Natalia Maszkowska
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
Scientific supervisor: PhD, Koneczniak Grzegorz
THE RECOGNISABILITY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH CERTIFICATE IN CORPORATE AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Cambridge Certificates are one of the most recognisable and appreciated. Their international aspect and high quality of guarantee a broad variety of opportunities in education as well as on job market. Although many associations, universities and government bodies recognise BEC (Business English Certificate), Polish system of education and job market seem to be quite uncertain about its holders.
Keywords: business, Cambridge, certificate, international, recognisability, credibility; higher education; job market
Business English Certificate (BEC), also known as a Cambridge English: Business, is an international exam. Its purpose is to check learners’ competence to use English in business-related situations such as presentations, meetings, negotiations, or interviews. BEC is created by Cambridge English which is said to provide wide range of English qualifications worldwide. More than 5 million people in 130 countries around the world take Cambridge English Exams every year. What is more, over twenty thousand universities, companies and other organizations recognize Cambridge Certificates with a belief that these certificates are accurate and reliable confirmation of someone’s ability to use English. There is a strong connection between all of Cambridge exams. The greatest and the most significant one is the structure – usual Cambridge examinations are available at three levels mentioned below.
BEC can be taken at three levels as well:
- B1 level – BEC Preliminary consists of three components: reading and writing, listening, speaking;
- B2 level – BEC Vantage
- C1 level – BEC Higher
Both Vantage and Higher have four sections as following: reading, listening, writing and speaking.
BEC Higher and the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) represent similar level of English language skills. However, the first is more focused on English for business environment and its target is not grammar, but language skills. A Business English Certificate holder should be able to deal with different types of texts, be able to write memos, invoices, emails, reports and proposals. Understanding various spoken materials like presentations, interviews or discussions as well as effective communication in business environment is required from a person who passed this certificate with merit or distinction. In other words, Cambridge concentrates on present needs and, beside exams assessing general knowledge of the English language, it offers examinations related to English for specific purposes such as business.
In Poland, passing Business English Certificate is possible with the support of British Council, which is an organization offering educational and cultural opportunities (for example, access to language materials, books and student books in English). BEC can be taken in about thirty major Polish cities, for example Warsaw, Gdańsk, Rzeszów, Wrocław and Poznań. The dates of each level are already settled: usually, there are seven possible dates a year for BEC Preliminary and Vantage, and five for BEC Higher. As a consequence, organisational and transportation issues should not be problematic for any potential BEC holder.
However, BEC exam is not as common as in western countries. The price and the difficulty of the exam are growing simultaneously. As for the Preliminary level of BEC, the price seems to be the most reasonable (370zł), taking into consideration an average income of Polish citizens. The difference between the above mentioned and the next in line, considering the level of difficulty, which is BEC Vantage, is broad. Vantage costs 250zł more (620zł). When it comes to the highest stage of BEC exam, it is only 70zł more expensive than Vantage.(690zł). It immediately leads to conclusion: why do Polish people still want to pass BEC Vantage? The better certificate one is holding, the more prestigious position he or she may be offered. In addition, the cost of the course which is designed in order to prepare candidates to pass such exams, stays the same, regardless to the level which one is planning to take. Consequently, paying less than one hundred zlotys more and putting more effort into preparing to pass BEC Higher instead of BEC Vantage, appears to be a way to save money and time. Future employers will not require business English skills improvement, the chances of getting better job are higher and almost 700zł for passing BEC Higher can be spend better (and another thousand for a preparation course, if necessary).
In order to succeed in Business English Certificate examination, one needs to put enough amount of effort into adequate preparation. The first way is to prepare on one’s own, however, it requires excellent organizational skills and high level of motivation. One of the most reliable sources is PASS Cambridge BEC Preliminary/Vantage/Higher, created by Cambridge which provide essential knowledge to pass BEC successfully and any of the individual learners can benefit from them. As there is no other publishing house providing course materials, sample tests from previous years are available on the official website of Cambridge. These sources are perfect alternative for group classes which are usually expensive (1200-1800zł) and time-consuming. None of the above mentioned methods is obligatory: one can choose a suitable way to gain knowledge in this particular area of study.
