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Home English Teaching
What we do
Home English Teaching provides one-to-one English teaching to asylum seekers, usually in their homes. We have about seventy tutors who visit asylum seekers for an hour each week to help them learn English. Our tutors and co-ordinators are all volunteers.Asylum seekers are not eligible for the free English language teaching funded by the federal government. Some asylum seekers attend English classes held at the centre. Others need a home tutor because of difficulty getting transport to classes or because they are working difficult hours or are at home caring for young children.
The learners are generally appreciative and keen to learn. Most have either bridging or temporary protection visas.
The tutors work one-to-one with their learners (or with a couple from the same family). Most tutors go to the learner’s home; a few use a library. Tutors plan teaching sessions to suit the needs and interests of the particular learner. They develop friendships with their learners, learn something about their culture and help them learn about Australian customs.
Tutoring is available at all levels, from beginners to advanced. Our learners include some school children and some people studying at TAFE or university.
Would you like to learn with a tutor?
If you have a TPV or a bridging visa and you would like a teacher to come to your house to help you learn English, please contact us.
We can provide brief information about Home English Teaching in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Farsi, French, Greek, Indonesian, Sinhala, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
How you can help
Volunteering as a Tutor
We need volunteers who are able to travel (for example to drive for 20-30 minutes in order to visit a learner).Places where we often need tutors include Dandenong, Broadmeadows and other outer northern and western suburbs. Please contact us to enquire about our current needs for tutors.
A commitment of at least six months is essential. For more information about volunteering with the ASRC, please see our Volunteering pages
Training for Tutors
All our tutors have training in teaching English as a second language.A free course is available for new tutors. It is held several times a year, one session a week, over six weeks. It covers techniques of teaching, and understanding the situation facing adults who need to learn English.