Individual Lessons
These are lessons between one tutor and one student.
Premium Lessons vs. Conversation Lessons vs. Custom Lessons
What’s right for me?
I’ll explain more about each individual lesson type further down. For now,
Premium Lessons are great for a student in a few different scenarios:
You’ve just started taking lessons
You want to learn something new
You want the tutor to explain something you find hard
You want to focus on the ‘rules’ of English
You want to focus on grammar, tenses, specific vocabulary, or a specific topic
You want homework and / or lesson summaries
You want to ask the tutor questions during the week.
Conversation Lessons are great for a student in a few different scenarios:
You’ve been taking lessons for a while
You want to practice what you’ve learned
You want the tutor to remind you when you make a mistake
You want to focus on being more accurate and correct
You want to focus on being more fluent
You don’t want homework and / or lesson summaries
You are happy to ask the tutor questions during the lesson.
Custom Lessons are great for students who know what they want from a lesson and what they don’t want.
They let you choose to have some features of Premium Lessons and not have others.
If you’re new, don’t worry about these for now.
Conversation Lessons
A Conversation Lesson is a lesson where the tutor prioritises the student practicing what they’ve learned from previous lessons. The tutor usually does less preparation for the lesson. The tutor mainly facilitates the student’s practice of different areas for improvement, and offers relevant feedback, including correction. The student usually practices their English as much as possible. This is often ‘in conversation’ - that is, by speaking - but it doesn’t have to be. For example, if a student wants to practice their writing during a Conversation Lesson, that is fine too. Most of the time, for most students, this lesson will usually be in the form of a conversation - which is why it’s called a ‘Conversation Lesson’.
Note - Homework and personalised notes after class are not normally provided for a Conversation Lesson. If the tutor occasionally provides either of these for a Conversation Lesson, they do so as an exception, not as a rule. It is not guaranteed and not to be expected.
Note - Conversation Lessons are not designed for teaching the student new material. Teaching the student new material normally requires more preparation from the tutor. The tutor may occasionally teach something new to the student during the ordinary flow of a Conversation Lesson. However, such teaching will not be as prepared as if done in a Premium Lesson and is not guaranteed.
Note - English-related advice after the lesson is not provided for Conversation Lessons.
For students wanting homework, personalised notes, a dedicated teaching lesson, or English-related advice after the lesson, they should consider taking a Premium Lesson or a Custom Lesson.
Pro Tip!
If you’re still confused about Premium Lessons vs. Conversation Lessons, here’s one simple way to think about them:
Premium Lessons are great for learning something new (‘teaching lessons’)
Conversation Lessons are great for practicing what you’ve learned (‘practice lessons’).
Custom Lessons
A Custom Lesson is a lesson where the tutor provides a customised tutoring service based on the features you select when you book the lesson. To give a few examples, it could enable the student to have:
A practice lesson during the lesson time and to also get homework to do further practice at home
A teaching lesson without a lesson summary or homework
A lesson focussing on fluency practice during the lesson, and the ability for the student to ask the tutor for English-related advice after the lesson.
A Custom Lesson let’s you choose which features of a Premium Lesson you want, and which features you don’t.
Here is an explanation of each feature:
This box is unchecked by default. Leave it unchecked if you want the tutor to teach you something new. If unchecked, the tutor will put up to 20 minutes into preparation before the lesson.
Check this box if you don’t want the tutor to teach you something new, you are happy to practice what you have been taught so far, and you want to save some money.
Check this box if you want the tutor to send you personalised notes after the lesson based on what they taught you during the lesson. This is often referred to as a ‘lesson summary’.
Note - if you select this feature, sometimes the tutor may send you notes on related topics that were discussed during the lesson even if they weren’t taught.
Check this box if you want the tutor to send you personalised homework after the lesson. This is usually based on what you studied in the lesson but may also cover topics the tutor has taught you previously or plans to teach you.
Check this box if you want English-related advice after the lesson.
This entitles the student to email the tutor and receive English-related advice by email from the tutor. They are entitled to email the tutor to request this advice for up to a week after the lesson. The student is entitled to up to 20 minutes of the tutor’s time to provide this advice per Custom Lesson with this box checked. This advice may be for the tutor to mark the sent homework if the student doesn’t wish the tutor to mark it during lesson time. It may also be for the student to ask English-related questions or to discuss the student’s learning preferences for a future lesson.
Note - the tutor provides this advice service around preparing and delivering other lessons which take priority over offering this advice. The tutor checks their email regularly but does not check it constantly. A student can usually expect a reply within a few days but this is not guaranteed. The tutor may offer to provide the advice in a following lesson instead of emailing it, especially if the request is made close to a following lesson. The student may also tell the tutor they are happy for the advice to be provided during a following lesson.
Recommendation for Individual Lessons
Start with 2-3 Premium Lessons. After a few Premium Lessons you will probably have advice about a few different areas you can improve on. If you haven’t had individual lessons before and you would like a discount on Premium Lessons, contact me and I’ll see what I can do…
Then have 2-3 Conversation Lessons. This should help you practice what you learned in the first few Premium Lessons.
Then discuss with your tutor which lessons to book next based off your learning goals and progress.
Pro Tip!
