The iTEP, or International Test of English Proficiency, is a new test aims to evaluate the job-related English skills of employees or potential hires in the hospitality industry. The iTEP is a line of exams used by more than 500 U.S. schools for international admissions purposes. The new iTEP Hospitality exam contains specialized content for hospitality services and focuses exclusively on the listening and speaking skills necessary in this field.
The test is administered in 30 minutes via any office computer. Results are returned within five business days, with options for expedited scoring available. The speaking section of the test is scored by native-speaking ESL-trained professionals.
A detailed score report is created that lists the test-taker's performance on sub-skills for each section, such as understanding the main idea versus catching details when listening. The hiring manager or business owner can also log in online and listen to the speaking samples submitted during the test.
"The hospitality industry is wonderfully diverse and you often find people from all over the world working together," says Perry Akins, chairman of Boston Educational Services, creators of the iTEP line of exams. "With iTEP Hospitality, we hope to take the guess work out of evaluating the English skills that will be necessary on the job."
Since 2010, iTEP has offered the iTEP Business test, which is used by companies such as Microsoft and JP Morgan. iTEP Hospitality is the first English assessment tool created specifically for the hospitality industry. After successful field tests, iTEP Hospitality is now available to hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, resorts, and more worldwide.
