FAQ

Why Bright English?

To find out what advantages we offer click here: https://www.brightenglish.net/why-us/

What is your Method?

Our teaching method tries to emulate the way we learn a first language while taking into account the specific needs of students learning a second language.

Our staff will use a variety of tools and methods at their disposal to optimally adapt the course to your specific goals, abilities and style of learning.

The course programs are based on the European level framework CEFR which is divided into 6 levels:

Beginners (0-600 words)
Elementary (600-1200 words)
lower intermediate (1200-1700 words)
Intermediate (1700-2300 words)
Upper intermediate (2300-3000 words)
Advanced (3000-5000 words)

At beginner to elementary levels we will mainly focus on improving the student’s ability to understand when a person speaks in English, and the practice will include multiple audios, learning through pictures, stories accompanied by recordings, songs and level-adjusted videos. Learning grammar will be done only indirectly, through practicing common patterns in the language such as question and answer patterns. The amount of speaking the student will do in these stages will be little, and the practice will be focused around understanding.

At lower intermediate-intermediate levels we will focus on a lot of conversational practice in English, where the student will have an opportunity to use the more passive knowledge gained in the earlier stages. At these levels it is important to receive frequent feedback from the teacher. There is a limited amount of grammar learning and we will focus on learning mostly the basic tenses, basic prepositions (like at,on,in), quantity phrases and conditional sentences. At this stage we will mostly try to expand the student’s lexical knowledge significantly through the learning and using of common phrases in the English language and using them both in conversation.

At upper intermediate-advanced levels we will focus on plenty of grammar practice, learning advanced phrases, role-playing situations that are important for the student’s professional development and correcting written assignments given to the student to complete at home.

English Lessons over the Phone - how does it Work?

Learning English over the phone is done in a one-on-one format with a teacher. The purpose of the service is to provide you with the opportunity to practice conversation in English on an almost daily basis throughout the week as if you were living in the US or Britain. The length of the conversations is half an hour and we recommend conducting them 3 times a week. Of course, you can determine the frequency yourself and do more or less according to your own schedule.

Our teachers are all native English speakers. The teacher uses pre-made conversation templates that guide you throughout the course and help you not only improve your conversation in English but also improve your knowledge and skill in using the items that make it up: vocabulary, useful phrases and grammar. It is also possible for you to choose the topic of conversation yourself, and adapt it to your field of occupation or your interests.

You can either practice your conversational skills in the context of general every day English or business English. The service is available in a wide variety of hours throughout the day and night making it very easy for you to schedule lessons and work on your English conversation skills 🙂

For more in depth details about this service follow this link:

https://www.brightenglish.net/english-conversation-on-telephone/

Online English lessons - how does it work?

Learning English online is done in one of two ways at Bright English:

Private lessons with a tutor: we recommend studying twice a week for 45 minutes. However, you are free to choose a different frequency that better fits your schedule.
Using our online resources available on our website or the software provided to you when you sign up. The site includes much content such as: songs for learning English, stories for learning English accompanied by audio, all the tenses of the English grammar, tips on how to improve your English, a standardized level test and more.

During the lesson you will work on the variety of language skills using the many tools available to you and the teacher: an English textbook, presentations for learning English, watching a lecture on YouTube and talking about the topic, reading an article and conducting a conversation about the topic, analyzing the writing assignments the teacher gave you for homework, practice of email correspondence in English, learning from songs and videos.

There is a special emphasis placed on spoken English and the teacher makes sure to incorporate conversation often and throughout the lesson. During your conversation, you will be able to see on the screen in real time the corrections to the sentences you say, new words and useful phrases.

The lessons can be recorded on video using the ZOOM or Teams Platform – this way you can repeat the material you learned again at a later stage.

To read more about the service, click here: https://www.brightenglish.net/online-english-course/

What are the advantages to learning English over the phone?

Learning English by phone means maximum convenience. Short 30-minute lessons that can be done from anywhere and almost at any time – beyond an accessible phone, nothing is required.

For students who want to improve their spoken English, practicing English conversation over the phone is a perfect solution. Via frequent conversations throughout the week, get your mouth, brain and ears accustomed to the process of conducting a conversation in English. You will very quickly notice a significant improvement in your fluency and confidence in the language!

What are the advantages of learning English online?

Learning English online allows you to practice everything you need to take your English up a level: during the lessons you can practice reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension, grammar, practical tasks such as email correspondence, preparing presentations and more.

Since the teacher has a variety of tools and visual aids at their disposal, the range of available activities is wider. You can watch an interesting lecture and then have a conversation about it, read a passage from an article or a story that speaks to you and then write an essay on the topic (this is typically analyzed together with the teacher later on during class), Complete an exercise in the textbook that accompanies your course or have an interesting conversation about a topic that you relate to – all the while receiving real time feedback from your teacher that is immediately available to your on the the computer screen.

For students at beginner or elementary levels who still have difficulty understanding when someone speaks English, the visual aids that this learning framework offers facilitate and improve the learning process significantly. The fact that you can also record the lesson on video and then repeat it later makes this learning framework especially useful for students in the initial stages of language learning.