Another factor I would like to discuss is the recognisability of Business English Certificate on Polish job market. Even though the list of institutions that accept BEC is quite impressive, yet most of them are the institutions of higher education, for instance Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Centre for Foreign Language Teacher Training and European Education of the University in Warsaw, or Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Unfortunately, the part devoted to the corporate type of organizations is much shorter. Such companies as Dell, DHL Poland, Avon Poland, and Phillips Poland are supposed to accept BEC on different levels. According to the information found on the official Cambridge website, passing BEC exam gives opportunities to work abroad, or in one’s motherland, cooperating with international companies, or obtain a degree connected with business relations and management. A job applicant, who holds BEC, would expect above mentioned companies to offer suitable position which requires professional language skills or at least the certificate to be seen as an advantage during recruitment process.
On the other hand, my research has shown that most of the Polish companies examine applicants during job interview rather than requiring outside certificates. Sometimes, they can be asked to take a short test which is to check their knowledge and language skills. Therefore, the test and face to face conversation are more credible than the international exam recognized worldwide, created by valuable publishing house. Such a phenomenon appears to be illogical and unexplainable. Polish employers are taught to rely on their own methods of recruitment. They believe that no one can understand company’s needs better than themselves and the score obtained in Business English Certificate examination can be inaccurate when entering the business world.
When it comes to higher education, BEC is accepted among the most recognisable and successful universities and private schools in Poland. But again, in practice, it is matura exam (BA studies) or grades obtained during the first stage of studies or any other criteria which are more important. Certificates are obviously also taken into consideration, but again, they are not decisive aspects. Being a holder of BEC exam can upgrade one’s position among students with no language certificate, but if their grades and exam results are superior, unfortunately, one may be eliminated by competitors.
On the contrary, if one is looking for any legitimate evidence of their business English skills and is planning to move and work abroad, international market is more eager to offer a vacancy to a foreign BEC holder. The official Polish website devoted to Cambridge exams encourages to obtain BEC due to its international character and enumerates such companies as Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft and Kodak, which give recognition to this certificate. This “world-class recognition” may be, however, more applicable to European and American market rather than Polish job market itself.
When considering studying abroad, especially business-related courses, being a Business Certificate holder will definitely help. Firstly, a recruitment process becomes easier for a foreigner, then getting qualified is more likely, even though one did not obtain any locally substantial form of graduation. At the same time, candidates to foreign universities with BEC exam passes have all the essential and required knowledge needed to complete this level of education successfully.
Consequently, passing Business English Certificate is most profitable in such cases as planning to work or study abroad, than “boosting one’s employability” on Polish job market. Even though Polish companies recognise Cambridge exams, they are not the key factor whether a candidate should be offered a job or not. Such exams, including BEC, can improve one’s situation on Polish job market; nevertheless, expecting a prestigious position in a company just because of being BEC holder seems inapplicable. Education, previous experience and personal skills are still superior to any certificates and additional courses one can take. What is more, investing in preparation and taking Business English Certificate exam on its lower levels (Preliminary and Vantage) seems to be pointless and not efficient. The price to be paid for BEC Vantage is almost a double of BEC Preliminary’s cost and the difference between Vantage and Higher is so minor that more reasonable decision is to decide upon the highest level. Moreover, such a decision has other advantages: there will be no need to retake BEC exam (and spend the same amount of money one more time) in order to fulfil employer’s requirements.
References
- Pile L., Loyd-Jones C. and S. Curtis Pass Cambridge BEC Higher Teacher’s Book Second Edition. – Hampshire: National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Learning, 2013. – 6-17p.
- Internet sources:
www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/business-certificates/ , DOA 9.04.2016
www.cambridgeenglish.org/pl/exams/business-certificates/ , DOA 9.04.2016
www.cambridgeenglish.org/pl/images/21995-bec-business-certificates-leaflet.pdf ,
DOA 9.04.2016
www.britishcouncil.pl , DOA 9.04.2016
www.examenglish.com/BEC/ , DOA 9.04.2016