My experiences of the telc exam
I have just taken my telc exam at Liden & Denz, and thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to explain to fellow students what I got out of the classes and why it actually ended up being a far more rewarding experience than I originally expected.
It turns out that telc (The European Language Certificates) themselves are actually a German not-for-profit organisation that has been around for over 40 years. There are more than 3000 telc licensed partners over Europe, with Liden & Denz being the only licensed partner in Russia. I jumped at the chance to do it because I wanted something tangible to show for my efforts during my time in St. Petersburg, and I also wanted an internationally-recognised certificate that I could send to future employees so that they could see the progress I had made during my 18 weeks at Liden & Denz.
The preparation for the exam consisted of five hours of practice classes, going through each section of the exam (Reading, Listening, Oral and Writing) to help me avoid any potential problems I might come up against. The classes themselves were far less formal than I thought they would be, so it was a great chance to ask any question I wanted and the classes were done at the speed that I requested. I asked to spend more time on the Writing and Listening components of the exam, and Olga was very happy to focus on that and was always willing to offer me advice on how best to prepare for the exam. There were times when the classes ended up being more like a chat, and it was actually a unique opportunity to put the work I had done in class into practice, with the added bonus of getting a certificate out of it. In the class of my group course there are only six people, but to have some one-on-one time with a teacher and to go at my own pace made a huge difference, not only to my preparation for the exam, but to the following week in my group class where I felt that all the little unanswered questions that I had been too scared to ask were now dealt with.
I am normally a complete nightmare for my friends on the day of an exam, worrying that I am going to forget everything I have ever learnt, even my name. I have never actually felt so relaxed going into an exam in my life. I was so well prepared for every aspect that I was actually looking forward to speaking a bit more Russian, and the examiners genuinely wanted me to speak well.
So in short, I would definitely recommend consolidating all your hard work at Liden & Denz with a telc exam. To leave Russia with an actual certificate showing the progress that you have made during your time at Liden & Denz is not only satisfying but will also be very helpful when it comes to impressing future employers, such is the international recognition of telc itself. I will keep you posted on my results!
