Agata Binczycka is originally from Poland. She has worked in the UK in a senior role in a supermarket chain for six years and is currently improving her English for 12 weeks at English UK member St Giles school of English in Holborn, London.
What brought you to the UK?
I worked for a supermarket chain in Poland and came to the UK to work in head office six years ago. Two years ago I decided to step up my development and started an executive MBA at Hult International Business School, which I have nearly finished.
Why did you want to improve your English?
I left my supermarket job two months ago to start a consultancy company and because of that I have decided to develop my English and devote time to learning it properly.
When I first came to the UK it was a little bit of a shock to understand different accents. I worked in a corporation and used corporate jargon so to understand proper English was a challenge. Studying and living here I should get fluency.
It was a bit of a private ambition and it's not just about my consultancy. I would like to become a coach for executives so I have to have good English and it needs to be fluent and feel comfortable about my level. That will give me a lot of self-confidence.
What made you choose St Giles?
It had a good reputation. It's a very good school with people from all over the world which makes it really dynamic. Nearly all the lessons are from life examples like newspaper stories and the programmer is very flexible. It makes it very special.
What do you think about London at the moment?
It's a good place to be, with people of every nationality. It makes this place fantastic and there's the business dimension which makes me feel connected to other cities. I spent some time in San Francisco but I feel very comfortable here as part of the community. We have to take the consequences of the referendum decision and have to respect it but I am very pragmatic about the situation and it should be a good place to be a student in the developing culture for different people coming here.
What do you think of the weather in the UK?
I like it. When people complain I don't understand it. It's mild here. In Poland it can go from -30 to 30 degrees so I like this mild climate.
Did anything surprise you about the UK?
The scale of the cities. You travel around England and it is this beautiful agricultural landscape and then these really dense cities. Also the London parks, like Hyde Park. You can sit there. It is not like this in other cities - in Poland you are not allowed on the grass.
Would you recommend studying here to others?
I brought my niece here. I think it's a fantastic experience for all young people. It's a massive opportunity for students being in a school here in the UK. There learning culture is different and its's great being part of this community. I've got friends from different countries on my Facebook. St Giles gives you this fantastic social network so now I've got friends in Brazil and Italy.
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