Are you planning on studying English this year? What should you keep in mind when choosing a language center and class schedule?

Read in Spanish here! 

What do others think?

According to an article published on the website of the newspaper Gestión,  if you are thinking about where to study English, you must evaluate the cost and what the institution is offering for that price,  how long the courses are, if there is any certification of completion offered, and─of course─your personal goals. While all of this is true, there are 6 things that those who are in charge of the marketing campaigns of English Language teaching institutions do not usually advise. 

1. Don’t think that the best language center will guarantee your success

It is your dedication that will allow you to learn English. The RAE dictionary defines the word learn as the action of “acquiring knowledge of something through study or experience.” In other words, for you to learn English, you have to do the work yourself, regardless of the prestige of the language center you choose. Such institutions only provide the conditions for students to be in the right environment to learn English on their own. Of course, if you choose a prestigious institution, there are advantages involved.

2. Don’t choose a crash course if you are too busy and don’t know much English yet

There are offers “tailored” to the consumer: every other day, accelerated, and super-intensive courses, as well as 90 and 180-minute daily programs. Should students only focus on the hours spent in class when choosing a schedule? Some experts indicate that the number of hours a student spends in a classroom learning English should be the same amount of time the student spends on the language outside the classroom, whether it is watching movies, listening to music, reading books, or doing homework. Although other experts might think that such a statement is exaggerated, it is worth asking yourself: Should I choose a 3-hour daily course if I only have half an hour to practice English outside the classroom every day? 

3. Don’t think there is an offer with the perfect methodology for you

We all learn in different ways. Therefore, the methodology of a language center will never be perfect for everyone. As a matter of fact, every once in a while, a new trend appears with an innovative learning method proposed by some experts─or an idea that brings back an old methodology. This is because the field of English language teaching is a profitable market, and extensive research has been done for several decades on the best method for teaching and learning English. This is why we can safely say that the methodology they offer you is not “tailor-made” for you; rather, it is like clothes: old styles come back and the innovative ones go out of style. You will need to develop your own learning method. 

4. Don’t reject the idea of having classmates of other ages

If you are an adult, does the idea of sharing a classroom with teenagers make you uncomfortable? Do you plan to avoid the schedules in which schoolkids enroll? The trust is, attending an English class with teenagers could be beneficial: They tend to know more English at a younger age nowadays than previously thanks to school and YouTube, and most of them also have better pronunciation. In other words, an adult can learn a lot from teenagers’ English! 

5. Don’t rule out the possibility of being in a class with more than 20 students

It’s true that when there are fewer students in class, the teacher can dedicate more time to you. However, the sense of community that a large group conveys is irreplaceable. For instance, it makes it easier to work with different groups in class, which increases the possibility of your being exposed to a greater diversity of uses of the language, as well as more opportunities to use English with different people in the same context─without having to repeat the same thing to the same person over and over again! Moreover, learning a language is an activity that involves social interaction, which is facilitated by having a good number of classmates who participate in recreating various day-to-day situations that we are bound to see in daily life. 

6. Don’t get discouraged if your class closes eventually

Does a language center offer you daily classes at noon─or on Sundays, at the campus or location of your choice? Are you interested in an accelerated English class that allows you to finish the basic and intermediate levels in record time? Even if you enthusiastically join a “tailor-made” study group, the reality is that many classes scheduled at specific times end up closing later on. Therefore, if you think you have found the perfect English class schedule─with the ideal frequency, you must be willing to accept other options in the future, not only in terms of schedules but also location.

How to get the most out of your in-person English classes?

Arrive early, prepare for classes in advance, participate in them, and find ways to practice your English outside the classroom. For example, ask your family and friends to help you develop your spoken and written English. In addition, online services such as those offered by AGLanguages.com will be useful for increasing your fluency and complementing your in-person classes.