Private English lessons: 7 questions to ask before you start

Before starting private English lessons, clarify what you want to achieve, how you'll practise, and how much time and money you can commit. Having a teacher to yourself lets you work on your needs, but it's worth asking what that will look like in an actual lesson.

You don't need a learning plan: explain what you want to do in English and what feels difficult.

If you already have a maximum budget or fixed availability, start there. Then use these seven questions to understand what the teacher offers and decide whether it suits you.

1. What do you need English for, and by when?

Start with what you want to be able to do. "Improve my English" can mean joining meetings, travelling with more confidence, or preparing for an interview in three weeks. Each goal calls for different practice.

Imagine you have that interview. You need to explain your experience, understand the questions, and answer without relying on a memorised script. Ask whether lessons can focus on practising your answers and how you'd organise the time together.

If you need to use your own presentations, documents, or work examples, ask how much room there will be for them.

Question to ask before signing up: "How would we work on my goal in the first few lessons?"

To start preparing for an interview, there's the step-by-step preparation guide and the article on how to answer “Tell me about yourself”.

2. What opportunities will you have to speak during the lesson?

Ask how speaking practice is organised. In a private lesson the teacher's attention is on you, but you'll also spend time listening, reading, or following an explanation. An hour's lesson doesn't mean a full hour of speaking.

Find out what you'll actually do: whether you'll have time to develop an answer, ask questions, and try expressing an idea again with help. If you need to practise work conversations or everyday situations, ask how these would fit into the lessons.

In my lessons, I often see two difficulties: pronunciation and finding the right word when speaking. You can know exactly what you want to say and still need time to express it in English. When choosing a teacher, ask what opportunities you'll have to work on these difficulties with their help.

Question to ask before signing up: "How would we organise speaking practice to work on the things I find difficult?"

3. How will you receive corrections and work on your weak points?

Find out what happens when you make a mistake. Does the teacher correct you right away, make a note to discuss later, or ask you to try another way? Will you get to use what you've just learned again?

Correcting on the spot and reviewing later can serve different purposes. What matters is understanding when the teacher steps in and when they let you finish your idea.

Ask how you'll work on the mistakes you keep repeating, as well as sorting out questions as they come up. Knowing what you need to review, and getting chances to use it again, is something you can discuss before you start.

Question to ask before signing up: "How will we identify the mistakes I keep making, and what will we do to work on them?"

4. How will lessons be adapted to your level and pace?

Ask how the teacher will assess your starting point and choose activities. Saying you're at B1 level gives an indication, but it doesn't explain everything: you might understand a conversation and need more help to take part in it.

Clarifying what "personalised" means will help you know what to expect. Will the materials, pace, topics, or explanations be adapted? What happens if an activity is too easy or you need more time to understand it?

How you feel with the teacher matters too. Notice whether you feel comfortable asking questions, asking them to repeat something, and saying you haven't understood. A trial, if available, can help you get a sense of how they explain things and discuss the support you need.

Question to ask before signing up: "How would you adapt lessons to what I already know and what I still find difficult?"

5. How will you know you're making progress?

Ask how you'll be able to check that you're getting better at the thing you started lessons for.

One way to check would be explaining your professional experience again and seeing whether you need less help. Another would be practising how to ask for clarification in a meeting and checking whether you manage to say what you need. These are examples of concrete tasks you can agree on with the teacher.

Not every teacher tracks progress the same way. Find out how the starting point is set, when progress gets discussed, and what changes if a difficulty persists.

Question to ask before signing up: "How will we see what I'm doing better and what I still need to practise?"

6. What schedule and pace can you maintain?

Choose based on a normal week, with work and other commitments. Besides attending, consider how much time you'll be able to dedicate to practice between lessons.

A fixed schedule can help you protect that time. If your diary changes often, check the conditions before counting on that flexibility. Private lessons don't mean unlimited availability: the teacher has a schedule too.

Check how much notice you need to give for a cancellation, whether you can make up the session, and whether lesson packs expire.

Question to ask before signing up: "What happens if I can't attend one week?"

7. What does the price include, and can you sustain the cost?

Compare the price together with what you get: session length, materials, and follow-up. A 45-minute lesson and a one-hour lesson don't offer the same amount of time, even if they cost the same.

Also check whether there's a registration fee, a minimum number of sessions, or specific conditions for lesson packs. Work out how much you'd spend per month with the number of lessons you can realistically attend.

Ask what the price includes and what costs extra. Before buying a pack, check whether you can use the lessons before it expires.

Question to ask before signing up: "What would the total cost of the plan you're suggesting be, and what does it include?"

My lessons last 60 minutes, whether you book a single lesson or choose a pack. The free trial lasts 20 minutes.

You can check Languages are the Key's prices and lesson options to see what's on offer.

Want to see if my lessons are a good fit for you?

I offer one-to-one lessons, online or in person around Lake Como, so we can focus on what you need.

How I work

When we practise a conversation, I usually let you finish your idea and note down mistakes to go over afterwards. If the same mistake keeps coming back, I correct it on the spot, so it doesn't become a habit that's hard to change. When we're working on something specific, like a structure or how to pronounce a word, I also correct you on the spot and we try it again.

To track progress, we mix new tasks with ones we repeat a few weeks or months later, such as introducing yourself or explaining your work experience. That way we can compare whether you need less help, whether the words come more easily, and which mistakes still come up. Recently, I repeated a task from the first lessons with a beginner student, introducing herself and her family, and she had improved in several areas.

If you need to cancel a lesson, there's no charge with at least 24 hours' notice. With less notice, the lesson is charged.

You don't need to arrive with all the answers. Tell me what you want to do in English, what's difficult for you right now, and how much time you can dedicate to it.

If you'd like to know the options before booking, you can look at my general English or business English lessons.

In a free trial lesson we can talk about your goal, get to know each other, and see whether my way of working fits what you're looking for.