Refugee Resettlement Office

   
Once securing employment, limited English abilities may hinder a refugee's job performance. Therefore, at the request of local employers, the Refugee Resettlement Office teaches job specific English. Classes are held daily at our office and cover a range of levels. Additionally, we have established relationships with various employers across King county and have provided numerous companies with on-site English classes. 
     
Our office offers free ESL classes for clients who have been in the country for less than five years or are referred to us by DSHS. We also offer specialized classes for newly arrived refugees. These classes provide a small, informal setting where students can learn basic vocabulary and ABCs while becoming acclimated to new culture. 

We offer two regular classes that meet Monday through Thursday. 
These classes cover levels 1 through 4 and focus on four major ESL needs:
         
          1. Listening
          2. Speaking
          3. Reading
          4. Writing

 Some topics covered in our classes are:
     
       -Simple conversation
       -Times an Dates
       -Filling out Forms
       -Vocabulary Building
       -Expressing needs and wants
       -Asking for clarification
       -Reading Comprehension
       -Listening Comprehension
       -Pronounciation

Our students come from around the world, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Bhutan, Iraq, and Burma. Our contract mandates us to serve adult refugees or asylees with five or fewer years of U.S. residency. Our language program continues to grow, serving approximately 100 students. Because of our high student to staff ratio, we rely on our skilled and motivated volunteers to provide more intensive support for our students. Our Community Partnership Program at the University of Washington’s Bothell Campus provides many of our volunteers. Others are recruited from the community. Volunteers “float” around the classroom helping students with assignments, improving reading or spelling, or building conversational and speaking skills.

All volunteers must have English proficiency and patience. If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer with our ESL program, please do not hesitate to contact us at volunteer@rroseattle.org!