One-to-one English Lessons – Student Profiles
PS English is a private English Language school specialising in one-to-one English lessons for anyone living in London or online from anywhere in the world. Our client base comprises non-native English speakers who want to achieve their learning objectives through a personalised tailor-made series of English lessons. Other English Language schools in London will predominately offer group lessons with a generic course content, such as Business English or general English conversation.
At PS English, we aim to offer such content, but with the significant addition of a customised approach. Whatever the needs, whatever the goals, whatever the English level, through our team of experienced teachers, we offer private English lessons that meet the specific requirements of the individual.
What typical student profiles do we cater for?
The busy mum – English for daily life and school-related matters
Her starting English level is pre-intermediate. She can manage the basic daily demands of speaking English for daily life. But she would like to speak English more fluently and learn new vocabulary and expressions to deal with slightly more challenging situations, such as making complaints. The children want to have playdates with their school friends, so this requires mum to make arrangements – both speaking on the phone and writing short emails. She would like to practise roleplay scenarios that she can then adapt for real use with other parents. She also has parents’ evening coming up and needs to prepare some questions to ask the teacher about her children’s progress. At the school gate, she is having to have lots of short conversations with other parents and guardians and needs better social English skills.
Through an initial needs’ analysis, a customised learning curriculum can then be devised. The one-to-one English lesson would then proceed to cover these (and more) areas:
- Weekly one-to-one English lessons
- Social English and small talk – what topics to cover; new English phrases and expressions; communication skills, such as ways to initiate and respond to others
- Writing practice – to develop question formation and making arrangements
- Roleplay – English conversation practice – speaking on the phone to make arrangements
- Error correction (if desired) and alternative new English expressions
The university student – English for exams
Her level is upper-intermediate. She needs a Band 7 in the IELTS exam in order to study at university in the UK. But she also wants to be able to talk more fluently and express her ideas more coherently about current affairs. Her pre-course induction highlighted the challenge of understanding the English of her native English-speaking peers, especially when talking together in a small group.
A needs’ analysis would highlight the following tailor-made recommendations:
- Bi-weekly one-to-one English lessons for exams
- One lesson preparing for the IELTS exam, with teacher contact time prioritising the speaking part and homework being used for the writing part of the exam. The teacher monitors the reading and listening parts occasionally, as these are considered the student’s strength. Exam techniques specific to passing the IELTS exam, together with advice for more sophisticated English collocations and common grammatical structures will be practised to reach the desired level.
- The other lesson focusing on general speaking and listening. A newspaper article will be selected by the teacher for pre-lesson reading, with a discussion of the themes during the lesson. Useful phrases and expressions within the article will be pointed out and practised further to ensure that they are fully understood. A complementary listening activity may be included on the same topic. Alternatively, the listening activity will focus on key pronunciation characteristics of native English speakers, such as elision, linking of words into a stream of sound, weak and strong forms of certain common words.
- Error correction (if desired) and alternative new English expressions
The business professional – English for business
Her general English level is intermediate, but with advanced-level vocabulary specific to her industry. The latter aspect does not trouble her. But the basics of general business English still cause concern. She has attended a Business English course, which she felt was too general and covered irrelevant aspects.
A needs’ analysis would highlight the following tailor-made recommendations:
- Conducting interviews in English. The business course in the group English lesson didn’t cover conducting interviews, as it was considered a niche English speaking demand. But she has been asked to sit in on interviews on a weekly basis. The PS English Business lesson will focus on this specific need and help the student formulate the right questions. The teacher will suggest having the real interviews recorded and, while maintaining confidentiality of the interviewee, will offer to help provide feedback on the interviewer’s performance and clarify any problems in understanding the interviewee’s answers.
- Giving presentations in English. The business professional has also been asked to give an important presentation to a potential client. In the PS English lesson, the student and teacher will practise giving presentations, focusing on style, content, and good intonation. Post-presentation questions and answers can also be considered to practise answering potentially difficult questions from the audience.
The new arrival to London
His level is upper-intermediate. A former office worker has made the leap to start a new life in London, but doesn’t have a job yet nor any permanent accommodation. We can offer English lessons that focus on daily life issues and practicalities, including no less than:
- Intensive block of one-to-one English lessons (3 times a week)
- Practising job interviews
- Helping to make the resume / CV sound natural in English
- How to ask questions when viewing rental accommodation
- Learning about cultural aspects of the UK that might be helpful
One-to-one English Lessons – In summary
The profiles above are just a sample of the many types of non-native English speaker that we have helped. Please contact us for more information and book a 45-minute free consultation with our school principal. Whatever the final content of the lesson, all our English lessons provide the following:
- An experienced teacher, who will always be a native English speaker
- A tailor-made curriculum focusing on your English needs
- Use of authentic learning resources, wherever possible (such as newspaper articles)
- Flexibility of time and place to study English, based on your schedule
- If desired, maximising lesson time for speaking English and listening to English