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A Nigerian woman training to be a counsellor is now one step closer to her ambition of working in the UK – with the help of a LanguageCert SELT certificate.

Azeezat Oyindamola (38), recently passed the B1 4-skills exam needed to apply for a UK work visa once she completes her Masters degree and qualifies as a certified counsellor in December this year.

With a family member already living in the UK, she is aiming to find work as a caregiver in counselling, continuing the work she started in her home country.

Azeezat said: “For Nigerian people, without English you can’t go anywhere; the means of communication is English – for education, growth, development and progress, English is it.”

During her time at university, she undertook minor courses in English alongside her major studies and gained a certain level of confidence in the language.

When planning to take the LanguageCert SELT B1 exam – which covers listening, reading, writing and speaking – she viewed online videos and other learning materials to prepare and practice ahead of the test.

And the exam itself proved to be a positive experience for Azeezat: “I had a fun time with the interlocutor and loved the flow of the exam. Of course, I was nervous about taking the exam, but it was very well organised.”

“With all my preparation and passing the exam I am now used to listening to and talking to English speakers.

“Without doing this, it would be difficult to understand and respond to people but now it feels more natural; I know how to listen well and understand people clearly in real-life situations.”

And what is her advice to other students planning to take the LanguageCert SELT exam?

“Make sure you’re well-prepared – listen to people speaking English, read something in the language daily to broaden your scope and really pay attention to your listening skills for that aspect of the exam.”