‍Hello everyone,

This week we interviewed Alina Hapanova, a member of the Room Service Team at the award-winning airport hotel Sofitel London Heathrow. The hotel is a part of the wider Arora Group - which is ‍involved in hotel operations, hotel management, property construction, and property portfolio asset management.

Alina and her family are among the millions of Ukrainian Refugees who were displaced following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Alina was a teacher back in Ukraine and recently completed the ESOL Speaking and Listening Award to help with her career aspirations of one day teaching again in the UK and to help her and her family better integrate into living in the UK. ‍‍

We hope you enjoy the interview...

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Hello Alina, could you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

My name is Alina Hapanova and I work as part of the Room Service team in the Sofitel London Heathrow. I started off in housekeeping but have recently moved roles. I prefer my new role as I now work in a team with members from a range of different countries and am able to practice my English. In housekeeping all members of staff were from my country, Ukraine, so that was the only language I spoke all day.

Please tell us why you have enrolled on this course?

I wanted to improve my English to improve my career prospects and also to mix with other people in this country. I asked my employer if they were aware of any courses I could attend and they enrolled me and some of my colleagues on to the Dagile ESOL course.  

How have you found the course and the teaching?

I enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it. To be honest, sometimes I found it difficult to study online as I have small children who always want my full attention – I sometimes had to turn off my camera! However, I did learn a lot and Veronika Williams was a very good teacher.

Why do you think it is important to improve your English skills?

I was a teacher in Ukraine, and I would like to do the same in this country and so I need to improve my English skills. Also, it helps me make friends with English speaking people and also to ask for help and directions as I travel around London.

Has your improved English skills made a difference for you at work?

Yes, for sure. I can now confidently work in a team that uses English as the main language. Also, I am able to attend courses which the hotel offers such as health and safety, allergies etc which are all provided in English – without understanding English I would not have been able to learn.  

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How do you think studying on the course will improve your career prospects? ‍

I want to become a teacher eventually and as my English skills improve, my chances will also improve.

Thank you so much for your time Alina. We wish you all the best for your future career and it was lovely to hear how these new found English speaking skills are helping you learn more at work and connect more widely with your colleagues and communities.

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