Want to learn English fast? Try hard to get a good teacher. It will mean the difference between learning and wasting your money.
• Interview more than one candidate and see whom you enjoy being with.
• Pay a bit over market if necessary. A couple of Euros more per hour will convince some teachers to drop one job in favour of another one.
• Ask teachers if they have a teaching degree or at least one year’s experience.
• Offer teachers attractive hours.
• Start right after the summer holidays as experienced teachers rarely become available once the school year has begun.
• Don’t only consider face-to-face lessons; there are excellent online tutors.
• If you are offered lessons in a group go for a small class. There is no exact rule to determine when a class is too large but the bigger the group the less time to speak.
• Again, if you are offered group lessons ask for a trial class to check whether everyone has the same level as you.
• If you have to cancel a class pay for it anyway. Most tutors will stop teaching students that cancel too many lessons.
Andrew’s advice? The better the teacher the faster you’ll learn!