Our HELPS buddy program matches international students with volunteers for conversation practice.  The volunteers are UTS students and staff members.  Most buddies chat weekly in English but some exchange languages eg. English/Mandarin.  It’s a great way to improve your listening and speaking skills in an informal, Australian way!  

The Buddy Program is not running in spring 2026 - to keep improving your English conversation skills please join our conversation groups ! 

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Transcript

Tim: So my name's Tim. I'm studying Biomedical Science. I joined the Buddy Program so I could feel like I was travelling while I was still in Sydney.

Tim: I get to meet people from different cultures, learn about their way of life, and how to say hello in various languages.

Tim: We really just talk about anything. I just meet with Joy, and we chat about our week.

[Tim and Joy are shown sitting together, smiling and talking.]

Joy: So my name's Joy. I joined the Buddy Program because I feel that, one, it's really good for me when I want to study something about Australian culture.

Tim: Occasionally, we sort of exchange some cultural things.

Tim: She taught me about a Vietnamese nursery rhyme—it has some very interesting origins. And sometimes I teach her some Australian idioms that she might not have heard before.

[Tim and Joy are shown laughing together.]

Joy: Meeting a volunteer gives me some time to relax myself.

Tim: So if you're thinking of volunteering, you definitely should.

Tim: It's a great way to come out and help some people, but you actually get a lot out of it yourself.

Tim: I've managed to steal some travel plans off people, meet some awesome people like Joy, and just learn a lot about different cultures. So definitely give it a shot.

[Tim and Joy wave at the camera.]

Narrator: To join the Buddy Program, register on the HELPS webpage.

How often will I meet my buddies?  We ask volunteers to meet with you once or twice a week for at least 6 weeks.

Would you like to volunteer to help an international student?  You can visit the HELPS Volunteers section for more information. 

Buddy Stories 

Rameen and Restu
We first interacted in March 2022 during covid while Restu was on campus at UTS and I was doing my first year online from Fiji. We had our first video chat and exchanged a little about our lives and backgrounds. Restu gave me all the tips I needed for my arrival in Sydney later that year - from opening a bank account, to getting a job, to what Australia and UTS feels like.  I knew a lot about the place before I was even there - all thanks to Restu!   Fast forward to a year and a half later, on August 2nd, 2023, Rameen (now an on-campus student in Sydney) runs into Restu during Spring O'day at UTS!! It was a sweetly surreal moment for both of us because even though I had been in Sydney for almost a year now, we had never had the chance before to see each other face-to-face...

Rameen and Restu

 

Want to practise your English with more people?  Come to Conversations