Take private online ESL lessons

ESOL Lessons Online

So, you want to improve your English!

A wonderful way to go about that would be to do an English course. This can improve your ability to use the language, help you apply for a job or aid your advancement at work.

However, you may find it unsafe to travel to a class or it’s difficult to fit it into your daily schedule.

Go Online

Do an English course online. This will free you up to slot lessons into your schedule. You could examine the course or a particular lesson during your lunch break. This may help you to clarify what your focus needs to be when you get home and you can then devote, say, an hour and a half to seriously engaging with your studies, in a more focussed way.

Doing online English classes, allows you to work in an environment that is known and comfortable to you. You, of course, need to be disciplined and regular about sitting down and getting the serious stuff done. Discipline is key, because you can so easily be distracted by all the online attractions such as the latest YouTube videos and Netflix movies. These and the advertisements, inserted into programmes, can really be distracting! Keep your eye on the prize!

Designed for learners of English as a second language, online ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) lessons are plentiful. This kind of course is often pursued by and individual who seeks to apply for a working visa in an English-speaking country.

What’s on Offer?

There are numerous sites offering online lessons for ESOL students. You will even encounter some which offer there courses for free. Some may ask you to register using your email address. Others are totally free and ask no login or buy-in...

Online courses make a host of different topics available to the ESOL learner. Visit their site map to acquaint yourself with all the topics from which you can identify which you would like to pursue and decide in which order you would like to complete them. If the site offers topics, which are to your liking, you can then structure your entire course from the outset.

At the site map you can explore the different categories on offer, what level you would like to start at, select specific skills to hone, themes to work through, examine games and quizzes and sing along to some songs.

What Level Should I Start At?

If you have no idea of how proficient you really are, it would be advisable to start as a beginner. If this proves too easy, move on to an elementary level. Beyond these, you will be able to migrate as a learner to the Pre-intermediate, Intermediate and Advanced levels.

You can start by logging onto a listening activity; some even have an interesting video for you to follow, which may tie in with a particular theme, e.g. ecotourism. You may be asked to make a prediction about the topic that you’re about to engage in. Next, you will read a piece or watch a video. You can then assess whether you’d made an appropriate prediction at the outset.

One of the follow-up activities could include multiple choice questions, with answers which you can reveal when you need them. This may be followed by a vocabulary review which you can peruse before viewing the video again and actively listening out for the newly learned vocabulary (the definitions of which you could have researched with an included online dictionary). You will, generally, be advised to record new vocabulary in a journal.

Are the Activities Interesting?

Someone once said, “Only boring people are bored” or find things boring.

The short answer to the above question would then be a resounding “Yes!”  They are also varied and, of course, graded.

Many sites make available to you English teaching and learning resources, online lessons, exercises and games. They also have listening comprehensions and vocabulary lessons; integrated skills lessons and lessons and worksheets which are designed to improve your study skills. So, for those who become bored or seek a bit of relief, turn to a game, a crossword puzzle or a word search for a spell (pardon the pun).

Your tutor will utilise a host of activities, to get you, his student, to speak more than s/he does and, invariably, so that you gain more practise in using English. This would tie in with your goal to speak English to gain confidence in using the language and utilising it conversationally. The more practice you get, the less your anxious you will be, in terms of using the language. Activities may be engaged in will include warm-up activities, role-play, debates, presentations and activities based on podcasts.

How Long Does a Course Last?

If not a crash course, a course could run from four months to a year. They can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis, the latter being reserved for working adults. Some of these courses are internationally recognised and hold the potential to open many doors for you.

Institutions Which Offer ESOL Courses

These would include language schools and learning centres. Colleges and universities would offer courses at advanced levels, so a good understanding of basic English will be a prerequisite. For example, UCT (the University of Cape Town) offers quite an array of English language courses including among others Cambridge ESOL Exam Preparation. Their courses also include business English, conversational English, as well as preparation courses for TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Test System) and FCE (First Certificate in English).

The international Travel and Study Institute also presents English courses which are accredited across the globe.

An ESOL qualification will empower learners to utilise their new-found skills in the areas of employment and studies, also in social settings. An important aspect of acquiring proficiency in a foreign language is that it will have applications beyond mere employment and may impact on your life in many ways, some as yet not identified.

Enrol for an online ESOL course today and step boldly into a brave new world!