Have you made the decision to go back to learning English for fun, rather than as a school exercise? Do you want to commit to English language classes for work? Do you want to learn English but are not sure of where to start? First of all, the best thing you can do when you are studying English is to study because you want to – not because you have to. Being forced to learn something when you are not interested is difficult because you will not have the same drive to learn and improve. So, if you are ready to begin learning English (or to begin again), take a look at the following ideas on where to start and how to progress.
Set yourself Goals
Everyone has a different reason for studying English. If you know why you want to study, it is easier to set goals to help you study. For example, if you are going to be working for a London-based company, your goal may be to interact with your colleagues in English. If you are travelling abroad, you need to be understood in English and to understand basic English. Set your goals, whatever they are, and write them down. Use a positive tone – for example, “I will improve my speaking and pronunciation skills.”
Set an Agenda
It is useful to understand how long you will need to study in order to achieve your goals. You need to be realistic when you are thinking about your timescale. Every student is different. You may have all day to study, in which case you can expect to learn in a few months. But if you work all day or take care of children, don’t expect to study all night in order to pass an exam in one month.
Set your schedule according to your needs and your circumstances. Start slowly but regularly. Set a time each day or week to study English. After a few weeks, evaluate whether the schedule is working or not. Are you too tired at night to study? Try switching to the early morning. Can you study on the train on the way to work? Find the best place to study so you can maximise your study time effectively. You may want to combine studying with a cup of coffee or a snack – make the process interesting and comfortable.
Make your Commitment
If you decide to study English because you want to, no one is going to get angry if you don’t show up to class or if you decide to give up. You need to make a commitment to yourself, and you must motivate yourself to go back to the books and continue with your classes, even when you don’t feel like it.
Introduce Fun Activities
Studying a language from a book by completing written exercises is not going to inspire you to continue for longer than a few weeks. Plan fun activities and different ways of learning in order to make the process enjoyable. Go to watch a movie in English. Find English-speaking friends and set a date to practice your conversational skills. If you can, look at summer school UK programs so you can spend some time learning in an English-speaking country.