Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Pharmacies

Web pharmacies are a strong presence on the web. Most buyers purchase their medication on the web despite the accessibility of nearby pharmacies. Controversy has also surrounded the employment of web pharmaceuticals. There have been objections of these institutions, with some people even calling for their ban.

Celebrating Refugee Week 19-25 June

With courage let us all combine is the theme for Refugee Week.  The theme is taken from our Australian national anthem.

It takes courage to be a refugee.
It takes courage to leave what is familiar and begin a new life.
It takes courage to speak out against injustices.

Refugee Week is an annual event to raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions they make to Australian society.  

Did you know Australia was home to 35,582 refugees in 2015! 

Navitas is proudly a major sponsor of Refugee Week.  For more information on what's on and to join an event in your area visit Refugee Week website.

We have a lot of interesting English language activities on Refugee Week this week.  Please visit the Events tab on our blog.

Neesa starts her own business

Neesa, DL student

My name is Neesa and I come from Thailand.  I met my husband in Thailand and we started a relationship after he visited me many times there.  I came to Australia in 2010 and we got married in 2013.

I was very excited but also nervous at the same time because everything was new and I wasn't familiar with the language or the culture.  It took me a long time to understand the Australian accent so my husband always helped me with that and I now can understand English better than before and have become more confident and independent.

I improved English by studying English at Southbank TAFE for a year in 2011.  After school I went to work every day.  I enjoyed my studies and made lots of new friends and I also talked to many people at work.  Learning English is a never ending story for me.  I am now studying English by distance with the DL program at Navitas.

Before I came to Australia I worked as a massage therapist in Thailand for a year.  This helped me improve my English because I had a lot of English speaking customers that I had to talk to.

In Australia, I worked in a Thai Day Spa in Brisbane for 3 years before starting my own business.  As a result I gained enough experience and confidence to be able to work on my own.  I now work from my home doing Thai massage.  I am planning to grow my business in the future, recruit some staff and have my own shop.

My advice to my migrant friends is to relax and enjoy Australia and the new lifestyle.  They shouldn't worry if at first their English is not great as many new arrivals are in the same boat.

Congratulations to Neesa on improving her English and starting her own business.  We wish her all the best for the future.

• Do you find it hard to understand the Australian accent?  
• How long do you think it takes to gain confidence in English?
• What do you think about Neesa's advice to new migrants?
• If you were to start your own business, what kind of business and what steps would you need to take?

Sandra leads a balanced life

Sandra and her handiwork

My name is Sandra and I'm from Manizales, Colombia.  I have been in Australia for 2 years.  I live in Toowoomba in Queensland with my partner. He is Australian and I met him in Colombia in August 2012. We have a baby. He is 16 months old and his name is Ethan.

I'm very happy living in Australia.  I study English at TAFE and also by distance learning with my teacher Erika once a week. I have learned a lot and enjoy my DL lessons.   Distance Learning is convenient and flexible; it allows me to study from home and look after my baby as well.

In my free time I sew, knit and make useful things out of recycled cardboard boxes. I have made many things for my son. I love craft. I learnt how to knit from my grandmother who used to make amazing things.

When I lived in Colombia I didn�t have time to do these things. Now I can be a full time mother, study English and make the things I love.

• What would you like to do in your free time?
• Do you have any handy skills that you learned from other people, a family member or a friend?
• As we increasingly use technology, what is the value of handiwork for adults and children?

Why not share your thoughts below?

DL welcomes an AMEP volunteer in their offices

Ksenia, volunteer with DL

Ksenia comes from Russia.  After one month of arriving in Australia in April 2015 she started her AMEP English lessons with Navitas in Hurstville.  Gaining more confidence with her English, Ksenia enrolled in a SLPET (Settlement Language Pathway for Education and Training) course in Business Administration.

It was good luck that brought Ksenia to complete her work experience component of the course in Distance Learning as we always need extra help with administrative jobs.  After completing her 2 week work placement, Ksenia took initiative and asked if she could continue to work with us a on voluntary basis. Because we could see that Ksenia was very professional we were delighted to have her continue work with us.