Learning English online is also particularly suitable for people with specific learning needs such as: lawyers, accountants, doctors, salespeople and engineers. The teacher will use field specific books, lectures, articles and content that are more relevant to the student’s field of work, something that is not possible in a group or telephone lessons.

What is the difference between learning English online and over the phone? What is more suitable for me?

Learning English over the phone is not suitable for beginner and elementary levels since the student does not yet have the ability to conduct a reasonably continuous conversation. Also, studying in a group for these levels is not particularly effective, since a lot of personal attention is required at this stage of learning. Beginnings are always hard 🙂

For students at a lower-intermediate to upper-intermediate level, learning English by phone is a perfect solution. Students at this level typically are already able to understand quite a lot of English but are having a tough time using those lexical items in active conversation. A 30 minute conversation with a native English speaker is the perfect opportunity to turn that passive knowledge base into something more accessible and active. Second language learners have many opportunities to read or listen to English, but not to use English in conversation.

Learning English online is a service that is especially suitable for beginner and elementary levels, since the multitude of visual aids available to the teacher and the student make the learning process easier, and the student is even allowed to video record the lessons and repeat them later. Since at this stage there is a great need to expand vocabulary, independent practice is an integral part of the process and practice using online content or stories\songs is extremely important.

For students who want to improve their English in the specific context of their field of work, private online lessons are the best framework. Group courses will always be built around generalized topics and phone lessons are mostly for conversations and do not offer access to content relevant to the student’s field of occupation.

While learning English by phone is especially suitable for busy people with limited time, who seek maximum convenience – learning English online is more suitable for students who require visual aids or content specifically adapted to their field of occupation and have access to a computer and the ability to set aside 45 minutes of their time for that purpose (for at least once a week).

Who benefits the most from private lessons?

Private lessons are suitable for 3 groups in particular:

A) Beginner and elementary level students – learning a language for the first time is likened to the first steps a baby takes in life. A lot of attention, personal accompaniment, patience and care from the guiding factor are required. One-on-one study with a professional teacher is undoubtedly the ideal study format for students at these levels.

B) Students who require field specific work – doctors, lawyers, accountants, salespeople, etc. Practicing in a general English learning group will often not address the needs of such students and will miss the mark.

C) People who are very busy and require maximum scheduling flexibility. If you cannot commit to a schedule that is set in stone – private lessons are really the only solution.

What are the advantages of private lessons?

In a private lesson, unlike in a group lesson, you get the opportunity to perform 100% of the practice without interruptions or distractions and the lessons are maximally personalized to your needs.

Interested in progressing faster or slower? No problem. You set the pace.

Prefer to change the focus of the lessons to business English instead of spoken English? In the next lesson the teacher will be ready with the appropriate material.

Want to go through your email correspondence and improve your ability to communicate with colleagues or supervisors orally or in writing? Do you need to do role-playing for situations in which you use English on a daily basis? In a private lesson you can do all that with a top professional that will guide you through the process.

Who benefits the most from group lessons?

Group lessons are especially suitable for 4 groups of students:

a) Students who know that the social aspect in the learning process is necessary for them to maintain motivation throughout the study period – joint practice with classmates or competition with others is fuel for many people.

b) Students who feel comfortable and enjoy studying in the presence of other people and do not have difficulty concentrating in a group study setting.

c) Students who wish to get the maximum amount of learning time for the minimum amount of money – group lessons are naturally cheaper, and sometimes the cost per lesson is half or even a third of the price of a private lesson.

d) Students who can commit to a set framework of learning – a typical group course is between 3-6 months minimum, once or twice a week for an hour and a half at the very least. Since it is a group course, the refund conditions are much more restrictive than in a private lessons course.

What are the advantages of group lessons?

a) The price is cheaper, about half or a third of the cost of a private lesson.

b) Studying with other people helps some people maintain motivation over time.

c) an organized and binding framework.

d) Networking: getting to know new people\friends\learning partners.

What are the available formats and how is the course conducted?

Private lessons are done by phone or online:

During telephone lessons, the teacher calls the student at a predetermined time and has a half-hour conversation with them on a variety of topics from the student’s personal and professional world. There are also discussion classes. The teacher corrects the student both verbally and in writing. The teacher’s feedback is inputted into a document to which you have access to – where you will find corrections for incorrectly used sentences, new vocab and useful phrases that came up during your session, and grammatical explanations.

During online classes, the teacher uses a variety of tools to keep the lesson motivating and engaging: the course textbook, conversation templates, the course software, lectures or videos on YouTube, Google search\Google images and more. The lesson can be recorded on video so that you can review it at a later time. You will have access to the written feedback that the teacher generated during your session through our student portal.

