English for an IT product developer (2)

1.

English for an IT product
developer
Khelin Konstantin, Kepeschuk Yaroslava

2.

Problem and Goal
Problem
Difficulties in assessing the
required level of English
proficiency when applying for a
job at an IT company.
Goal
To determine whether students’
English language proficiency
meets the real requirements of
employers in the field of IT
product development in the
Russian Federation

3.

Tasks
Analysis of English language
requirements in the IT job
market (by programming
language and seniority level).
Survey IT students’
English proficiency
and expectations.
Compare data and
form conclusions.

4.

Progress of work: Task 1
Over 170 IT job vacancies on HeadHunter were
analyzed by Junior (up to 2 years), Middle (2–5
years) and Senior (more than 5 years) levels in
the Russian labor market.
Result: beginners will have enough A2, but for
experienced specialists B1–B2 is needed: with
such a level it is possible to read documentation
and communicate in the work team.

5.

Python
JS
Java
C#
Result
Junior
< 2 year
~B1-B2
~B1-B2
~B1-B2
B2
B2
Middle
2-6 year
~B1+
~B1-B2
~B1-B2
B2
B2
Senior
6+ years
B2
B2
B2
B2+
B2+

6.

Progress of work: Task 2
We interviewed students and asked them two questions:
1. What is your current English level?
2. What level is required for your field of study?
Results:

7.

100 votes

8.

100 votes

9.

Progress of work: Task 3. Results
A comparison of labor market data and student assessments revealed the following:
● 60% of students have an adequate understanding of the required level of English;
● 30% assume higher requirements than are actually present;
● at the same time, almost half (45%) have only an elementary level of the language,
which reduces their competitiveness in the field of IT product development.

10.

Is there a need to change the situation with students' English
language proficiency?
The situation with the level of English among students does not require adjustment, since:
most of them speak the language at a basic/intermediate level;
in 4 years of study at the university, the level can be raised;
students study English daily;
If necessary, students are ready to further improve their level.