Online language schools are everywhere these days. Are they still a viable option that provides the best results? Here is an article from an insider’s perspective discussing why you should still choose online teaching with a reputable company.
After all my years of working as a teacher with students from Europe, Asia, India, and South America, I have learned a lot from their foreign language learning experiences in their home countries. After hearing all they have had to say on the subject, here are some universal points to consider that demonstrate the clear-cut benefits of choosing an online teaching environment:
1. Online teaching remains one of the best avenues to connect you with native English speakers and teachers.
Many English teachers in foreign countries are second language English speakers themselves. While we can respect their commitment and their intellect, it will still never be the same as being taught by a native speaker with a neutral accent who fully grasps the nuances of the English language. As reported to me by an English teacher from France, second language English teachers have a strong tendency to regress in their accent and accuracy when teaching, despite their best intentions. Similarly, Facebook and Instagram are littered with non-native speaking teachers and companies who continue to publish content with unnoticed errors and mistakes. By choosing a native English speaking teacher it highly increases your chances of learning proper English the first time round.
2. Choosing online teaching is still cheaper and saves you time.
A few days ago, one of my students from France told me that the classes she was doing before she began working with me were €600 per month for the same number of hours that we currently do together! Add to that the transport costs to get to the venue, as well as all the extra time you lose travelling from place to place – who wants to sacrifice all that? Additionally, many of these classes charge you high fees and make you learn on a computer anyway. For example, a company will charge you for 30 hours of teaching but only 12 hours will be with an actual teacher – the remaining hours are done digitally. Online classes will cost you less than half of those insane prices and provide you with twice the quality of learning with a teacher who is present 100% of the time. Why twice the quality of learning? Read the next point to find out.
3. Online classes give you all the attention.
If you choose one-on-one online classes, the entire session is there to benefit you and your English needs alone; no one else matters. The teacher can support you in the exact ways that you need; this is impossible to do for every student in a group class. In online classes, all your mistakes can be explained to you carefully, the environment makes you feel more confident when speaking and, with all the focus on you for the whole class, your progress will soar compared to group-based learning. While there are undeniable benefits to this method of learning, these benefits do not outweigh the negatives.
4. Online classes can be customised to suit your needs.
Not one of my classes is the same. The content is different, the energy is different, the goals are different. As a student you have a unique career and specific requirements for why you need to learn English. Why should you be in a group class that does not cater for your individual circumstances? Each of my students is unique and so are the reasons they need to learn English. It is an online teacher’s job to design class content that matches those needs.
What’s your English level?
Find out by completing one of our level tests!
What’s your English level?
Find out by completing one of our level tests!
5. Online classes fit into your schedule, not the other way around.
When you sign up for classroom-based lessons, you indirectly sign up for a fixed time and are held accountable to that time by the presence of all the other learners in your study group. If you miss a class, you often cannot recover it. Alternatively, online classes are designed to fit into your schedule. You choose the days and times that suit you, you can do the classes from anywhere (even while travelling, sitting at your work desk, or confined to your home) and many online companies have reasonable cancellation policies that allow you to recover missed lessons.
6. Online class environments improve your English faster.
The simple truth is that online teaching reflects the modern world. The classes keep up with today’s pace of life and are as flexible as the world requires you to be. Contemporary life is intense! We have to manage so much these days. So, you can easily see why online classes lessen stress, create more learning opportunities, and give consistent results. Group-based classes can be full of obstacles. They do not necessarily cater for your individual learning style (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic etc.); you have no control over the content that is taught to you; if you are shy, you usually get lost amidst the more assertive students in the class because there is no time to help you overcome your insecurities; and they just add more rigidity to your already overwhelmed schedule.
Working with a teacher at Break Into English is your missing link. We are teachers but more than that, we are people, just like you. Being conscious and attentive humans, whilst still providing a professional educational service, is what makes us so good at what we do. A learning environment is one of the most creative spaces in life, and it holds the potential for growth, innovation, and catharsis – no matter what you are studying. Our approach to teaching is that we are here to learn from you as much as you are here to learn from us. We are equals and we are excited to get to know you and understand how we can help you. We have an innate desire to know and understand you for who you are in order to best serve your English learning needs.
This article was written by Break Into English’s online teacher and blog contributor Ashleigh Spence.
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