An introduction to Liliya, our educational guardian who speaks fluent Russian
“I love helping our international students settle in happily to life at a British school,” says Liliya, warmly. “I am fluent in Russian, so I can give extra reassurance and support to parents and students who speak a Russian-based language.”
Liliya is one of our educational guardians, providing valuable support to international students who come to England for their British education. In this blog we will look at the difference that our native speakers can bring to their role as educational guardians with Oxford Guardians.
Education guardians help students settle in
Liliya understands the excitement of international students coming to schools in England, and the practical challenges that they face. Born in Russia, she has long experience of working with students, having taught English in Russian schools, then Russian in English schools.
“When I came to the UK in 2012, I was glad to have my husband to help me open bank accounts, register with a medical practice, and even find the right shops! It’s great to be able to help my guardianship students do the same, and to use my Russian language skills to help iron out any difficulties.”
If students find it hard to be away from home, or need advice to help them settle comfortably into an unfamiliar environment, Liliya has the personal experience to help them through. She understands how it feels to move to somewhere with a different culture and language. Helping students to feel comfortable allows them to make the most of their time in England.
Experienced Russian speaking educational guardian
Now based in the beautiful university city of Cambridge, Liliya joined Oxford Guardians after a friend told her how much she enjoyed working as an educational guardian with us. Five years on, she still enjoys the regular contact with students.
Educational guardians like Liliya meet students very soon after they arrive, usually on their first day, or induction day, at their school. She also meets with the student’s personal tutor, building up a good relationship with the school. This year, she is helping students from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan who speak better Russian than English, as well as other international students.
Liliya meets with her educational guardianship students about once a month, depending on the level of their support package with Oxford Guardians. These meetings are a great chance to catch up with successes or challenges, either in education or in their wellbeing. Liliya often takes her students out to tea or coffee in Cambridge, or shows them the colleges and other sights. If the student wants to talk in Russian, Liliya is always happy to oblige!
Fluent Russian helps parents as well as students
An educational guardian fluent in their own language is a great support for international families who may have limited understanding of English.
“Parents feel they can communicate directly with me, if needed,” says Liliya. “I can help parents and the school to communicate better if there is any language difficulty, which means that any questions or concerns can be sorted out quickly.”
Currently, all of Liliya’s educational guardianship students are at MPW College Cambridge, an independent boarding school offering GCSE and A levels. The school regularly organises Parents Meetings for educational guardians and parents, sharing useful information.
Liliya also writes an end of term Report for Oxford Guardians on each student every term, detailing their academic and social progress. This Report is shared with parents, and Liliya is available to answer any questions or help address any issues that may arise.
Supporting communications for everyone
Liliya’s fluency in Russian is helpful in ensuring smooth communications at any point in our international students’ journeys. Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings between a host family and their student guest, or Oxford Guardians may need to contact parents who don’t speak English to make them aware of an issue.
In such cases, even if Liliya is not the appointed Educational Guardian, she is always ready to help interpret and explain. Russian-speaking parents find it reassuring to have this access to a fluent Russian speaker at Oxford Guardians, because it helps them stay well-informed.
Happy students at Oxford Guardians
Liliya is full of praise for the team at Oxford Guardians, who she says are excellent and efficient, always giving support and advice. But her greatest reward is in helping international students to settle happily into their UK education.
“Working with students is like a hobby to me, I find it stimulating and rewarding – especially when my fluent Russian helps parents and students to feel confident in this exciting educational adventure!”
A range of native speakers at Oxford Guardians
Oxford Guardians has education guardians who are native speakers of Mandarin and Farsi too, all helping to provide cultural and language support to our international students studying in the UK.
If you’d like to hear more about our education guardian services for international students studying in the UK, please contact the friendly team here at Oxford Guardians on +44 1604 859 331 or email [email protected].
