed to help students build their confidence in English conversation skills. We aim to help students cultivate friendships with other Business school students and develop practical conversation skills for use within university and outside of it.
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The main goal is for students to chat, build confidence in English speaking, have fun and make friends!
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This isn’t like your regular classes at university, in fact, it isn’t so much a “class” as a place to come together and practice English with other non-native speakers. We talk about what interests us, play games, and always have a good time! A mentor will be there to make sure the conversation flows smoothly, and everyone is comfortable – so you can relax, enjoy, and make new friends from around the world!
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Classes are available at different times during the week, and these fluctuate each term. Classes run from week 1 to week 6 (to allow everyone that crucial study time in later weeks!)
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Classes are available at multiple locations around campus, the schedule will be released to you via email, once you have signed up to the mailing list.
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This program is sponsored and run by the Business School, though students from other faculties are also welcome to attend upon application.
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Please take care when entering your details on the sign up form, new sign-ups will be included in the outreach each Monday for classes that week.
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You may attend as many classes as you like during the term, but it is important to RSVP (respond to the invitation each week), and to let me know if you can’t make it.
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The maximum amount of students in a class is 10, this is so everyone has a chance to contribute.
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How much you participate is up to you, sometimes you might want to work on your listening skills, while other times you might have a story to tell! However, being present means actively listening, asking questions, and putting the technology away for the hour.
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You will receive 1 BCom point for participating in the program as an attendee. However, it is important to review what we mean by participation (above).
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That’s great! All of our classes are run by volunteer mentors and we welcome new mentors each term. To mentor, you should have some proficiency in English and be keen to make a difference to our lively campus community through the art of conversation!
Class schedule:
Classes are available online and face-to-face, take only 1 hr and require no prep. Our class schedule is available through the mailing list. To participate please sign up to the mailing list below, or email Chelsea at c.vandeventer@unsw.edu.au with any questions.
Past student feedback
English conversation is a good experience for me. I have mastered a lot of new words and local slang in a relaxed conversation, which allows me to better understand the local culture and form English thinking.
Weihang
The conversation class provided us a relaxed and friendly talking atmosphere. I learnt a lot about culture and interesting attractions from different countries’ classmates. I highly recommend future students choose this conversation class.
Chang Qu
This program has helped me a lot to build my confidence in speaking English. Through the weekly conversation classes, I learnt many different cultures from new friends and Australian slangs I have never heard before. Therefore, I really encourage students to join this class as they will not only improve their English skills but also expand their networks by meeting new buddies throughout the class.
Richa Ryanto
Conversation class mentors
Are you interested in becoming a Business School Conversation Class Mentor?
The Business School Conversation Classes bring together students from various backgrounds to encourage networking and friendship, while fostering continuing conversation and communication development. We are always looking for mentors to deliver our conversation class program.
Conversation class mentors are part of the Advantage program and participation in this leadership opportunity is recognised on the Australian Education Graduation Statement.
Find out more about volunteering to become a Conversation Class Mentor.