Sam Davies’ Post

A few weeks ago, I was invited to be on BBC Radio Kent to talk about the Medway Language Café. Although I was super proud for having done it, I felt like I'd done a pretty horrendous job in all honestly, with lots of awkward pauses, sounding clearly nervous on the phone and not being as articulate as I could have been at all. So much so that I COULDN'T face listening to the interview back or sharing it on social media (even thought I said I would). Finally, with the distance of a couple of weeks, I decided to just have a quick listen to see if it was how I remember it...and it turns out not at all! On listening back to it I actually think I did really well and managed to capture the essence of the café well too. And it just reminded me that this is exactly how it feels when you're trying to #speakenglish as a second language too. You probably feel like you pause and hesitate for too long between being asked questions, that you don't sound 'natural' and that you don't quite say what you want to say. But the truth it you'll probably find that you do a MUCH BETTER job than you think you do!! So always always keep going and stepping out of that comfort zone. And if you fancy listening to the interview, I'll post in the comments!

I am offering 5 spaces on an exclusive 3-month programme of TEA AND TALK. Tea and Talk is a flexible one-to-one English programme for adults looking to feel more comfortable and confident in the UK. 🔥Gain confidence speaking We’ll start speaking from lesson one, so you get used to using English and retaining the words and grammar we cover. 🔥Practise English you’ll actually use By building our course around your priorities, you can immediately apply what you learn to make your everyday life easier and more enjoyable. 🔥Study on your schedule Can’t make class a certain week? No problem. Packages of 10 lessons over 3 months give you space to miss a few weeks or reschedule at your convenience. What’s included? ⭐10 private 1-hour weekly classes where you have my undivided attention, where we can focus specifically on your most urgent problems that need solving to meet your goals ⭐Extra flexible tasks to complete independently so you can work on your English in a way that works for you and your schedule (so you can make noticeable progress even more quickly) ⭐A flexible lesson schedule to give you space to miss a few weeks or reschedule at your convenience so you never feel overwhelmed ⭐Exclusive access to an online community group where you can meet other learners and practise your skills outside of class What topics can we cover? ...honestly it’s up to you! It could be: ⭐Conversation: Suggest topics you’d like to discuss, and I’ll provide useful feedback and corrections to help you improve your speaking skills. ⭐Grammar: From foundational grammar to colloquial language—we can build your knowledge of key English structures you can use to express yourself more clearly in different situations. ⭐Writing skills: Whether you want to learn to write emails, fill in forms correctly or use writing to aid your learning, we can focus our sessions on expressing yourself on paper. ...or anything else! All this is covered with 3x£117 instalments. Click the link in my bio to find out more! And remember...you only have until Friday 15th December to book

Isn't it funny how the less you do something, the harder it becomes sometimes?! That's what has happened to me in the last 6 month...! I totally got out of the habit of posting...and before I knew it...it got harder and harder and harder. But something has sparked in me today, and I'm ready to take action again. I'd told myself, why not today? Just start!! And I feel like this is so true for so many different aspects of our lives. For example, what if you've moved to the UK but don't yet feel ready to apply for your first job? How will you know when you ARE ready? The truth is, the only way to find out is to try. So I'm here posting, and I'd love for you to take action too. What have you been avoiding? What don't you feel ready to do? Let's go for it!! What can you do today to take action? And if something is still stopping you from taking the action you want, comment below. Maybe I can help :) #applyingforajob #ukjobs #cvwriting

I'll be speaking to Maria from Ideas Test about a brand new organisation called Medway Change Makers that aims to match volunteers with different volunteering opportunities. We'll be speaking about how it works, why volunteering is such a good idea for learners of English particularly and how you can get involved!

