English for work
Most graduates who worry about their English are already understandable. What actually costs them offers is narrower: hesitation under pressure, sentences that run too long to follow, and not knowing the specific phrasing their industry uses. This is built around those three problems rather than around a syllabus.
It covers 15 grammar topics with worked examples and the mistakes that recur, 744 vocabulary items across idioms, phrasal verbs, collocations and confusing words, and five workplace writing formats — the professional email, the follow-up after applying, the LinkedIn note, the meeting summary and the interview thank-you.
Why the vocabulary is tested, not just listed
Reading a definition builds recognition. Interviews demand production — the word has to arrive while somebody is waiting. Every vocabulary set here has a test mode that hides the term and asks you to pick it from four plausible options, which is the difference between having seen a word and being able to use it.
Ask the tutor
There is a question box at the top of the tool. Ask something like "when do I use the" or "what does break the ice mean" and it answers from the offline pack, or in full detail if you have added your own AI key. It never dead-ends on a question it cannot answer.
Open English for Work — free →Common questions
Is this English course really free?
Yes. All 15 grammar topics, 744 vocabulary items and the workplace writing formats are free, need no account, and run in your browser.
Who is it for?
Graduates and working professionals whose English is good enough to read this sentence but who lose interviews to hesitation, over-long sentences, or not knowing the phrasing their industry uses.
Does it cover spoken English?
It covers the vocabulary and phrasing you need, plus the recurring interview formats. For speaking practice out loud with feedback, pair it with the free AI interview coach.
How is the vocabulary tested?
Each set has a test mode that hides the word and asks you to pick it from four options. Recognising a definition is not the same as being able to produce the word, and only the second one helps in an interview.
Then use it: interview prep · resume tools · learn to code
Email register: directness norms that shift by culture and industry
Professional English email has a narrower register than everyday speech. Fewer contractions, more formal sentence structure, less casual phrasing — but not stiff. The register is professional but not corporate-robot. An email opening like 'Hi Alex, here's the status update' is spot-on. An opening like 'Hi Alex,' followed by four blank lines before the content, is wasting the reader's time and training them to skip your first paragraph.
Directness expectations vary wildly by culture and industry. In German, Dutch, and Scandinavian workplaces, directness is efficient and respectful — 'Let's do X' is the right tone. In many East Asian workplaces, softening is polite — 'I wonder if we might consider' is the baseline, not extra hedging. A direct English sentence translated literally into another language often reads rude because equivalent politeness in that language requires twice as many words. 'I disagree' is crisp in English. In many languages, 'I respect your view but think differently' is the minimum politeness, not overkill.
Learn your actual workplace's register by reading emails from people two to three levels above you — that's the standard you're aiming for. Copy their opening style, their sentence length, and how they close. You're not copying words; you're copying tone. And one practical rule: front-load the action. 'I've attached the report; the key number is 40%' works. Burying the headline in the middle of a long paragraph makes busy readers miss it and have to re-read.
Written vs spoken fluency: why the gap trips up candidates in interviews
You can write a clear email because you edit it and you don't have an audience waiting for the next word. In an interview, you have no edit cycle. You're thinking and speaking in real time. The fluency gap is real and it's not a sign your English is weak — it's a sign you haven't practised speaking yet. Many strong writers are halting speakers because they've spent years editing words, not saying them.
Long sentences are harder to follow spoken than written. On paper, a reader re-reads if they lose track. Spoken, they miss it and assume you've made an unclear point. Filler words ('um', 'like', 'you know', 'so') are audible in speech and kill credibility. They're invisible in writing so you might not notice you use them until you hear yourself. A two-second silence is better than filling it with filler — the silence is faster and reads as confidence or thought, not nervousness.
Interview fluency doesn't mean native-speaker fluency. It means clarity under pressure. You'll never sound like you grew up in an English-speaking country and that's not the goal. The goal is to explain your work and your thinking without hesitation. The most useful practice is recording yourself answering five interview questions (walk me through a project, why this company, what's your weakness) and listening back to count filler words and places you lose your thread. That recording tells you exactly where to improve.
Practising speaking without a partner: what actually works
Free online communities like Toastmasters or Speaky let you speak with real people for free — not structured lessons, just conversation with feedback. It's higher-stakes than recording yourself, which is the point. You'll notice fast what trips you up because someone is listening and their attention won't hide your hesitation.
Change your phone settings to English and narrate your day out loud. What you're making for lunch, a decision you're making, what you're reading — describe it as if explaining to someone who wasn't there. It's awkward for 30 seconds, then becomes normal. You're building the muscle of turning thought into English sentences without planning every word.
Watch job-related video content — TED talks, YouTube presentations by people in your field, conference talks — and pause frequently to say what you'd say next. It's lower-stakes than a real interview and trains your brain to think in English at speaking pace. Start with content in your field so the vocabulary is familiar; move to broader topics as you gain confidence.
Frequently asked questions
How formal should my emails be in a new job?
Match the email patterns of people two levels above you. Professional is the starting point, but copy their opening style, sentence length, and closing. Most modern workplaces are less formal than five years ago, so err toward conversational unless you're in finance or law — then go formal.
Why do I sound fluent writing but hesitate in interviews?
Writing lets you edit; speaking is live. You've trained yourself to produce polished writing but not to think and speak without planning every word. This is practise gap, not fluency gap. Record yourself answering interview questions — the recording shows you exactly where hesitation lives.
Is it okay to ask for time to think during an interview?
Yes. 'Let me think for a moment' or a two-second pause is completely fine and reads as thoughtfulness, not weakness. Filling the silence with filler words ('um', 'like') costs you more credibility than the silence itself.
How do I know if my English is good enough to apply for this role?
If you can read a job description and understand 90% of it without a dictionary, and you can write a clear email, your English is good enough to apply. Hiring is about what you can do in the role, not your accent or perfect grammar.
Can I improve speaking by watching videos or do I need a language partner?
Videos help with vocabulary and listening, but real conversation is faster. Free communities like Speaky or Toastmasters give you a real partner for free. Combine both: watch content, then practise speaking what you learned with a real person.