Created by Cambridge University, the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) certificate is one of the most renowned and reliable attestations of advanced knowledge of the English language. It implies that the individual who owns it is able to hold an advanced level conversation in English, interacting with his/her counterpart with the property of language, use of idiomatic expressions, and without any hesitation. The ESOL qualification is considered nowadays a top-notch certification, one of the few able to guarantee a level of knowledge comparable to the natives’ one.
In order to find a qualified job in countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, every not native English-speaking person has to prove to be in possession of proper knowledge of this language. The same expertise can be requested in almost every country, especially if the job pursued implies a strict interaction with a multitude of foreign people: hotel managers, for example, have to be flawless in this regard. Everybody is aware, in fact, that English is kind of a “lingua franca” for the entire world, with just a few negligible exceptions. This is nothing less than essential when it comes to leadership roles and/or managerial positions, especially in big companies or international institutions. Having an ESOL certification opens almost every door in this sense for the above-mentioned reasons: since it is one of the most trustworthy language certificates currently on the market, it leaves no room for doubts. The one who carries this certificate with him can hold a whole day spent speaking English, like it was the most natural and spontaneous thing to do.
In a more and more competitive labor market, being able to boast this kind of skill represents a sort of fast lane for the apical roles in the best companies. This automatically leads to better earnings. We must be extremely honest about that: for many enterprises – even the biggest and most powerful ones – investing in new human resources is getting harder and harder. Only the most qualified (we should be saying, at least in some cases, hyper-qualified) people would be considered as a worthy integration in the corporate executives’ squad or in business management. In this perspective, being in possession of an ESOL certification is a sort of Passepartout for this sort of position. Without it, or the same level degree, having a job interview with the best companies on the market could be nothing more than a real waste of time, since nobody will consider someone who reveals to have such a crucial gap.
Getting an ESOL qualification is relatively easy. Basically, all it takes is to find the nearest authorized Cambridge Center and then enroll for the next (or the most comfortable, according to every single individual’s needs and schedules) exam. In order to be sure of getting a good grade and passing the test, the wisest thing to do would be avoiding too many study sessions “in solitary”: having a partner, in this sense, helps keep the concentration high, but preparing for the exam with a tutor guarantees the most effective and rewarding result at the end of the path.
Clearly, an ESOL certificate is not, by itself, a panacea, the solution to all the problems. As usual, in the job market, nothing can replace qualities such as resourcefulness, the spirit of initiative, and a problem-solving attitude. Nonetheless, having been able to pass an ESOL exam – which is anything but a mere formality – proves already that a candidate to an apical position knows what responsibilities mean and is aware that hard work and sacrifices are the perfect recipes to achieve the most fulfilling job satisfaction.
