Learn English with an ESOL tutor in Birmingham

English in Birmingham and Around the World

Learning English as a foreign language can be difficult as there aren’t a lot of things that make sense. In fact, both native English speakers and non-native speakers have difficulty learning the language. Are you living in or around Birmingham and looking to improve your English? Would you like to change careers and start teaching English? Are you a foreign student who’d like to come to the UK to study English?

There are around 360 million native English speakers with around three times that speaking English as a second language. The native speakers are mainly found in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and New Zealand. Given that the number of non-native speakers is three times that of native speakers, there are a lot of people learning the English language. These figures show just how important the English language is in the world and how much it's spoken all around the globe. In the city of Birmingham, there are plenty of different immigrant groups including those with heritage from Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa making up the largest ethnic groups. In a city as multicultural as Birmingham, there are plenty of English tutors offering tutorials to foreign students that cover subjects such as spelling, reading, grammar, etc.

The English language has been a lingua franca for international relations for a long time. The British Empire brought the English language to every corner of the globe. At its largest, the British Empire controlled over 23% of the global population. In addition to being spoken in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and New Zealand, many other countries and international organisation use the language including: The EU, the African Union, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization (TWO), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). English is the world’s most widely-spoken language in the world in terms of total speakers and the third biggest language in terms of native speakers.

Why Learn English in Birmingham?

Birmingham is the UK's second largest city with a population of around 1 million people.

However, in terms of urban areas, the Greater Manchester area is actually slightly more populous than the metropolitan area around Birmingham. What can you do with the English language? Let’s have a look at the different jobs you can do with English language skills. You can work in international organisations that use English as an official language, international business, or as a teacher, the world’s most noble profession.

Tutors can teach private academic support tutorials and help students at university pass exams, gain a qualification, further their career prospects, or simply just improve their reading and writing skills.

English can further your career prospects, especially if you have a good grasp of English grammar, spelling, syntax, writing, and speaking, which aren’t necessarily skills that every native English speaker has, either. How can you apply for a job if you can’t clearly spell or write understandable English? English lessons are also available for native speakers, especially in the form of intensive classes to help those preparing for exams.

There are a certain number of jobs that require impeccable language skills including journalist, web editor, writer, publisher, translator, etc.

Birmingham is a multicultural melting pot where the sky’s the limit. In fact, you’ll need to have good language skills if you want to teach English as a foreign language. You’ll be expected to teach grammar, sentence structure, verb conjugations, adjectives, pronouns, and prepositions to non-native speakers. There’s more to teaching English than studying grammar, you’ll also need to learn vocabulary and speaking skills. That said, studying English in depth will help non-native speakers to gain a better mastery of the language.

Where You Can Learn English in Birmingham?

Who should you talk to if you want to learn English in the UK’s second largest city? This is the question that most learners will ask themselves. We tend to think about studying languages at universities and in terms of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which is used to gauge a student’s ability in a given language. If you learn a language at A Level or university, you should attain a level required by most businesses and employers.

If you don’t have the time or money to attend a university, there are plenty of other ways to learn the English language. A foreigner could stay with an English-speaking host family to enjoy total immersion in the English language. Lessons in a language school are another great way for people to gain a mastery of English. However, even in a small group, the instruction won’t be tailored to each individual learner.

There are also websites on how to learn to speak English. There are a plethora of sites on easy ways to learn English with free lessons, grammar guides, dictionaries, and other useful resources for learning languages.

Another great way to learn English is with the tutors on Superprof. Our tutors will tailor their lessons to each student, their level, availability, strengths, and weaknesses. You can get English lessons during the holidays, study after work, or do an intensive course before starting a job or course, for example.

Learning English with Private Tutors in Birmingham

The average cost of EFL lessons is £15/hour and English lessons average £17/hour in Birmingham and the tutors adapt their lessons to each of their students and their level in the language.

Most tutors will start by doing a level test so that they know where their student is starting from. From there, they can plan their courses in terms of the student’s level and goal. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced user of the English language, you can get tailored English language classes and tuition.

A lot of tutors on the platform offer free tutoring for the first hour so that you can see what their teaching is like and how well you get along.

It doesn't matter whether you get tutorials in a classroom, café, at your home, or in the library, you'll need English to gain citizenship to a lot of English-speaking speaking countries. If you don't take ESL classes or attend English courses, you mightn't gain the proficiency in written and spoken English to complete the immigration process.

While the average cost for English lessons in Birmingham is between £15 and £17 per hour, this can vary according to the tutor’s experience and qualifications. Your own level in English will also affect how much the tutor will charge for English lessons. The main factors that affect the price are experience, qualifications, number of lessons planned, the student’s level, the subject being taught, and how far the tutor has to travel.

To choose your tutor, you should first look at those who live in your area since they’ll have less distance to travel and will be able to schedule lessons more easily. Of course, there are tutors who are more than willing to travel and won’t alter their prices based on the distance they have to travel. Similarly, there may be tutors who live near your work or school. Tutors are flexible, you’ll be able to work something out.

Good tutors will provide you with the necessary resources to get the most out of your lessons: worksheets, textbooks, digital resources (videos, websites, etc.).

There's a lot to learn about the English language and culture. In addition to learning more about the language, to really understand English, you should be spending time enjoying English-speaking culture and visiting the English-speaking countries you talk about in your English class.

As your English skills get better, you can start having more of a conversation in each of your English classes. You can work on your listening, reading, writing, speaking, and pronunciation.

Tutors can help students with preparation for an English exam such as the TOEFL or Cambridge exams, specialise in business English, evening classes to brush up on their basic English, or work on improving their English if they're an international student. The choice is yours!