WELCOME TO ELC BRISTOL
A family-run school, offering intensive General English and examination preparation courses for students from all over the world.
Bristol is a lively university city and the cultural centre of the West of England.
I really hope you like this website - it was designed by our students! Hopefully, it will answer all your questions.
John Duncan (Principal)
WORK
Work opportunities in Bristol
 students working.jpg)
The regulations:
Only students from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein may work. Students from other countries are not allowed to work.
Bristol is a prosperous city with relatively low unemployment, especially in the Clifton area, so it is comparatively easy for you to find a part-time job, provided you are legally allowed to work, you have at least an intermediate level of English, a smile on your face and you don’t mind what you do!
If you want to work, you need to get a National Insurance Number as soon as possible. Although you are allowed to work without a national insurance number for up to 6 months, if you do not have a national insurance number, you will be taxed at the emergency rate (higher rate). To apply for a national insurance number, you must telephone the department of Work and Pensions 0845 6000643. They will ask you a few questions: name, address in Bristol, postcode etc, then they will give you a reference number and arrange an interview with you in the City Centre at Eagle House, Saint Stephens Street, Bristol BS1 1EN. At the interview, you will have to show your passport and also confirmation of your postal address in Bristol. They will then send you a national insurance number in the post. The process normally takes up to six weeks.
The ELC web site shows you how to write a simple CV and the language you may need when applying for a job. We also keep a register of places where our students have worked in the past.
There are 3 different types of work:
1. CASUAL PAID WORK
Wages range from £6.08 per hour - the minimum wage for people over 21.
(£4.98 per hour - the minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds).
It is relatively easy to find work either in a bar, restaurant or shop.
You should look at the school notice board and also at the small advertisements in the windows of the local ‘corner shops’. You can also go to the local Job Centre on Queen’s Road, to one of the many Employment Agencies or you could look in the local newspaper -The Evening Post. Every Wednesday it advertises hundreds of jobs in Bristol.
Preparing your C.V.
If you are looking for a casual part-time job, we suggest that you prepare a C.V. to give to possible employers. The C.V. should contain the following minimum information.
Example:
Name: Jose Duncan
Date of Birth: 15/08/86
Nationality: Italian
Address in Bristol: c/o Mrs Smith, 52 Green Street, Bristol BS8 3DT
Mobile: 07979 665746 Email: jose@hotmail.com
National Insurance Number: .......................
Level of English: Upper intermediate
Currently I am studying at the English Language Centre, 44 Pembroke Road, Bristol BS8 3DT Telephone (0117) 9707050. My hours of study are from 9.15 am to 3.30 pm.
Availability: Throughout the weekend, Mon-Thurs from 4pm and Friday from 1.30pm.
Education: I have a law degree from Lyon University
Work Experience: After graduating, I worked for 6 months in a bar in Paris. I have also done 3 months voluntary work in a hospital in Madrid
Hobbies and Interests: All sports, jazz music
Referees:
John Duncan, Principal, English Language Centre. Tel: 0117 9707050
Useful expressions when looking for casual, part-time jobs
- Excuse me, I wonder if you could help me.
- Could I speak to the manager/person in charge?
- I’m looking for a part-time job.
- I was wondering if you had any part-time work available.
- Have you got any vacancies for part-time work?
- I am very flexible and I can work in the evenings (and at weekends)
- I could start immediately.
- Would you like to see my C.V.?
- Do you have an application form you would like me to fill in?
- My references and my national insurance number are in my C.V.
- What’s the hourly rate?
- When would I get paid?
- How would I be paid? By cheque or in cash?
Questions you might be asked
- How long can you stay?
- Have you ever done this sort of work before?
- What experience have you got?
- What are you doing in Bristol?
- Where are you staying?
Advice
- There are two types of casual part-time work, paid employment and voluntary jobs. Which do you want to do? The school keeps records of both.
- Start by looking at the school records and see where students have worked in the past.
- Look in all the local shops, cafés, pubs, clubs and hotels. Often there are little ads in the windows saying ‘part-time staff wanted’.
- Look in the windows of corner and newspaper shops. You will find little advertisements posted there.
- Go to the local job centres.
- Look in the local paper, the Evening Post, on Wednesdays. Make sure the job is local. It wouldn’t be convenient to travel to the other side of Bristol.
- If you are only going to be in Bristol for a short time, I wouldn’t necessarily tell them.
- Don’t expect too much – casual jobs can be quite boring!!
- Dress smartly and wear clean clothes.
- Smile, be positive and maybe pretend your English is better than it is!!
Examples of places our students have worked in the past:
| Las Iguanas (restaurant) 113 Whiteladies Road Tel: 0117 973 0730 |
Riverstation (restaurant) The Grove Tel: 0117 914 4434 |
Café Gusto Clifton Down Shopping Centre Tel: 0117 974 7277 |
| Pret a Manger (cafe) 29-30 Queen’s Road Tel:0207932 5293 |
The Hophouse (pub) |
Avon Gorge Hotel Sion Hill, Clifton Tel: 0117 9738955 |
| Eat (cafe) 32 Alma Vale Road, Clifton Tel: 0117 907 7459 |
Subway (cafe) 15-19 Queen’s Road Tel: 0117 925 6164 |
Clifton Hotel Saint Paul's Road, Clifton Tel: 0117 9736882 |
| The Bristol Hotel Prince Street Tel: 0117 923 0333 |
Channings Hotel 20 Pembroke Road, Clifton Tel: 0117 973 3970 |
Sainsbury’s Clifton Down Tel: 0117 973 2069 |
Good Luck!
2. VOLUNTARY UNPAID WORK
Over the years our students have worked in the following areas - in charity shops (Oxfam), in flower shops (Clifton Flowers), as care workers in nursing homes (St Peter’s Hospice and Cancer Research UK) in the hospital canteen (Bristol Royal Infirmary) and as conservation volunteers for the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.
Voluntary Opportunities
BTCV – British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
This is a practical conservation volunteering charity providing opportunities for volunteers and communities to improve their local environment through a wide range of projects. It is a great way to get exercise, meet people and gain practical skills.
Meeting Point: The Shore Bar.
Time: 9.30am every Saturday
Remember to wear suitable clothing!
To find out about the latest projects, visit this web site:
Website: www2.btcv.org.uk/display/avon conservation groups
or contact Claire Dinsdale (Avon Project Officer)
Email: c.dinsdale@btcv.org.uk
Tel: 0117 929 1624
CHARITY SHOPS
There are many charity shops in Bristol who are very happy to take volunteers including:
| |
Oxfam 11 Regent Street Tel: 0117 9239684 |
CLIC – Cancer & Leukemia in Childhood 38 Cotham Hill Tel: 0117 9141217 |
St Peter’s Hospice 154 Whiteladies Road Tel: 0117 9745038 |
For more information on current voluntary opportunities in Bristol, the following is a very good website – www.bristolvolunteers.org.uk
3. PROFESSIONAL WORK PLACEMENTS
After finishing their course at ELC Bristol some students go to work in companies specifically related to their own professions. Work is generally unpaid but it can be excellent experience. Placements are not arranged by the school but by a professional work placement company. The fee for finding such a job varies but is generally from around £450.
The following companies offer work placements:
|
LAF 101-91 Western Road |
Twin Group 2nd Floor, 67-71 Lewisham High Street Lewisham London SE13 5JX |
|
| Tel: 01273 746932 Fax: 01273 204580 Email: info@laf.uk.com Website: www.laf.uk.com |
Tel: 020 8297 1132 Fax: 020 8297 0984 Email: info@twinuk.com Website: www.twinuk.com |
