faqS

Payments & cancellations

“How do I pay?”
— There are no membership fees or termly payments, you simply pay as you go, one lesson at a time. Your payment can be made via direct BACS transfer; please let me know in advance of your first session if you are unable to pay via BACS payment and we will investigate alternatives.
“How much does a lesson cost?”
— The standard price for one learner having private tuition for 1 hour is £40. If this is out of your budget, consider sharing with a friend or family member and splitting the cost. I am very flexible regarding the length & frequency of your lessons, for example you could have 1 hour fortnightly, or 30 minutes weekly. Alternatively, you could ask me to find a suitable learner partner for you, or join one of our group classes or short courses. I do review my prices from time to time in response to cost of living and to cover the rising costs associated with my business. If there is an upcoming price increase, I will provide at least 28-days’ notice.
“What if I need to cancel my lesson? (more than 24 hours notice)”
— We all fall ill from time to time, or life simply gets in the way and causes us to change our plans. There is no charge for cancelling your lesson with more than 24 hours notice. However, if cancellations become frequent, I may need to reconsider the timeslots I can offer you.
“What if I need to cancel my lesson? (less than 24 hours notice)”
— Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice or failure to turn up for a lesson will result in the lesson being charged in full, so please think carefully before committing to a date. If you are late for your lesson, the lesson will still finish at the planned time and the missed time is lost. In the case of the free trial, failure to turn up means that the free lesson has effectively been redeemed & is not available to reschedule and any lessons thereafter will be paid for.
“What if I can’t pay for my lesson on the day? ”
— No further lessons will be provided until payment has been received for the previous lesson, unless previously agreed with me due to extenuating circumstances. Please advise me when you meet for your free trial lesson how you would like to pay for your future lessons.
“Why are your lessons more expensive than some other tutors?”
— I am a full-time tutor, whereas some other tutors offer a lower price due to either limited availability, experience, resources or qualifications. That is not to say there are no tutors who ask a lower price and offer a fantastic service, but it is worth considering whether you have good value for money, rather than just a low price.

Online lessons & availability

“Are face-to-face lessons available?”
— I have a strong preference for online lessons, which allow for great flexibility and are very efficient. If you feel very strongly about face-to-face lessons, please send me an email or discuss this with me during your free trial lesson and we can explore other options.
“Should I use Skype or Zoom for my lessons?”
— Both are fantastic platforms that allow all the key functions for a successful online class. I am moving increasingly towards using Zoom, as it has greater functionality for group classes, plus in my opinion, the screenshare allows for full-screen viewing. If you wish to use a different platform, please let me know so that I can investigate it in advance of your class to see whether this will be feasible.
“Can I book the same time slot every week?”
— Yes, providing the time you would like to book has not been taken by another student already, you can request a repeat timeslot to be reserved for you. If you frequently cancel this session, I may have to reconsider allocating the timeslot to another student.

Studying

“Do I need to buy any text books or materials?”
— No, you are not required to purchase anything for your lessons; materials will always be provided. However, the more work you do between lessons, the more successfully and quickly your newfound language skills will become embedded. If you wish to purchase additional materials, I'm always happy to provide recommendations. you should discuss this with me at your first lesson. I will be able to show you a selection of books so that you can decide which ones will suit you best. Different learning styles mean that different people find some resources much more useful than others – and the last thing we want is for you to waste money on things you don’t need!
“Is there anything else I need to purchase?”
— I recommend buying a notebook or a folder as a bare minimum. It is much better if you take responsibility for writing your own notes as they will mean more to you in the long-term, and they will be written in a personal style which means something to you. Highlighters, coloured pens, sticky notes, pencils, etc can also be useful if you want to make your work more interactive. Keeping track of your progress will help you to improve and study outside of lessons more effectively. Some people prefer to make notes and save files to their computer.
“Do you set homework?”
— This depends very much on the needs of the student. If you request homework to be set, I will happily oblige. The homework will then be reviewed at the start of the next lesson; I do not mark or correct homework outside of the lesson as this can be very time-consuming). Whilst I don't set homework as standard, I do recommend that you try to do something every day in your chosen language.
“Can you guarantee that a student will pass their exam?”
— Put simply, no. A teacher can show the student the door, but the student must walk through it. Whilst I can guide and coach students with a view to passing their exams, ultimately the performance of the student in any given exam is beyond my control. As such, I am unable to advise which grade a student is likely to achieve, other than through the use of past papers.
“So what should I do between lessons?”
— Well, the short answer is practice, practice, practice! There are many things you can do to help you integrate your new language skills into your daily life and help cement your learning. I recommend working activities into your daily life in your target language; for example watching films, downloading a daily podcast or a language learning app. I will be able to advise you better on how to achieve your individual goals.
“How can I stay motivated?”
— Most people think that learning the grammar or the vocabulary of a language is the hardest part of learning a language. In fact, I think the hardest part is maintaining your motivation. It is natural that when we first undertake a new project, it feels fresh and exciting. At this stage of the learning journey of course, we also feel like we are making rapid progress as everything is shiny and new. Once the basics have been covered, you may feel like you have hit a plateau; I assure you that this phase of repetition and practice is very important; you are still learning important lessons and consolidating what you know. Don’t underestimate its value, even if you don’t feel as though you are walking away with anything new.
“When will I be fluent?”
— This is such a difficult question to answer. Firstly, every person is different, learns at a different pace and people have varied amounts of free time to commit to the cause. Secondly, what does fluent mean to you? Is it having a conversation? Is it knowing all the vocabulary in a language? My challenge to you would be, do you know every single word and how to use it in your own language? A perfect example would be terminology. I have a student who is an avid cricket fan, so in a conversation about this sport, he may be more fluent than me in English, let alone in Spanish. Try to set your goals to be more specific than simple ‘being fluent’.
“How often should I have lessons?”
— Most people opt for a lesson once a week, usually due to constraints with their availability or the budget they have allocated for learning a language. If you choose to have a weekly lesson, I would recommend practicing independently between lessons in order to ensure that your following lesson can be used to move forward. I have found over the years that those who study at least twice a week (whether that be two paid lessons, or one lesson and one independent study session) progress their skills much more quickly.
“How often should I practise at home?”
— As much as you can! Use every opportunity; I've known students counting their exercise reps at the gym in Spanish, or making their shopping list in French! Revision doesn't always have to be sitting down with a textbook; think about the little ways that you could incorporate it into your daily life. Practising little and often definitely helps to develop your skills without fatiguing yourself or causing yourself to use the enthusiasm for your language learning.
“How can I track my progress?”
— You will be provided with trackers for grammar and vocabulary to track your studies. CEFR: A1-C2 assessments Additionally, I offer assessments from A1-C2 based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), with certificated awarded as you pass each stage! These assessments are not compulsory; you can treat them as a test if you wish to push yourself, we can work on them as a collaborative effort, or you can bypass them altogether. It is always your choice. No pressure.

Miscellaneous

“Can I share your contact details with a friend?”
— Absolutely! Please pass my contact details onto a friend, colleague or family member if you think that I can help them too. After all, there is nothing more powerful than a personal recommendation! They too will be entitled to a free 1-hour trial lesson. I am more than happy for you to share a link to my website on social media too (but please don't share my mobile number on your socials).

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