or new Canadians like Nasrin Ahmed, taking English as a Second LanguageEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) courses is about much more than learning a new language. It’s also about understanding the culture and being prepared for — and feeling confident about — finding a job. “I have been actively looking for a job and I find ESL is very effective to get me involved in the conversation during (my) job search,” Ahmed says. “This course is giving us the opportunity to interact with one another and understand Canadian English, society and culture.” Each year, Ontario welcomes 140,000 immigrants, reports Sharon Rajabi, president of Teachers of ESL (TESL) Ontario. About 100,000 of those take ESL lessons through the association. “Because more people are aware of TESL Ontario, more people are taking lessons,” Rajabi says. “For adults, it directly ties to their settlement. Language is culture. Now matter how educated you are, you need to understand the culture to feel settled.”
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