São Paulo – The online English language school English This Way is located in England, but is owned by a Brazilian and it has students from over 30 countries, including Arabs. Arab students account for 25% of the total, according to Renata Wilmot, the owner and director of the school, who spoke with ANBA by phone.
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English This Way opened its first course in November of last year and already had Arab students from Sudan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan, plus many other parts of the world. Currently, Brazilians are the largest group of students enrolled in the school. Most of them live in Brazil and are planning to travel to England.
The school offers classes in many formats. The most sough-after by the Arabs is the classes via WhatsApp. These are group classes, with lessons and answers being sent via the app, plus live videoconferences between teachers and students.
English This Way offers also single-student classes, with access to content via the app and videoconferences, among many other option. Since all the content is in English, the classes can be offered to any nationality.
Born in São Paulo, Renata founded English This Way after a long journey with the English language. With a precocious ability, she began to study English at six years old and at 15 she was invited to teach in the same school she studied. Art 18 years old, she went to the United States as an exchange student and, upon her return, took over the coordination job in the same school. She also was promoted to director of the school and created an immersion program to children.
Renata went to live in England for the first time to enroll in the Delta course, a qualification program for English teachers. After two years of studies, she was hired for the coordination job of an English course in a local college, but had to return to Brazil due to health problems in her family. Two years later, in 2008, she returned to England for good.
She went back to England to teach English to soccer players of Chelsea Footbal Club and their families, including the then head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, the “Big Phil”. But soon she took new paths in her career in England.
Her resume as an entrepreneur in England includes four years as a professor in the renowned English school Bell, a teacher post in the English teacher-training course Celta, the coordination of courses for students of English as their second language in universities, a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and the development of online course to universities, among other activities. Renata majored in Language at Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).
Renata says that even gave courses for teachers at King Saudi University, in Saudi Arabia, when she worked for Bell. According to the teacher, the main challenge for her Arab students is the pronunciation and writing – The Arabic uses a different alphabet. They also are not very used to interact during the classes, said the Brazilian.
Her work with online courses to universities was one of her last activities before she founded her own company. Renata Wilmot was working in the area for a company that had partnerships with universities, but the department was shut down. But, very pleased with her work, she wanted to continue to work in something similar. While running the school, Renata holds on to other jobs. She is part of the examining board at Trinity College London and teaches academic English in two universities in England.
With her newly-opened company, she now set as her target to offer on-site courses. To develop the content of the classes of English This Way, Renata has two employees. She also employs five teachers. The Brazilian, who is a British citizen, aims to increase the quality of English online courses. “There is a lack of qualified professionals for online classes,” she says.
Quick info:
English course English This Way
Website: www.englishthisway.com
WhatsApp course: http://languagebuddyplus.englishthisway.com/
Instagram: @englishthisway – @englishthiswaybusiness – @englishthiswayexams – @faleinglesassim
Phone: +44 7428 483633
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
