Student Who Was Teacher in Tunisia Returns to the Classroom After Completing College Courses
A Coleg Llandrillo student who was a secondary school teacher in Tunisia before deciding to relocate with her children to the UK to join her husband, is back on the educational ladder after getting a job as a teaching assistant.
Olfa Ep Garraoui, who now lives in Rhos-on-Sea, moved to Wales on a permanent basis in 2013 and could not speak any English at all. In 2017, she enrolled on a series of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at two Coleg Llandrillo community locations in Colwyn Bay (Town Hall and Greenfield Road), as well as the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus, in order to gain a command of the English language. She even took her one-year-old boy into class, feeding him as she took notes!
After progressing on to the teaching assistant courses - completing Levels 1, 2 and 3 - she has now secured a job as a teaching assistant at Ysgol Glanwyddan in Penrhyn Bay. Even though she contracted Covid-19 the same month she was due to finish her Level 3 qualification last summer, she still completed!
Olfa, who has two young boys, eventually decided to join her husband - who had been working in the UK for 20 years - permanently eight years ago. Even though she now has an excellent command of the English language, it is her third language: her first being Arabic, and second, French.
After completing her Level 1 and Level 2 teaching assistant qualifications, she secured work placements at Ysgol Craig-y-Don, Deganwy (before Covid-19). The head teacher at her new school in Penrhyn Bay remembered Olfa, as she used to be deputy head at Ysgol Craig-y-Don.
Olfa’s tutor Susie Noden commented: “I was her first teacher in the ESOL department. Firstly, in a community class setting, before managing to persuade her to attend classes in the college. She thrived, and then went on to take the teaching assistant courses at Levels 1, 2 and finally 3 with Andrew Ogle. She is an inspirational student with drive , commitment and passion, and we all wish her well in the next chapter of her life.”
Olfa’s wanted to address her quote to her tutors Andrew and Susie: “Thank you for listening, for your guidance and your inspiration. Thank you for your encouragement and for being there. But most importantly, thank you for being a part of my journey.”
Asked what is next on her learning journey, Olfa said: “I now want to learn how to speak Welsh.”
For more information on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) or teaching assistant courses at Coleg Llandrillo, please contact the college’s Learner Services team on 01492 542 338.
Web: www.gllm.ac.uk
Email: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk
Olfa Ep Garraoui, who now lives in Rhos-on-Sea, moved to Wales on a permanent basis in 2013 and could not speak any English at all. In 2017, she enrolled on a series of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at two Coleg Llandrillo community locations in Colwyn Bay (Town Hall and Greenfield Road), as well as the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus, in order to gain a command of the English language. She even took her one-year-old boy into class, feeding him as she took notes!
After progressing on to the teaching assistant courses - completing Levels 1, 2 and 3 - she has now secured a job as a teaching assistant at Ysgol Glanwyddan in Penrhyn Bay. Even though she contracted Covid-19 the same month she was due to finish her Level 3 qualification last summer, she still completed!
Olfa, who has two young boys, eventually decided to join her husband - who had been working in the UK for 20 years - permanently eight years ago. Even though she now has an excellent command of the English language, it is her third language: her first being Arabic, and second, French.
After completing her Level 1 and Level 2 teaching assistant qualifications, she secured work placements at Ysgol Craig-y-Don, Deganwy (before Covid-19). The head teacher at her new school in Penrhyn Bay remembered Olfa, as she used to be deputy head at Ysgol Craig-y-Don.
Olfa’s tutor Susie Noden commented: “I was her first teacher in the ESOL department. Firstly, in a community class setting, before managing to persuade her to attend classes in the college. She thrived, and then went on to take the teaching assistant courses at Levels 1, 2 and finally 3 with Andrew Ogle. She is an inspirational student with drive , commitment and passion, and we all wish her well in the next chapter of her life.”
Olfa’s wanted to address her quote to her tutors Andrew and Susie: “Thank you for listening, for your guidance and your inspiration. Thank you for your encouragement and for being there. But most importantly, thank you for being a part of my journey.”
Asked what is next on her learning journey, Olfa said: “I now want to learn how to speak Welsh.”
For more information on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) or teaching assistant courses at Coleg Llandrillo, please contact the college’s Learner Services team on 01492 542 338.
Web: www.gllm.ac.uk
Email: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk
Penderfynodd Olfa Ep Garraoui, sy'n byw yn Llandrillo-yn-Rhos erbyn hyn, symud i Gymru'n barhaol yn 2013, er na allai siarad gair o Saesneg.
Yn 2017, aeth ati i gofrestru ar gyfres o gyrsiau ESOL (Saesneg i Siaradwyr Ieithoedd Eraill) mewn dau o leoliadau Coleg Llandrillo ym Mae Colwyn (Neuadd y Dref a Ffordd Greenfield) yn ogystal â champws y Coleg yn Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, er mwyn cael cyflwyniad i'r iaith Saesneg. Daeth ei bachgen bach blwydd oed gyda hi i un o'r dosbarthiadau yn y gymuned, ac roedd hi'n ei fwydo wrth gymryd nodiadau!
Aeth yn ei blaen i astudio cwrs Cynorthwyydd Addysgu - gan gwblhau Lefelau 1, 2 a 3 - ac erbyn hyn mae hi wedi cael swydd fel cynorthwyydd addysgu yn Ysgol Glanwyddan ym Mae Penrhyn. Llwyddodd i gwblhau ei chymhwyster Lefel 3 ym mis Mehefin, er iddi ddal Covid-19 yn yr un mis!
Penderfynodd Olfa, sy'n fam i ddau fachgen ifanc, ymuno â'i gŵr - a oedd wedi bod yn gweithio ym Mhrydain am 20 mlynedd - yn barhaol wyth mlynedd yn ôl. Er bod ganddi afael dda iawn ar yr iaith Saesneg erbyn hyn, dyma ei thrydedd iaith : Arabeg yw ei hiaith gyntaf a Ffrangeg yn ail iaith.
Dywedodd Susie Noden, tiwtor Olfa: “Fi oedd ei hathrawes gyntaf wedi iddi gofrestru ar ei chwrs ESOL cyntaf. Cychwynnodd ei thaith yn y gymuned, cyn i mi ei pherswadio i fynychu'r dosbarthiadau yn y coleg, ac yno parhaodd i ffynnu. Yna aeth ymlaen i astudio'r cyrsiau Cynorthwyydd Addysgu gydag Andrew Ogle. Mae hi'n fyfyrwraig arbennig iawn sy'n llawn brwdfrydedd ac angerdd. Rydym yn dymuno'n dda iddi gyda'r bennod nesaf yn ei bywyd."
Roedd Olfa eisiau cyflwyno ei dyfyniad i'w thiwtoriaid Andrew a Susie: "Diolch i chi am wrando ac am eich arweiniad a'ch ysbrydoliaeth. Diolch am eich anogaeth ac am fod yno i mi. Ond yn fwy na dim, diolch am fod yn rhan o fy nhaith".
Gan edrych ymlaen at y cam nesaf yn ei thaith ddysgu, dywedodd Olfa: "Dw i eisiau dysgu siarad Cymraeg rŵan".
I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am gyrsiau ESOL neu gyrsiau Cynorthwyydd Addysgu yng Ngholeg Llandrillo, cysylltwch â thîm y Gwasanaethau i Ddysgwyr ar 01492 542 338.
Gwefan: www.gllm.ac.uk
E-bost: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk
