English in Porto

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English for Professionals

Home > English > Courses > Porto > Professional English

New business modules for adults starting from 05 January 2012.

General Business English
In company English
Workplace English Workshops

If you need Business English, come in and take a placement test and talk to us about the different options available.  See the placement testing timetable below.  If you need In Company English, One-to-One English classes or Workplace English workshops, email augusta.barros@pt.britishcouncil.org for more information.  If you are interested in Workplace English workshops with CESAE, please email lecadapalmeira@mail.cesae.pt for details.

BUSINESS ENGLISH

Each level of our Business English courses at the British Council Porto are 30 hour modules with specific language aims.  For example, Business Intermediate 2 is a 30 hour module.  You can take up to 3 modules a year studying 3 hours a week.  Business English is available at our Rua do Breiner branch on Wednesdays 1900 - 2200.

Business English: developing all 4 skills in business contexts.

Council of
Europe level   British Council
Modules Cambridge
Exam
B1 Business Intermediate 1- 6 BEC Preliminary
B2 Business Upper Intermediate 1-6 BEC Vantage
C1 Business Advanced 1-6 BEC Higher
C2 Business Proficiency 1-6 CPE

Our Business English courses are aimed at people working in a business context, those who hope to work in business in the future and those who wish to gain a Business English qualification, for example a BEC certificate.

Our Business English courses will help you to use English in a realistic working context, as well as improve your accuracy in grammar and pronunciation and develop your skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Porto Placement testing times
Phone T 222 073 060, email porto.enquiries@pt.britishcouncil.org or come in person to British Council Rua de Breiner to take a placement test any Thursday (1430 - 1900) or Saturday (1400 - 1600)**

Extra placement testing times for adult summer courses:

Branch Days Dates Times
Breiner Friday 22 June 1000 - 1200; 1500 - 1600
Foz do Douro Saturday** 23 June 0900 - 1200; 1400 - 1500

**Placement testing on Saturday 23 June will be in our Foz do Douro branch

Download 2011/12 Academic Calendar (pdf, 560k):
See Academic Calendar for holidays and non-teaching days.

Business English syllabus

The courses are designed to reflect the fast-changing world of business using authoritative and authentic business sources, as well as newly updated course books. Each course is designed to  meet the participants’ needs and interests and can cover a selection from the following areas:

• using the telephone
• writing letters, reports, faxes and memos
• describing job responsibilities and company organisation
• socialising, travel and conferences
• leadership styles
• risk management
• business issues, management and personnel meetings
• presenting and describing products and services
• human relations
• describing trends, company performance and results
• negotiating and selling
• marketing and advertising
• accounting and finance
• case studies with opinions from successful consultants in the business world
• listening texts reflecting the global nature of business
• vocabulary development

The topic areas are similar for each level but a greater range of linguistic knowledge and degree of skill are developed as you progress through the levels.  

Course Fees

Course Hrs per
module Price:
EUR Registration fee
(EUR 50.00)
Business English 30 360.00 Yes
General English 30 360.00 Yes
Exam Preparation: FCE, CAE and CPE 30 360.00 No
Exam Preparation:  IELTS 24 320.00 No
Speak with Confidence 20 245.00 No

For more information on our General English courses and Speak with Confidence courses, see our English for Adults pages.

For more information on our Exam Preparation courses and IELTS courses, see our Exam Preparation Courses pages.

Payment can be made by cheque made out to 'British Council', by Multibanco or in cash.  For more details on our payment structures, ask customer service.

Contact us

For more information, please contact:

British Council
Porto
Rua do Breiner, 155
4050-126 Porto
T 222 073 060
porto.enquiries@pt.britishcouncil.org

British Council Foz do Douro
Oporto British School
Rua da Cerca, 326 • 4150-201 Porto
T 226 109 633
porto.enquiries@pt.britishcouncil.org

In company English / One-to-one English classes

To arrange an in-company English course for your company or a one-to-one course contact Augusta Corrêa de Barros for more details; the course schedule can be organised to suit you and we will organise placement testing and needs analysis at the British Council or at your company.

Workplace English Workshops

• Presentation Skills
• Reports that work
• Better Emails and Letters
• Workplace English Workshops with CESAI

To register interest in a particular workshop please email Augusta Barros or phone customer services. You will need a minimum language level of B1 Intermediate. The British Council Porto is accredited by DGERT.

Presentation Skills

This highly practical workshop provides you with a full understanding of how to prepare, organise and deliver presentations. It demonstrates techniques for creating interest and impact that reflect the positive style and personality of the speaker.

Content

• Structure your presentation effectively.
• Practice using body language and gesture to support your presentation and control your nerves with breathing and visualisation techniques.
• Use your voice effectively and explore the impact that efficient use of your words can make on an audience.
• Discover the importance of effective visuals and some of the key mistakes presenters make when preparing visual aids.
• Deliver presentations and receive constructive feedback on your performance.

Benefits
After this two-day workshop you will be able to:

• have a greater understanding of the structure of a presentation
• understand your audience and prepare appropriately
• have an enhanced understanding of the effectiveness of visuals and body language

Learning Objectives
You can expect to:

• organise your presentation and plan audience interaction
• use visuals, voice and body language to support your objective
• present information and ideas with clarity and impact

Better Emails and Letters

In this course, you will learn how to balance your own and your readers’ needs, organise your thoughts clearly, and express yourself in a modern business style.

Content

• Investigate correspondence layouts and standards.
• Learn to focus on the reader:  what is the message and what is the best way to convey it?
• Practise writing in plain English, with tact and diplomacy – and with clarity of expression.
• Learn how to plan and organise your writing.  Find out how to avoid business jargon.
• Evaluate sample emails & letters, perform writing tasks and receive valuable feedback on your own written work from the trainer.

Benefits
After this two day workshop you will:

• Feel more confident in your ability to write emails and letters which are effective and look professional
• Be able to develop better working relationships through writing
• Know your own strengths and weaknesses and have some specific strategies for how to improve

Learning Objectives
You can expect to:

• Discover how to adapt your emails and letters to different audiences and situations
• Learn how to plan and organise your writing to fit your purpose
• Find out how to write and edit your work to make it clear, concise and easy to understand

Reports that work

In this workshop you will look at the structure and organisation of report types, and study how to use coherent English to get to the point, avoiding jargon and common grammatical errors.

Content

• Familiarize yourself with the various types of report and their structure.
• Discover how to organise your report effectively and what should or should not be included.
• Find out how to write effectively using plain English and with maximum impact.
• Receive important advice on editing your own work.

Benefits
After this two-day workshop you will be able to:

• Have a greater understanding of the main report formats
• Be better at planning and organising reports
• Be able to write more structured reports

Learning Objectives
You can expect to:

• Write more structured reports
• Improve your ability to plan and organise reports
• Learn the main report formats

Workplace English Workshops in partnership with CESAE

One and two day workshops focussing on English skills of the workplace can be organised at the following address in partnership with CESAE:

CESAE
Leça da Palmeira
Av. Dr. António Macedo
Edíficio AEP
T: 229 981 753
lecadapalmeira@mail.cesae.pt
www.cesae.pt

For more information  please contact CESAE directly

Student Support pack

Support Pack for current British Council students:
Adult, Professional, Speak with Confidence and Exam preparation courses
Download the Porto 2012 Learner Support Pack (pdf, 478kb)
Talk to your teacher about how you will use this in class

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