[Ice Cream]

My community offers ESL classes for free to adults. In other communities, immigrants are forced to pay for lessons. I think they should be free.<br>
I found out yesterday, when I started to tutor a rcent immigrant in English as a volunteer.

 

[wanttorun100]

maybe a tax on imported goods

 

[Chris the Wheeler]

Who is paying for it? Private grant? Private donations? If the answer is yes, sure, free is fine. That's the reason people donated.<br><br>
If it's the tax payers, the immigrant should have to pay for it. I'm assuming these people are all in the country legally...

 

[4boysmom]

I think it should be free. There are lots of volunteer programs around our community. These people want to learn to become members of the community. WHy not help 'em out?

 

["Roberto"]

Are there free language courses, say if I went to Germany?

 

[wanttorun100]

nein

 

[Horrible Peanut]

Cost should be determined by income on a sliding scale. Something like 5% of income.<br><br>
This would have 3 affects-<br>
1) Not be prohibitive so that people would feel burdenned by the cost<br>
2) Be significant enough so that people would take it seriously (which they wouldn't do if it was free- they'd skip lessons, not put in work to it, take it for granted, etc...)<br>
3) Partially cover costs of programs which will allow it to either decrease its revenue requirements from other sources or increase the costs to improve the program.

 

["Roberto"]

Velcome to Amerika! Rand of the Vree!

 

[Horrible Peanut]

I'm not convinced the answer is 'no'

 

[fatmantrying]

What matters most to me I guess is that it's available.<br><br>
If the community can't find private funds, then it's in their best interest to figure out a way to do this since IMHO educating your citizens saves you money down the road.

 

["Roberto"]

We offer free ESL lessons, and they still don't speak it!!

 

[Liam3494]

Well, actually the answer is NO in most countries that I have lived in.<br><br>
Here in Ireland, obviously English is the main spoken language, but ESL is only available if you pay. Maybe the odd charity community group or local collective society, )i.e. Polish community centre) may provide something, but general ESL is only available at colleges where you pay.<br><br>
I do believe that if you are an immigrant into a new country you should be able to speak the language before you arrive, to some degree. Yes, of course you should be able to improve your language skill once you arrive, but why should that be at a cost to the tax paying local population -<br><br>
If I want to learn Spanish in Spain, i would expect to pay!<br><br>
So, I say Nien!

 

[muzicgrl]

Depends on how its funded. I dont want my tax money being spent on this but I have no problem with privately funded or volunteer programs.

 

[coacht]

I agree with this.<br><br>

 

[techgoddess]

Dude.<br><br>
(Weird how often I agree with CTW!)

 

[techgoddess]

Agreed - educating our <i>citizens.</i> Once we're adequately educating our citizens with the tax dollars we have, then maybe we can start teaching immigrants how to speak our language.<br><br>
Look around - we're not even educating our citizens all that well at this point.

 

[ym]

I think it should be free and I don't care if tax dollars are used for it. If they're here, and they want to learn English and how to assimilate into our society, we should make it as easy as possible. A warm welcome goes a long way to helping people born in other countries to become American citizens.<br><br>
Give me your tired, your poor....

 

[dcoroner77]

Dude.

 

[clb]

I think it should be free, or fully sponsored, and required for citizenship.<br><br>
You mean it's not?

 

[QuixoticNotions]

Wait, so you volunteer to teach them and they still have to pay?<br><br>
I think there should be a sliding scale based on income for cost. I mean, the place has to pay for expenses somehow, and if they don't get enough donations/volunteers, it's either charge or not be available at all.<br><br>
Edited to say: I certainly don't think the government should have to be paying for free English lessons.