What should I look for in a language school?
Hi, I'm Chris. Head teacher at OuiCommunicate.
We who are in the language business are able to read in between the lines.
We know what to look for in a language school and how to run a quick checklist.
This checklist is now made availble to you.
Please don't trip when you run out of yours!
If your French teacher doesn't quite "get" you
If you need flexible bookings
Try an English-to-French bilingual school
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Who are we?
It’s nice that a teacher be a native speaker of the language they teach, it’s better if they also speak yours as a native. Press play to learn about our bilingual teaching of French.
How does it work?
There’s so much depth to this website, we think it’s easier to show a video than to try to lay it all out in pictures and in writing. This is why we deliver results: no more grey zones!
1. Example of a genuine language school
californiabilingue.com
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with California Bilingue, have never contacted them and as far as I know they don’t even know I exist. I recognize their genuineness and would choose them above any other Spanish school with no hesitation.
Check 1: The overall feel. They seem to be doing their own thing, they have their own unique aesthetic, they take pride in their appearance, there are no stock photos of models holding books and happily smiling, they don’t promise the earth and there are no mentions of national stereotypes. They have a very simple mission statement that holds in one sentence. They teach Spanish to adults.
Check 2: The owners of the school. You can look up the background of the teachers, the management and the founder Emilie Stillman. Their background and their culture are connected to their occupation as teachers. The tone is neutral and you can just tell they are genuine people through their life stories.
Check 3: The size. California Bilingue are not in the business of expansion. They are not there to take on the world and hire hundreds of teachers. They focus on language not business. They know that there is no way to control quality of the classes if they grow past a certain size.
Check 4: Levels of creativity. Languages are closely related to art and creativity. Teachers need to develop their own unique style of teaching. On the website, we see several images and logos that send the message that this school is creative and unique.
Check 5: Tone. There is absolutely no mention of “fun” or “exploring the world through my teaching” or any vaguely-defined notions. The emphasis is only on teaching and learning. They do one thing and they do it well. They teach Spanish.
Check 6: Qualifications. It is especially important to look at the background of the owner of the school. Do they have a background in business or are they involved in culture, travel or education?
Check 7: If I book here, am I going to get what I came for? In this case, California Bilingue would have to go out of their way to miss the target. I have complete certainty that they have the ability to teach me Spanish. And besides, it’s what they do!
Check 8: The extras and everything combined. One language of expertise, creativity, background of owners, never over-promising, no corporate logos, no stock photos, no models, no fake students, no second or third locations.
Conclusion: We can safely conclude that California Bilingue are in the business of teaching Spanish and do it well. Nothing has given us reason to believe otherwise.
Run a check: The usual red flags!
Red Flag 1: Size. If your language school teaches a variety of languages, you can forget it. They are in a different business than the one you think. There is no way that management can ever control the quality if they offer languages they don’t master themselves.
Red Flag 2: Corniness. Look out for stock photos, smiling people with corporate clothing giving presentations, happy students carrying books, photos of Paris or London…anything corny or stereotypical indicates that the language school is as original as their pictures.
Check 3: Corporate Logos. Some schools advertise the logos of businesses that have worked with them. How does this say anything about the quality of their teaching? They are seeking for legitimacy and are trying to find it through corporate validation. No good.
Red flag 4: The narrative. Very often, we see the owners of language school claim they had a light bulb moment or a similar life-changing experience, They just knew they had to teach languages (or get others to do it for them). No good. These are often unqualified opportunists.
Red flag 5: A revolutionary method. Anyone claiming to have cracked something in human cognition or saying they effortlessly leaned 8 languages is taking you for a ride. Their claims are not true for the simple reason that there are no shortcuts to be found.
Red flag 6: Official endorsements. If they mention anything official such as DALF tests, CEFR levels, or memberships with State-approved organizations they are looking for validation that their teaching of languages cannot bring. Languages are like oceans and don’t care about badges.
2. Real examples of schools
With 110 instructors, 330 certified courses and a fleet of awards, quality control and credibility are strongly compromised. It seems that every 7 students they get a new award. Way to go, guys!
This language corporation developed an app that even got an award from Oprah Winfrey! Is the Washington Post a reference in language acquisition now? What are these awards even about???
This language school combines 2 red flags by using stock photos and by dazzling us with a method of their invention that supposedly found a hack in the human brain. Sorry guys, you didn't.
As well as offering 27 languages, this school even divides languages into sub-sub levels! Red flag. These people are in the business of selling classes and creating a drawn-out learning experience.
Here we have the typical list of customers in the footer, which for all we know might be a handy tax write-off for local businesses. Says nothing of the quality of the learning.
This is the "about" section of a language school who says nothing of the owners, uses stock photos and essentially tells us that grammar and vocabulary are taught by "interacting with the teacher".
A Mission that hopes to please "everyone" for maximum returns. They seem to consider that languages have to be taught according to context and the sort of occupation you have.
As if a profession determined the "type" of class we needed. The other red flag is letting the student tell the teacher what they think they need. Guaranteed recipe for catastrophic class!
3. Before you choose...
Running a definite checklist before you sign up to a language class can be difficult. Though in many cases, common sense alone can help you: How on earth is anyone going to monitor the work of 75 teachers?
Not only are larger schools harder to monitor but their staff are less invested. They are rarely (if ever) salaried and mostly work on a freelance basis. Are they really going to go above and beyond? And how can the owner force freelance teachers to respect their pedagogy and vision for their business? It just doesn’t work.
Because teaching is a business that can only work with the consent of the customer, some schools make long-winded promises to “customize each class” and “tailor each need”. The fact is that it is the teacher who should tell the student where they stand, not the opposite. The straightest way to disaster is to ask the student: “what do you think you need?”
The student should keep in mind that not all language schools have the same intention of purpose. Some are built for young kids. Others follow official guidelines to deliver certificates. Others still are there to procure enjoyment. Not all have a structure to make you good in the language of your choice. (even if they claim the contrary)
The teachers or schools that claim to have made a breakthrough with a radical new “method” are simply fooling themselves. Or at the very least have found a clever marketing scheme.
Be wary of the CEFR levels. They just mean beginner mid or advanced. There is no science behind it and no proven way to go from one “level” to the next.
Be wary also of State guidelines or labels of quality. Those who make the labels have likely never spent the thousands of hours face to face with private students. Besides, labels are usually bought.
Customer reviews should be read with caution. If you are looking for a fun place for your kids, try to find the reviews that mention “fun”. All other reviews should say more than “I learned so much”. Happiness does not mean quality.
Look up the owner. Be aware that the Science of Linguistics trains a person to think about languages in a certain way. You don’t get this by studying for an MBA.
Lastly, know that anyone can set up a business as a language school. You get some office supplies, post an ad for freelance teachers to work in your building and skim off the top. Know who you are in business with !
Become our next "success story"!
The lady in this video is originally from NY and wished for us to help prepare her move to France.
Today, she is fluent and happily lives in France where she meets new people and uses French daily.
The “secret” to her success is nothing more than what we offer you: the same learning material and the same approach.
But don’t take our word for it: read the review she wrote for our Google Business page!
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Wish to know more? Phone Chris now or send a Whatsapp message to +1 860-339-6480.
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