Group lessons are conducted online:

Group courses lessons have predetermined dates and times from beginning to end. All the students receive a reminder of the lesson 24 hours in advance and again 3 hours before the beginning of the session. The lesson will always start at the designated time and end at the designated time even if there are students who are absent or late. The teacher will use a wide array of resources to keep the lesson as interesting and engaging as possible: the course textbook, conversation templates, lectures or videos on YouTube, online articles, the course software, google search\google images and more. The lesson can be recorded on video to review later.

How do I know which format and framework are best suited for me?

The course and study format that suits you is a function of 3 factors:

a) Your level – find out first what your level is, if you are at a beginner or elementary level, private lessons are the ideal study framework for you.

b) Your needs in terms of acquiring skills in English – ask yourself what you want to do at the end of the course – the answer to this question will help you come to the conclusion which framework suits you best.

c) The resources available to you to improve your English skills – it is important that you know how much time, money and energy you have available for improving your English. For example – if you know you have very little time, group courses are probably not the best choice etc.

What is your level framework?

There are 6 levels, each level is divided into two stages:

Beginners – familiarity with 0-600 words. Here you will typically possess or aim to possess the ability to ask basic questions and provide basic answers of 2-3 words. A very basic ability to understand spoken or written language.

Elementary – Familiarity with 600-1200 words. Here you will possess or aim to possess basic conversational skills that are limited to traveling abroad, understanding of basic conversations and basic speaking limited to short sentences that contain many grammatical and lexical mistakes.

Lower Intermediate – familiarity with 1200-1700 words. Here you will possess or aim to possess reasonable conversational ability that allows you to develop more meaningful conversations in English and provide more complex answers that include connecting words, cause and effect and elementary grammatical structures. At this stage the student will still make many grammatical and lexical mistakes but will have a higher standard of flexibility and versatility in communication and a larger lexical pool to draw from.

Intermediate – familiarity with 1700-2300 words. Here you will possess or aim to possess good conversational ability and a strong command of the essential grammatical structures such as Simple Present, Present Continuous, Simple Past, Simple Future and basic prepositions.There will still be a significant lack of useful phrases and more complex grammatical structures such as Present Perfect and Past Perfect.

Upper intermediate – familiarity with 2300-3000 words. Here you will possess or aim to possess very good conversational ability, impressive speaking fluency, excellent control of the essential grammatical structures, reasonable control of more complex grammatical structures such as conditional sentences 1 and 2, extensive knowledge and skills using phrases in context.

Advanced – familiarity with 3000-5000 words. Near perfect conversational ability, extremely high fluency, full control of essential grammatical structures with almost no mistakes, good control of complex grammatical structures, very extensive knowledge of phrases and their use in context. These kinds of students will still exhibit small inaccuracies and deficiencies in writing and speaking that can only be resolved with an expert teacher. While this level is impressive for a second language learner it is still comparatively far away from native level in terms of vocabulary knowledge. The average native speaker will possess a vocabulary of 10-20,000 words with some who possess a vocabulary of 20-40,000 words.

How do I know what my level is?

Take our level test right here: https://www.brightenglish.net/quiz-english-level-test/

In addition, before the start of your course, we will give you a short oral exam to test your spoken English skills.

What level will I reach by the end of the course?

It takes about 6 months of working with a teacher once/three times a week + independent practice of half an hour/hour a day independently at the very least, in order to move on to the next level.

The speed of progress varies from person to person and depends mostly on the amount of investment put in by the student in between lessons.

The higher the level, the more difficult it becomes to progress. A student who wants to move for example from a lower intermediate level to an intermediate level can do so relatively easily. On the other hand, moving from an upper intermediate level to an advanced level requires much more investment and effort.

Are there additional resources that will be available to me?

Yes.

Together with your lesson package you will typically receive a book, a workbook, audio recordings for the book\workbook and a software in the total value of 350$.

All our students also have unlimited access to our online content available on our website:

If you should require additional resources to achieve your English learning goals we will make sure they are provided as part of your course without extra charge.

How much does it cost?

Click here for our prices:

What is your refund policy?

Click here to review our refund policy: https://www.brightenglish.net/refund-policy/

Who are the teachers?

All our teachers are native English speakers.

All are experienced, and have proven success with many students.

Our teachers are patient, serious, dedicated and with a lot of love for their job.

You are welcome to sign up for a discounted intro lesson and find out for yourself, just fill out the form below.

What are the payment options?

We accept payment by credit cards, bank transfers, wire transfers, ACH and some payment apps (please inquire).
A receipt or invoice is sent immediately to your email address along with an agreement when the payment is made
It is not possible to pay by check
It is not possible to pay by PAYPAL
Payment by bank transfer or payment using apps will only be possible in one payment, it is not possible to pay in installments with this payment method.

Are there any promotions or discounts available?

From time to time there are promotions and discounts such as 1-3 free lessons, free software, in addition to the packages and price lists indicated on the website. Join our mailing list to receive email and phone updates about these time-limited offers.

Clients who wish to purchase more than 120 lessons in one transaction, please contact us directly for more attractive offers than those appearing in the price list. (Fill out the form below with this request).

I’m a student\soldier. Are there any special discounts or promotions for me?