We asked Ksenia about her 2 week work experience.  She said: "It was very useful because I had never worked in Australia before and I wanted to see what it would be like, how different it would be from working in Russia and how I can contribute.  Being in a new place with a new set of circumstances can be scary.  I didn't know what people do or the culture of the workplace in Australia.  I feel more confident now."

We also asked Ksenia why she offered to volunteer after her 2 week work experience was finished.  She said "I enjoy working as part of a team and being productive.  I find it hard to be home all the time.  Plus it helps me stay in touch with technology and work practices.  It is important not to lose my skills specially as I am looking for a job. I feel ready to work in Australia."

The management team in Distance Learning are so impressed by Ksenia's attitude to work and her administrative and computer skills.  The manager offered to be her referee and would highly recommend her for any job she applies for.  Although it would be sad to lose Ksenia, we wish her all the best for finding paid employment.

Do you have a good volunteering story to share!  Why not add your comments below!

Are you ready for the next job interview!

Anthony, DL Teacher

Anthony is one of our DL teachers who have been trained to help students seeking employment and wanting to practise for the next job interview.

Before the first lesson Anthony usually sends the student a Job Interview Package which includes sample interview questions and tips on how to create a positive impression. If students have a resume and a covering letter they will typically send them before the lesson to Anthony so he can give them feedback and suggest sections that can be adapted.  If students don�t have a resume or a covering letter, however, Anthony can send them samples and ask them to prepare these documents for his review.

So Anthony, what do you do in these lessons!
In Lesson 1 I usually discuss:

- Student work goals and what type of jobs they're looking for
- Topics in the Job Interview Package � tips and sample questions
- How to answer specific job interview questions
- Feedback or tips on writing a good resume and a covering letter
- Responding to criteria listed in an advertisement
- Information about employment websites

For homework I ask students to find a job ad that interests them from seek.com.au and email me the link before the second lesson.

In Lesson 2, I role play the job interview with the student, give feedback, then role play it again more carefully. Students usually perform better as a result of the practice.

What advice would you give students seeking employment?

Students are often concerned that they don�t get jobs because of their English.  This may not be true.  Although having good English is important, it may have to do more with the experience they�ve had and the skills they can offer the job.  I focus on special techniques for answering questions such as how to emphasise that their abilities would benefit the company.

Can these lessons help students with their CSWE learning outcomes?

Certainly, Level 3 students can achieve Learning Outcome D2 "Participate in an interview" plus we have employment modules for both Level 2 and 3 students.

• What concerns you the most about job interviews?
• What is the hardest question you can get asked?

If you need help, why not ask your regular DL teacher for 2 additional Job Interview Practice lessons with one of our experienced teachers!

Haroon prefers to learn by distance

Haroon and family

I come from Pakistan. I completed my Master's degree in Finance in 2000 in Pakistan and worked in different positions in accounting. I got married in 2008 and I now have two girls. When I arrived here, I did not have any communication skills because English is my second language. So I decided to enroll in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) to improve my English and get Certificate III in Spoken and Written English.

I have been studying with DL for ten months. Now, I feel more confident when I speak English and I'm improving everyday.  I found that studying by distance is more convenient and flexible.  If I have an emergency I can reschedule my lesson so I don't miss any lessons.  In addition, it saves me time and money because I don't have to travel to classes.

My teacher Nada concentrates on my needs and weaknesses and teaches me the Australian culture. She tries to improve my employability skills and provides me with good tips for finding an appropriate job.  She also sends me a lot of video links after the lesson which help reinforce what I have learned and learn new things as well. There are a lot of e-books on the AMEP DL website which are very helpful.

I am very pleased with my DL experience as I think it is one of the best ways to help me improve my English language faster and it suits my circumstances. 

• How can you get the most out of your DL lessons?
• What are Employability Skills?  Check this link to see which ones you have and which ones you need.