I’ve subscribed to the YouTube channels and my phone is awash with language apps, but I’ve decided that a private tutor is the surest route to really getting to grips with Arabic.



Language-wise, Arabic is no walk in the park, and relative difficulty – alongside other factors, such as work and extended holidays – can lead people to choose private tuition over other learning vehicles.

I’m certainly not denigrating YouTube or language apps. Both are much cheaper and can prove extremely useful to those for whom listening and repetition, or visualisation and application of vocabulary – through applications such as Memrise are the preferred learning method. But for me, private classes suit how I apply myself to language learning, especially when it comes to less familiar languages.

For one thing, there will be somebody who sets me homework and insists that I do it; Duolingo doesn’t have a stern enough face or disappointed enough tone to stop me watching Family Guy. Then there’s the promise of spontaneous conversation, the continuation of which will depend on my being able to demonstrate that I’ve really imbibed what I’ve studied, something I’m not sure online call-and- response-based lessons really capture. Finally, there’s the cost element to consider: private lessons are expensive (as I discuss below), and deciding to invest in them means the onus really is on the student to put in as much work as possible.

So if you’re serious about learning a language, whether from scratch or otherwise, private lessons could well be the best way forward. Consider the following four suggestions to help you make as sound and beneficial an investment as possible.

Think about what your goals are

Goal-setting is crucial when it comes to learning a language. It may help you decide whether private lessons really are the most suitable option for you. For example, if it’s just speaking practice and vocabulary you need, a language exchange might be more appropriate.

Websites such as mylanguageexchange.com can put you in touch with someone in your local area who speaks the language you want to learn. Likewise, if you want to study a language for, say, a holiday, then evening classes – or more specifically, holiday courses – may be better.

If you think you need a more thorough application of concepts, as well as more structure and tailored guidance from an experienced tutor, it’s unlikely you will get this from a language exchange partner or evening class. A good way of thinking about your personal goals is to check out the common European framework of reference for languages. This can now be applied to more than 40 languages, and helps learners reflect on their aims on a skill-by-skill basis. It might be worth using it as a reference point during your first meeting with your tutor.

Choose the right tutor (and don’t get ripped off)

The best way to find a tutor is through an agency or through a website like FirstTutors.com, though nowadays it’s common to find tutors on Gumtree and similar sites with a local remit.

Asking in the local library or secondary schools can also put you in touch with tutors who work in your area. A good tutor will charge anything between £20 and £45 a lesson. If you find a tutor through an agency, the chances are fees will be higher as the agency will take some commission. However, an advantage of doing so is that tutors will have provided references, and will have been DBS-checked (if you want a tutor for your child, for instance). If you decide not to go through an agency, a tutor should provide you with references and qualifications as an example of good practice, and if they don’t – ask.

Be wary of anyone charging higher or lower than the £20-£45 because a good tutor should be charging at least £20 for a thorough, well-planned service (unless they haven’t specifically advertised as a trained teacher, but are willing to help with conversation and vocabulary).

It’s not a bad idea to organise a trial lesson with a new tutor. A good tutor should know their language inside out, and be able to explain it, but not to the degree that they blind you with jargon and aren’t sensitive to your language-learning background. Not everyone knows what a non-defining relative clause is, for example; a good tutor would present it in context, and check out how far you understand by using well-prepared examples.

Have an idea of what you want to cover

Once you have settled on a tutor, think about what you really want to get out of the lessons. A good way to do this can be to think about what will enable you to achieve your goals, and your tutor should help with this; if you want to be able to have a conversation with people using the past and the present, for instance, you’ll not only need to cover these tenses, but also how they appear in the negative, and how you form questions.



Likewise, if you want to improve your listening skills, what would you like to listen to? Is it going to be more useful to listen to audio related to holidays, basic conversation, regional accents or business meetings, for example?

Lots of students prefer to leave it up to the tutor to decide, but the more ownership you have over the content of your lessons, the more chance the tutor has of finding material that really engages you. If you’re considering a tutor for your child, the tutor should have a good working knowledge of the assessment objectives for the relevant exam board.

Make a learning plan

If your tutor doesn’t set homework, ask for some. Getting your money’s worth for a private class should be as much about putting in the hours during and after the lesson. Finding a language exchange partner, booking a short holiday, scoping out language nights in your town (some restaurants host these, and there’s often wine, which, as we all know, can take you from tentative to fluent in the space of an hour) or even getting a friend to test you can help you vindicate your learning between classes.

As a final point, be bold when it comes to asking your tutor to correct your speaking. A good tutor should do this automatically, whether directly or by prompting self-correction. If you feel as if they are letting you prattle on with no regard for your mistakes, ask them if what you’re saying is correct. Error correction is a huge part of language learning, and should not be overlooked.

@RosieDriffill

http://www.rosiedlanguages.com