English for the Financial Sector

CEFR: B1 – C1

English for the Financial Sector is a course for business students and people working in  finance. This course covers a wide range of topics and practises the skills essential to operating successfully in the financial industry.

The course includes 24 units that build vocabulary and develop key language functions while also providing extensive practice in business communication skills.

Course units:

1. The organisation of the Financial Industry – key vocabulary of banking products and services, regulation and deregulation, the development of the financial industry. 
2. Telephoning – arranging meetings; handling information, speaking clearly with numbers and letters.
3. Retail Banking – key vocabulary of retail banking, commercial and investment banking, the future of bank branches, likelihood and probability. 
4. Business correspondence 1 – email and web addresses, formal and informal style, email etiquette.
5. Loans and credit – key vocabulary of loans and credit, banks and bonds, lending decisions; margins, advising and suggesting.
6. Business correspondence 2 – letter of complaint, an angry phone call, formal and informal style 2, replying to a letter of complaint, responding to a phone call, apologising.
7.  Accounting – key vocabulary of financial statements and accounting, types of accounting: financial statements and balance sheets, talking about figures 1.
8. Socialising – greeting people and making introductions, talking about your career, saying goodbye, making small talk and keeping the conversation going.
9. Central banking – key vocabulary of central banking and monetary policy, saying figures, talking about figures 2, talking about central banking decisions.
10. Meetings 1 – key vocabulary of meetings, chairing a meeting; interruptions and digressions, controlling meetings.
11. Financing international trade – key vocabulary of letters of credit and bills of exchange, how a letter of credit works, asking for information about bills of exchange, checking and confirming information.
12. Meetings 2 – word combinations relating to meetings, concluding a meeting, asking for and giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing.
13. Foreign exchange – key vocabulary of exchange rates, exchange rates and currency trading, freely floating exchange rates, describing trends and graphs.
14. Writing reports 1 – vocabulary to describe reasons, consequences and contrasts, facts and opinions, linking words.
15. Stocks and shares – key vocabulary of the stock market, why stock markets matter, a financial market report, understanding market reports, describing and drawing a graph, discussing a portfolio.
16. Writing reports 2 – reading about head office relocation, listening: catering choices; health and leisure needs, style and tone, writing: a report on facilities in the new head office.
17. Mergers and acquisitions – key vocabulary of mergers, takeovers and buyouts,  the role of banks, cause and effects.
18. Negotiating 1 – learn to love negotiating,  conditional offers; should we grant this loan, making proposals, counter proposals and conditional offers.
19. Derivatives – key vocabulary of derivatives, derivatives; An investment time bomb,  clarifying, summarising and paraphrasing, defending of criticising derivatives.
20. Negotiating 2 – concluding an unsuccessful negotiation; concluding a successful negotiation; Saturday opening, dealing with conflict.
21. Asset management – key vocabulary of asset management and allocation, fund management, investment styles, using diplomatic language.
22. Presentations 1 – learning styles, the introduction, visual aids, preparing an introduction.
23. Regulating the financial sector – conflicts of interest, The FSA; conflicts of interest, word formation, ethical choices.
24. Presentations 2 – parts of a presentation, the end of a presentation, dealing with questions and troubleshooting, beginning and ending the parts of a presentation; the ending of a presentation, a complete presentation.

Each course includes an initial level assessment, revision chapters, practical exercises and opportunities to hone everyday business skills such as presenting, negotiating and  meetings.

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*Courses based on Cambridge Professional Series.