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English speaking course or something else?

You're learning English, so should you take an English speaking course, single lessons, or something else? There are a lot of options when you're looking for English lessons. Take a single lesson, sign up for a course, join a conversation club and use an app or even a virtual teacher. Let's look at your options.

Single lessons

By single lessons I mean lessons you might book a few days before, or ones that you have irregularly. This type of lessons are great for a flexible schedule. They give you the chance to speak to lots of different teachers. They can be a good way to find a teacher that you like. Or if you want to listen to different accents, pronunciations and ways of speaking they can be a good choice. You can book single lessons if you occasionally have questions about English, but don't need to take a course.

But you might find, if you're taking single lessons with many different teachers, they all become introduction lessons and you end up speaking about the same things. Single lessons with the same teacher can be great for building a relationship, getting to know each other, and having a flexible schedule. But be careful that your lessons still have a goal or defined aims otherwise it can feel pointless after a while.

Conversation club

Have you ever attended a conversation club? They are very useful for putting the English you know into action. While lessons are when you learn, conversation club is when you practice. They're a vital part of your learning process. 

Conversation club can be a fun experience and you can meet good friends. It can be hard to find the right club for you though, so don't worry if you have to try a few different clubs. Look out for one with the right meeting times for you, and think about if you want to speak in smaller groups or bigger ones. You might like a club with a focussed topic each time, with more input from a teacher, or you might prefer one which is free chat, or a mix of both. Check the details before you sign up.

English speaking course

An English speaking course with defined aims, a start and an end date can be exactly what you need to focus your efforts. Think about what you need to achieve with your English studies. Do you need to take an exam, go to interviews, do presentations at work? Or maybe you want something focussed on arts and creative activities? Or go on a summer vacation abroad and want to understand what you'll hear? Or enjoy sports or games more? Once you know your aims it's much easier to find a course that fits your needs.

An English course should have defined outcomes, so you know what you're going to achieve. This helps you too, so you know what you should be doing. It might include self-study, lessons with a teacher, group sessions or access to the teacher via voice or text messages.

If you're looking for teachers for lessons or courses, check out the teachers in the Elevate directory 

Apps

Apps like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Drops or Babbel are great for memorising words and vocabulary. They can test your knowledge and they are fun, as they make a game of learning.  You can also use them for grammar practice as well as sentence writing and listening practice.

If you've ever used an app you know they're great. But there's something missing. Apps are nice and clear, they give clear examples and the spoken examples are easy to listen to too. But people aren't like that. People make mistakes when they speak. People, even native-speakers, use wrong grammar, mix up words and don't speak clearly. When you start to use your language it's a shock to see the difference between the app and real life! So the best advice is to try to do both. Use the app and also speak to real people - teachers, friends, conversation partners or whoever. Both are needed! 

Chat rooms/apps

You can find conversation partners through apps or websites like Hello Talk and Tandem. They are well used and there are always lots of potential partners there. These apps are used for conversation exchange so as well as practicing English, you can help another person with a language they are learning. 

Finding a good partner on this type of app is so useful for practicing your language. But it can be tricky to find the perfect match, and too many people think these types of apps are for dating not language practice. So be careful. When you write your profile do give some information about your interests and hobbies, and also what you don't want to talk about, and ask others what they like, but you don't need to share your whole life and details either.

Virtual Teachers

Have you ever worked with a virtual teacher? Something that is becoming more common now are virtual AI Teachers. More and more language learning apps are including them. Virtual teachers seem like a great idea, they are always available, they're cheap and never get tired, and they can always answer every question! 

But you might find they correct you too much. It can be hard to have a conversation as they're always trying to correct your English, or just can't understand what you mean. Whereas humans can sense meaning from facial features and tone of voice, and we can fix mistakes with subtle gestures or corrections, virtual teachers cannot. A human teacher can reassure you when a robot can't. So try virtual teachers but remember they are robots! 

If you're looking for a human teacher to help you upgrade your English, check out the Elevate directory of English language teachers at weareenglishteachers.com