Research carried out by the Glasgow ESOL Forum identified a substantial need for voluntary tutoring within the Glasgow area. There is an enormous demand for help with English language in many capacities.

Volunteers are vital in helping warmly welcome and integrate refugees and asylum seekers into their new society. They can also help their students proceed into further education and/or work or voluntary work depending on their circumstances. In addition, they can help students, who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend regular classes.

ESOL tutoring is immensely rewarding – all tutors take great pleasure in seeing their students progress and seeing how much this means to the students themselves.

If you would like to become a volunteer ESOL tutor, the Volunteer Tutor Project provides training and support for Volunteer Tutors in the form of initial training, suitable for both volunteer tutors with and without a Teaching ESOL qualification, help in finding suitable placements, regular social and training workshops, a resource library, online resources, regular newsletters and a designated Volunteer Tutor Co-ordinator. You can either contact the Project Co-ordinator by phone or email, or download information and application forms here to complete and send to the Project Co-ordinator:

If you are an organisation which provides assistance to asylum seekers and refugees such as ESOL classes, a drop-in and advice venue or any other community and volunteer based activity for asylum seekers and refugees, we are able to refer Volunteer ESOL Tutors. They can support English language classes as well as informal English practice sessions, or assist asylum seekers and refugees who cannot attend regular classes, or who need additional support, with one-to-one tuition.

We are also welcoming volunteers to help with occasional translations into the main community languages or languages widely spoken among the Glaswegian refugee population. Please contact the Volunteer Tutor Project Co-ordinator if you would like to help in this capacity.