On 30 September, Belarus held its first language exam for foreigners. Now it is one of the mandatory requirements for official employment in the country.
In this article, we will tell you how the test is conducted, what it consists of, and who needs to register for it.
New regulations for migrants
New conditions for hiring foreigners in Belarus were introduced this year. These include a mandatory examination of proficiency in one of the official languages (Russian or Belarusian). This applies only to certain professions, which are listed in the Council of Ministers' Resolution.
The list includes blue-collar professions:
- driver,
- waiter,
- hairdresser,
- salesperson,
- orderly.
And white-collar positions:
- administrator,
- midwife,
- specialist doctor (all medical specialities),
- nurse (all medical specialities),
- assistant doctor for outpatient and polyclinic care,
- paramedic (all medical specialities).
Why were these professions included in the mandatory list for language exams? The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection explained that these jobs are currently in high demand in the country, and their representatives actively communicate with the local population.
However, there are exceptions to the mandatory exam: citizens of EAEU countries (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia) are not required to take it.
Language proficiency test
The employer submits the application for the test. Without a successfully passed exam, they do not have the right to hire a foreigner. If a migrant is already officially employed, they will only need to take the language proficiency test when applying for a new job.
The exam costs 63 Belarusian rubles.
The test is conducted twice a month at all regional universities — on the 15th and on the last day of the month.
How is the exam conducted?
The test is written. It takes about 30 minutes to complete. During this time, you need to answer about 20 questions, some of which are open-ended, i.e. without multiple-choice answers.
As explained, some of the tasks are aimed at recognising words in the text, while others are aimed at testing your knowledge of grammar rules. Three questions require a written answer to test writing skills.
The use of phones, other gadgets, and cheat sheets is prohibited. The testing process is recorded on audio and video, and a report is compiled based on the results. Participants may be removed from the auditorium for cheating.
The result is considered successful if the participant correctly completes at least 50% of the tasks.
The test can be retaken an unlimited number of times.
Results of the first test
According to the Ministry of Education, 90 people took the first test on 30 September. Most of the participants were citizens of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
The tests were conducted at universities in all regional centres. In Minsk, the testing took place at the Belarusian State University of Foreign Languages.
The result: 81 participants passed the exam, while 9 failed (90% and 10%, respectively).
Testing centres are already accepting applications for the next date, 15 October.
/Cameroon-2_0.jpg)
-min.png)
/pexels-karolina-grabowska-8106675.jpg)