Certificados Oficiales de Inglés necesarios para trabajar en Inglaterra

Types of language certificates needed to get a job in England.

• Cambridge – KET, PET, First Certificate, Advanced, Proficiency, IELTS
• TOEFL
• TOEIC
• Trinity (for students)

Many companies in the UK recognise official language qualifications. Prospective employers appreciate that when a student attains a certificate in English it means they are serious about wanting to communicate efficiently in the language – an essential skill if you wish to successfully obtain employment in Britain or the USA.

So which certificate should you go for? Your choice will depend on your current level of English. Most recognised qualifications will be measured against the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR), a system which ranks users of English from Basic User (A1 and A2) through Independent User (B1 and B2) to Proficient User (C1 and C2).

At the University of Cambridge, the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) exams are related to a candidate’s current ability. The first-level course is the Key English Test (KET), which is ranked at Level A2 of the CEFR. Covering the four main skills in language – reading, writing, speaking and listening – passing the exam shows that a student can cope with everyday written and spoken communications at a basic level. It focuses on practical language skills to use when travelling, studying or working.

Next up is the Preliminary English Test (PET), ranked at Level B1 on the CEFR. It is an intermediate level exam. For this exam you will be expected to be able to deal with typical written and spoken communication, and is aimed at people who are looking for clerical, secretarial or managerial posts.

After the PET comes the First Certificate Exam (FCE), possibly the most popular and well-known exam on offer. Rated at Level B2 on the CEFR, it is an upper-intermediate course that provides proof that a person can use written and spoken English both for studying and at work.

Now we come to the higher level exams. First up is the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) exam, which stands at Level C1 on the CEFR. Having this certificate shows  a candidate is capable of following a university course, communicating effectively at managerial and professional level and expressing themselves both fluently and appropriately. It covers all major varieties of English, including British, American and Australian.

The CAE is accepted by over 3000 organisations, including companies such as Bosch and Credit Suisse and universities such as University College London. The CAE will help with university and student visa applications.

Finally there is the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), at Level C2. This is the highest qualification that Cambridge offers, and indicates an extremely high skill in the English language. This will be very attractive to employers looking to recruit new staff.

Cambridge English Language Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge, is also one of the joint owners of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), along with the British Council and IDP:IELTS Australia. Over 20 years old, the system is recognised by over 8000 organisations worldwide. There are two tests: the Academic Test and the General Test. The former is intended for those who want to study at university in an English-speaking country; the latter is for those who wish to migrate to an Anglophone country permanently.

Candidates who take the exam are graded on each part of the test (Listening, reading, Writing and Speaking) on a scale of 1-9, with Band 9 being an Expert User and Band 1 being a Non-user. Bands 8, 8.5 and 9 are the equivalent of Level C1 on the CEFR.

Away from Cambridge, there is TOEFL – Test Of English as a Foreign Language – which is run by a company called Educational Testing Service, or ETS. It was established in 1962 in the United States by a national council, made up of representatives of thirty government and private organizations, to ensure English language proficiency amongst non-native speakers who wished to study at American universities.

Scores from the TOEFL Internet-based test can be compared to IELTS scores by the following chart

        TOEFL Score                      IELTS Band

               0–31                                       0–4

            32–34                                        4.5

            35–45                                            5

            46–59*                                      5.5

            60–78*                                         6

            79–93*                                     6.5

          94–101*                                        7

        102–109*                                   7.5

        110–114                                         8

        115–117                                      8.5

       118–120                                         9

Meanwhile, TOEFL scores of 57 – 86 and 87 – 109 indicate levels B1 and B2 on the CEFR respectively.

A. Porter