I just finished my studies in economy and are looking for a job. Someone told me to achieve an English certificate for better job opportunities. Which certificate would you suggest? And how long does it take to pass the exam?

The certificates that are the most respected and widely recognised are the Cambridge certificates. Cambridge offers Academic (general English) certificates, and Business English certificates (BECS).

A BECS qualification is of particular interest to individual professionals wishing to demonstrate that they can use English confidently in international business environments.

There are 3 different levels of BEC:

1. BEC Preliminary (B1)
2. BEC Vantage (B2)
3. BEC Higher (C1)

• They each have 4 sections: Reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• The tests are available monthly, and take 2 – 3 hours.
• The length of time needed to prepare for an exam, of course varies depending on the individual’s motivation, and the gap in the student’s current knowledge and the knowledge needed to pass the test.
• The best option is to book a free trial lesson with a teacher, and they will assess your current level, and advise on how many lessons they feel is necessary to give the student the knowledge needed to pass the exam.
• A common scenario would be a student with a deemed B2 level of English (strong intermediate). They would benefit greatly from a 10-lesson block of private lessons, or a BECS group course, with 2-3 hours of homework per week (to achieve BECS Vantage).

You can find more details here and test which level you are at https://www.examenglish.com/

I hope that information helps, and if you need more details or to book a free trial lesson to assess your level, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.