I work with a lot of people in Business. People that want to be able to communicate effectively in English at work. But what exactly is a suitable level of English for work? Well, that does depend on what you’re doing, but here are some thoughts about English competency at work.
Luna works in a business in Italy. The company she works for is based in 5 countries in Europe with its head office in Italy. To ensure that communication works well between the different offices, the company has decided that it will use English as its main language for verbal and written communication.
However, Luna feels she is always playing catch-up on what was said in meetings, calling colleagues to find out what was discussed. It’s super frustrating for her and for those that need her to understand and be able act upon decisions made.
Luna is like a lot of people working in international businesses today. She just doesn’t have enough Language skills to be as effective as she wants to be. Tasks take longer, productivity lags behind what it should be and then there are all the extra phone calls and conversations just to find out what she should be doing.
Being able to work in English does not happen overnight. International businesses need ongoing training to ensure effectiveness and productivity.
I’m working with Luna to help her achieve her goals with regard to English. She wants to be able to operate effectively, being able to communicate and understand what others are saying. So, what level of English does she need?To be able to speak effectively at work and understand what others are saying, you need to have been using English for some time, 3 or 4 years. Why do I say that? Well, Business English is different to general English with a whole host of idioms and phrasal verbs to master. But also, it takes time to be able to speak another language. In my previous post “How Long does it Take to Learn English” you’ll see that it can take up to 200 hours to move from one level to the next. Based on that, I think you need to have done between 600 and 800 hours of guided learning (with a teacher) to get the necessary skills you need to work effectively in English. 600 – 800 hours with 3 hours a week learning is roughly 4 years of English learning and usage.
I often find that businesses are unhappy with the level of commitment that is needed to ensure that staff have suitable English. It’s a lot of time and it’s a lot of money. It’s an argument I know well, and I often reply with highlighting the cost of unproductiveness and mistakes. Investing in staff is far more beneficial than hoping that will be ok.
So, what level will 600 – 800 hours of English provide?
B2 – Upper Intermediate!
And there it is! This is the level I consider sufficient for you to operate effectively in English at work. From all of the people that I have worked with, I have found that getting to a B2 level (upper intermediate) is essential for being able to communicate well. That does not mean there is no more to learn, for sure there is, more vocabulary, better listening skills etc. But B2 is my minimum recommendation for those working in business.
