Military English

Introduction / Aims of the course

In these turbulent times, there is increased demand for effective military communications in English, particularly between members of international forces involved in peacekeeping operations in the world’s trouble spots, but also between peacekeepers and local community leaders.

The precise and timely transmission of information and its accurate recording are of paramount importance when lives are at stake.

The ETC course in Military English is designed to prepare military and security personnel, civil servants and diplomats to take up roles where they will need to use English on a daily basis.

Course Content

The trainee will take part in a needs analysis process and then receive training in areas that will enable him or her to function effectively in a variety of target situations.

The training is delivered within a framework derived from the NATO STANAG 6001 language proficiency guidelines, and certain elements are in the form of specific purpose training based directly on an assessment of each trainee’s specialist needs.  (Please see the appendix for details of the NATO STANAG 6001 language proficiency guidelines).

Course content can also be established through negotiation with the trainee’s sponsor(s).Proposed areas for classroom development include the following:

Fighting Forces 
Uniform and Equipment. 
Reconnaissance Patrol. 
The Infantry Platoon. 
Return to Headquarters. 
At the Information Post. 
Battle Camp. 
Weapon Handling. 
Fit to Fight. 
The Tank. 
Survival in the Field. 
Room Inspections. 
Briefings. 
Prisoners of War. 
An Army Career. 
Platoon in Defence. 
Fire and Manoevre. 
Appreciation. 
Section in the Attack. 
Debriefing. 
Advance to Contact. 

Peacekeeping English Project Work  

Comparing Main Battle Tanks.
Vehicle Search at UN Vehicle Checkpoint. 
British Army Infantry Weapons. 
War Casualties. 
Crowd Control Measures. 
Limited Visibility Measures. 
Cooking in the Field. 
Weapons Handling – Normal Safety Precautions. 
Military Search Procedures (Searching a Vehicle). 
Military Patrolling (Night Patrol). 
Introduction to Terrorism.

Materials for further extension have been prepared to cover the following areas:  

British / Overseas Army Organisation. 
Badges of Rank in the British Army / Overseas Forces. 
The Rifleman. 
The Infantry Platoon. 
Armour. 
Army Aviation. 
Artillery. 
Engineers. 
Signals. 
Intelligence. 
Combat Support Services.

There will be development of the trainee’s:

Basic functional language for everyday military and security situations.

Study skills and strategies (use of materials, dictionaries, integrated skills work, discourse analysis, ways of recording vocabulary and using supplementary resources, such as libraries).

Practical reading skills – for reading notices, signs, instruction manuals, etc.

Practical writing skills – for writing clear messages, military briefs and reports plus other texts of various kinds.

Practical listening skills – for listening to direct orders, transmitted information, instructions and casual conversations.

Practical speaking skills – for giving orders, making presentations, delivering briefings, speaking about oneself(background, home country and role, etc), eliciting information from others, telephoning, negotiating, etc.

Course Structure

Standard Military English course

The standard Military English course will incorporate:
20 lessons (=15 hours) per week of Military English.

Enhanced Military English course

Participants may wish to take10 additional optional lessons per week (= 7.5 hours) of Combined Communication practice (particularly focussing on speaking and listening). These additional lessons are taken in combination with students of General English at an appropriate level currently studying at the centre.
Structure: Military English (20 lessons per week) course plus 10 additional Combined Communication lessons.

General English + Individual (1:1) Military English lessons

Participants may wish to take a General English course together with 1:1 lessons of specialised Military English tuition in order to build their overall language competence yet still focus on essential military language.
Structure: 20 lessons (= 15 hours) per week of General English + 5 lessons (= 3.75 hours) per week of Military English.

Trainers:
• Elizabeth Williams (formerly teaching for the British Council and based at the British Embassy, Tokyo, Japan) – International Affairs, Communication and Management Studies, Leadership, Military English usage, ELT.
• Ian Thomas (ex-Royal Hong Kong Police) – Skill at Arms, Security English, ELT.
• Additional lectures to be arranged with ex-military personnel.

Entry Requirements

Minimum entry level = intermediate.A pre-test can be arranged.Please contact ETC for details.Where students do not have the minimum entry level for this course, we recommend that they take a course of General English (English Language Studies) to raise their level to that required to make the most of their course of Military English.

Minimum class size: 4 clients.

Maximum class size: 8 clients.

Standard course duration: As agreed with the client.

Course start dates: by arrangement.

Our teachers

All of the teachers at ETC are experienced in their field, and have been selected for the high standard of their classroom management skills and knowledge of teaching / training techniques.  We only employ teachers who have a proven record of success.  Clients will find the teachers friendly but efficient, and capable of responding to each participant’s particular learning requirements.  Throughout the course, the teacher will be a supportive, understanding guide to the learning process who will monitor each participant’s progress and create opportunities for practice in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.

Effective teaching

Built into every client’s course of Military English are the following:

Placement test.  (This can be taken as a Pre-test at a centre approved by ETC, ahead of the client’s departure for the to enable us to indicate their likely level and learning requirements).

Needs analysis.
Skills development. 
Task-based activities. 
Systems work. 
Learner skills development. 
Progress tests. 
Tutorials. 
Homework. 
Academic counselling. 
Supportive error correction and constructive feedback. 
Occasional lectures from serving and ex-military personnel.

Excursions to places of military interest, including the Royal Signals Museum , Blandford, the Imperial War Museum, London and the Tank Museum , Bovington.

ETC International College is an English Language School offering a variety of language and further education courses.