OET stories

Occupational English Test ....... Nurses

* Jalandhar, India
* Studied at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
* Studied at UCOL, India
* Bachelor of Nursing
* Worked as a renal specialist nurse
* Studied at ETC Learning Centre
* Gained 7.5 in IELTS

Life in New Zealand

Madhu arrived in New Zealand in October. With an overall IELTS score of seven, but she still needed to lift her reading and writing scores to a seven. It's now January and although she now has an IELTS score of 7.5, her writing is letting her down. She recommends that a nursing student coming to New Zealand must "be confident enough to live her own life here, to take care of herself and be prepared to work as well as study. You need to balance your life between work and study…be determined to achieve your goals over here rather than roaming around here and there. Be careful that your work doesn't interfere with your studies. I'm working now and I still haven't got my IELTS." Madhu works full-time in a rest home for the elderly as a nurse aid and then has to make time for study.
Madhu has never lost sight of her goal and has remained disciplined with her study. She listens to the TV news every day, watches TV, got involved with foreign students while at ETC and the HUB (student accommodation), joined the library and a gym and aerobic classes "to help me to understand the accent", and she reads a lot. Madhu says, "It's important to speak to Kiwis because you have to understand the accent."
Study at ETC Learning Centre
When Madhu first arrived, she joined ETC and studied there for six months before finding work. ETC helped build Madhu's confidence and prepare her for the IELTS exam. At ETC, "the teachers helped me a lot. I was feeling shy…I wasn't good enough to speak English…Marie (teacher) helped me a lot…she gave me a lot of strength. She gave me individual care as well, interviews in class to improve my speaking and she spent extra time with me after class." John (Director of ETC) "helped us in financial areas, with our visas and writing a CV. The teachers were so friendly, they helped us a lot and they gave us hints on everything…how to improve English skills and to read more and more books."

Most difficult time in New Zealand

The most difficult thing for Madhu was understanding the Kiwi accent, adjusting to the food, and coping with the everyday things like using the buses. She recalled getting off the bus far too early because she was worried she would miss her stop, "I was so scared."

The best thing about New Zealand

The best things about coming to New Zealand have been being an independent woman, "taking my own decisions," and also new experiences like going to the gym every day.