Because Conversation Lessons require less preparation from the tutor, they can often be booked at shorter notice. If you want a lesson at shorter notice, see if any Conversation Lessons are available on the booking form.
Group Classes
These are lessons between one tutor and (usually) more than one student.
Group Classes are great for a student in a few different scenarios:
You want to have an English Lesson but you don’t want to pay the price of an individual lesson
You think it’s fun to learn with other students
You enjoy teaching and learning from other students
You like hearing other people talk and give answers sometimes
You like structured lessons planned by the tutor
You’re happy learning a little bit at a time
You’re happy to improve your English in general rather than focus on a particular problem you have.
Group Classes
A Group Class is a lesson where the tutor teaches the students who are present, attempting to balance the students’ learning needs with the lesson material the tutor prepared. In a typical Group Class, the tutor prepares a topic, teaches the topic to the class, and gets the students to do activities to practice the topic. Sometimes the class has more time for the students to listen and ask questions. Sometimes the class has more activities for the students to test and practice their English. Students will often be invited to ask questions, explain what they know and participate in group activities.
Group Classes usually focus on speaking more than writing during the class. If homework is given, students are often given exercises to help them practice their writing.
Note - If homework is given, it is usually given as optional extra practice. Students do not usually need to complete it. Homework from group classes is not marked individually by the tutor. Previously given homework may not be mentioned at all during the following class, or it may be discussed for a short part of the class time. Homework is not usually a priority for Group Classes.
Note - if there are very few students, or only one student, the tutor may offer to have a more personalised lesson for the students who are present. This may involve leaving the prepared lesson material for another class. Where there is one student present, the class will typically take the form of an individual Conversation Lesson. If there are very few students present, but more than one, the tutor will decide whether to continue with the planned lesson material or not. The tutor is more likely to not teach the planned lesson material where the students present have similar learning needs and agree to focus on them over continuing with the planned lesson material.
For students wanting personalised homework, personalised notes, a personalised teaching lesson, or English-related advice after the lesson, they should consider taking a Premium Lesson or a Custom Lesson.
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Classes
A Beginner Group Class is for students who have a beginner (A1-A2) understanding of English. Intermediate and advanced students are also welcome, but the focus for the class will be on beginner topics, grammar and vocabulary.
An Intermediate Group Class is for students who have an intermediate (B1-B2) understanding of English. Beginner and advanced students are also welcome, but the focus for the class will be on intermediate topics, grammar and vocabulary.
An Advanced Group Class is for students who have an advanced (C1-C2) understanding of English. Beginner and intermediate students are also welcome, but the focus for the class will be on advanced topics, grammar and vocabulary.
Adult vs. Child Group Classes
Group Classes are only for adults unless the Class is clearly labelled as a ‘Child Group Class’. If a group class is a ‘Child Group Class’, it will have specific age ranges clearly labelled. Only children within those age ranges, and their accompanying guardians, may book and attend these classes.
Note - if you would like more Child Group Classes to be available, please contact me and express your interest in having more. If there is enough interest I will consider making more available. If there are no Child Group Classes on the booking system then they are not available at this time. If none are available, you may still contact me and express your interest in having one.
New Group Class Time Request
A New Group Class Time Request allows a student to request a new Group Class at a time that is good for them. If the tutor agrees to try the class time:
The tutor and the student attend the class at the agreed timeslot for 3 classes. (Note, this is included in the price. It is slightly more expensive per class than if the student took a normal Group Class but if there are no other students during any of the classes then the tutor will provide an individual lesson to the student. The student may get one or more individual lessons for cheaper than if they booked them directly.)
I will attempt to fill the class with more students (although this is not guaranteed).
After 3 classes, or at the end of the third class, the tutor will communicate with the student(s) and discuss whether to keep the class as a Group Class or not. If the tutor decides not to continue providing a Group Class at this timeslot, they will notify the student who initiated the New Group Class Time Request when the timeslot becomes available to be booked with individual lessons.
Note - the tutor may decline a New Group Class Time Request or offer alternative times if they are unable or unwilling to teach a class at that time. If the tutor declines the request, or the student does not accept the alternative times, the New Group Class Time Request will be refunded.
Note - a New Group Class Time Request is not always available. Check availability on the booking form.
Trial Lessons
A Trial Lesson is a lesson where the tutor talks with the student, or related client - such as a child’s guardian. They both assess whether the tutor and the student are likely to be a good fit, and whether the student is likely to benefit from English tutoring services with the tutor. The tutor is likely to discuss different lesson types and what might be most suitable for the student. The tutor may give some initial observations on the student’s English and offer suggestions for improvement. The tutor may also provide the student with individualised notes, homework and a plan for future lessons.
Note - feedback and observations provided during a Trial Lesson are educational guidance based on the tutor’s observations during that session. They are not a guarantee of any particular level of proficiency or external outcome.
Note - having a Trial Lesson with a tutor does not guarantee that the tutor has capacity or availability at a time that works for you. Check the tutor’s current availability, discuss your preferred times with them, and be aware that their capacity and availability may change.
Final Tips
Lesson times are not typically reserved for students. Students are encouraged to book lessons ahead if they wish to reserve lesson times. If a student does wish to reserve a lesson time, they may ask the tutor who will consider it on a case-by-case basis.
If you still have any questions about lessons after reading this, email me or contact me using the form below.