4 ways Celtic students can stay connected during COVID-19

11th January 2021

It is hard when we cannot live a normal life because of Coronavirus, but especially when you are in a new environment away from your home, your country or what is familiar to you.

As a Celtic student, you are part of the Celtic family, and we want you to know that you are never alone. That’s why we put in place more ways to connect with you in response to the lockdown and school closure measures that are taking place in the UK from January 2021.

What are these channels for?

• To speak with Celtic staff.
• To ask us questions about your classes, your accommodation, self-isolation measures, or anything else related to your stay and student experience.
• To let us know how you feel; if you are sad, unwell or worried about something.
• To share with us your reflections and thoughts about how your learning experience is going. Is there anything that we should know about? Is there something that would make a difference to your day-to-day experience?
• To call us in case of an emergency.

Here are the ways you can keep connected with us and other students.

1. Daily Virtual Reception

Speak with Celtic staff about anything you need or if you just want to talk.

When can I connect with the Daily Virtual Reception?

• 🗓️ Monday to Friday (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

• ⏰  Between 15:15 and 16:00 UK time (3:15 – 4:00 pm)

How can I connect with the Daily Virtual Reception?

You can use Zoom Video Conference software. The same as we use for Online classes.
It works on every platform, computers (Windows or MacOS) or mobile devices. (IOS, Android, others)

You can download it here: https://zoom.us/download

What’s the Zoom link for the Daily Virtual Reception?

That link is only for students, so it’s confidential.
Every student receives the link on their first day of classes. If you haven’t received this information please let us know at [email protected]

2. Weekly Student Call

If you are one of our current face-to-face students, we will call you to say hello and ask how your week is going!

We will call your UK number (if you have one) or international number. If you are not available when we call, we will leave a voice message.

When is Celtic English Academy calling me?

• 🗓️ Friday
• ⏰ Between 12:30 and 15:30 UK time (12:30 – 3:30 pm)

How will I get the Weekly Student Call?

You will receive a phone call from a member of the Celtic support team.

3. Online Social Activities

Connect with other students every week! These are free activities.

Here are the online activities you can join with other students every week on Zoom:

Conversation Café

Practice #English with a native speaker.
1 hour of free conversation with Celtic staff (a native speaker) and other students!

• 🗓️ Wednesdays

• ⏰ 15:00 – 16:00 UK time (3:00 – 4:00 pm)

TED Talks

A moment to connect with us and fellow students from Celtic!
We will watch a TEDTalk video and discuss the topic together with a Celtic teacher.

•  🗓️ Thursdays

• ⏰ 15:30 – 16:30 UK time (3:30 – 4:30 pm)

How can I connect with the Celtic Online Social Activities?

You can get the link for the online activities by joining our Celtic Social Events Facebook group. You can find the group here: http://ow.ly/OToM50C9GJd

The Celtic Social Events Facebook group is available for past, current and future students. So we ask you to join the group so we can make sure the Celtic online activities remain a safe space. We do not publish the Zoom link access for activities directly on social media channels.

The Celtic Online Social Activities are hosted via Zoom, the Video Conference software.
You can download it here: https://zoom.us/download

If you don’t have a Facebook profile, you can send us a message to request access to the Celtic Online Social Activities directly at [email protected] or by social media private message.

4. Contact us to chat or in an emergency

You can reach out to us if you feel unwell, sad or just want to have a friendly conversation. If it is outside of working hours, and not an emergency, we will arrange a convenient time to speak with you. You can:

Write to us in these ways:

• Website chat

• Social media: Celtic English Academy Facebook

• Social media: Celtic English Academy Instagram

• Whatsapp us on +44 (0) 7803 495154

• Send us an email to [email protected]

Emergency Number:

• If you need to contact us urgently and you can’t wait until the next working day, please contact us on the emergency number.

• Call us 24 hours, 7 days a week.

• Phone: +44 (0) 7803 495154

Final Note

Please note that some of these measures may be adapted or reduced in the future (except the emergency number, website chat and social media) once the Academy returns to a full-time face-to-face study environment. Please be sure to check this information on your first day of arrival to Cardiff. You can always contact us in case you have any worries or concerns.