I'm really looking forward to speaking to Maria Dorey from Ideas Test about an exciting new programme starting up in my local area! I truly think that volunteering can be a game changer opportunity for learners of English, so listen in to find out more about how you can use volunteering to boost your skills in general when you move to the UK, and also about the exciting new initiative starting up in Medway #volunteering #englishasasecondlanguage #relocating

If you resonate with this post, firstly, please just know that I see you. I experienced these frustrations myself when I lived in France and I see it time and time again with my clients. It can feel so frustrating not seeing the progress you want in your #englishlanguage skills, even when you live in the UK, especially if you’ve lived here for a while. So, how can we finally start to make a difference? 1. Recognise that something needs to change. Whatever your current learning/practice/routine looks like, if you’re not seeing progress, we need to change it. 2. Find ways to be accountable. Set yourself small personal goals to achieve and slowly push yourself. You could do this alone, or you could find a teacher/coach/community to help. 3. Find a middle ground to practise your English. Go outside of your comfort zone step by step, finding ways to do this that feel achievable for you. Find places to speak to locals and other residents in a friendly, relaxed way. Do you have a local language café you can join? 4. Be intentional in finding ways to speak and immerse yourself in English everyday. Your free English course that only runs twice a week is not enough. Volunteering, finding a new hobby, joining local community groups are all great ways to do that. 5. Ask for support. It's so difficult to do it on your own and it's OK to find help. It is my passion and my business's purpose to provide that support! Did you find this interesting? Message me and we can continue the conversation. Let's break that cycle! #learnenglishonline #relocating #englishforlife

Last Sunday was the first summer event of the year for the The Medway Language Café (this is the local, in person community that I started last year). Honestly, I was so stressed out. Would everyone meet us OK? Would the walk be too long? Would everyone enjoy themselves? Would the weather play ball? Thank goodness, it turned out wonderfully. Seeing the group chat, connect and share ideas and beliefs was honestly magical. It might feel like a simple thing to organise a little event like this, but for me it is so much more. It is part of my mission, as a business owner and as a human. To help when... - you live in a place that doesn't yet feel like home. - you still don't feel completely comfortable speaking the language of the others around you, - or when you haven't yet met 'your tribe'. I'm so proud that the Medway Language Café can act as a place for people to ease those feelings. And when I see it play out right before my eyes, I feel so grateful, so joyful. It is days like Sunday that remind me why I started this group in the first place. And the Midway Language Café is just the slightly more practical, online big sister to the Medway Language Café. At the Midway Language Café, I offer one-to-one courses, plus online group and digital courses to help you with real-life speaking in the UK, as well as writing your CV and interviewing in the UK. Plus all my clients join the Midway Language Café online #community chat, where we can continue to build the beautiful online version of the in-person group you see here. If you'd like to find out more, just message #englishasasecondlanguage

I had a wonderful chat with Ruth Pringle a few weeks ago, talking all about my style of #teaching and what my #onlineenglish business offers. This is all ahead of Ruth launching a fantastic teacher search service where learners of English can find the perfect teacher suited to their needs (which I'm very excited to be included in). Here is a summary of our chat, and you can also find the full interview there too. Thanks again Ruth for the opportunity! https://lnkd.in/e_a9nUhr

It's important to remind ourselves why we do what we do sometimes. Here's my reminder today that I thought I'd share with you.. 3 reasons why I love teaching #english 1. I love meeting and speaking to new people. Making new friendships and learning more about people, cultures and beliefs drives me. And luckily for me, learning and teaching a language gives us the perfect place to do all that. If you enjoy meeting new people too, say hi! 2. I like looking at patterns and logic in language - and there are lots in English. I wouldn't say I'm very scientific, but I've always loved seeing patterns in language and understanding the origins of words and how they've evolved over time. One of my absolute favourite modules at university was the Study of Old English (this was the form of English spoken from around 450 CE) and seeing how words have changed over time. This means I'm good at showing you how to use lists and categories to make language make sense for you. 3. Teaching plays to one of my greatest strengths: empathy and sensitivity. I've always been a good listener. In fact, my name "Samantha" means listener in the Aramaic language. So I'm great at listening to my clients and helping them solve their problems (linguistic or otherwise) Do we have anything in common? Tell me in the comments below 👇

I'm chatting to Solène about her experiences of relocating to the UK and Ireland. We'll talk about her struggles, her surprises and find out how she navigated this huge transition. If you have any questions for Solène, just comment below.