Hello, everybody! This is jack from tofluency.com and in this video, I'm
going to talk about taking immersion courses or what also known as intensive
courses in an English-speaking country. So, I'm going to talk about the benefits
of doing this,
what to do if you want to actually do it, and then also thinking about how to
incorporate this into a long-term English fluency plan.
Firstly, I'm going to start with a story and talk about one of my old students
that I used to teach online. Now, this student was an okay student. He didn't do
much homework but he showed up to most lessons and he told me that he wanted to
go to the U.S.. to study; to take one of these immersion courses for two weeks.
So, he did his research, he found a language school,
he booked the flights, he had a friend who lived in the city he was going to,
so, he stayed with his friend and he was all ready to go.
So, I talked to him after coming back from this experience and he told me it
wasn't worth it.
Firstly, the language school he went to wasn't very good.
They went through a grammar book, it wasn't very dynamic and they didn't
really do anything to help him with his English.
It was all very basic and lots of theory. Now, also he stayed with his friend and
his friend spoke his native language.
So, he actually just spent all his time with people who spoke his native
language.
So, he didn't get that practice that he needed he didn't go out and explore and
make friends and make the most of this experience.
So, all in all it wasn't the best investment for him.
Having said, that I've heard from other students who got a lot out of this
experience and I'm going to talk about what to do if you're considering going
to an English-speaking country to take one of these intensive courses for a
week two weeks a month or longer.
Firstly know that going on one of these intensive courses isn't going to
magically solve your problem.
It isn't going to magically turn you into a fluent English speaker because to
get to that level is a long-term process.
So, if you are thinking about taking one of these courses know that you need to
get into the habit of using your English now and that you need to continue doing
this after taking this intensive course.
So, set your life up now so that you're using your English on a daily basis.
Surround yourself in English and do all the things I talk about to help you make
progress on a consistent basis. Once you have that foundation, then the intensive
course is going to help you.
It's going to give you a boost. Secondly, do your research.
Look at the language school and see if they're going to help you.
You don't want to just go through a text book because you can do that anywhere.
You want to be able to have an immersive experience when you go to an
English-speaking country. You want to be surrounded by people who speak english
and meet people on a spontaneous basis.
You want to do activities in English
and just to really have made the most of the experience.
So, do your research into the language school and make sure that they're going
to give you the best experience you can have.
Thirdly, look at ways that you can immerse yourself into the city or the
country where you're going.
The best way to do this is to stay with a local family.
So, again look at the language school - see if they offer this option. If they don't,
then look at services like couchsurfing or Air BnB and try to find someone that
you can spend time with. Make friends with people make friends with the people
that you are staying with and so that you get this rich experience where
you're using your English naturally. Finally, it's good to see if this
investment is worth it.
So, look at the total price see fits in your budget and think about what you're
going to get out of this. Is this going to be a good investment for you?
is this really going to help you with your English? Because there are many ways
that it can help, you know, it's not just about the English you're going to learn,
it's about the experience... the the holiday the vacation that you're having.
It's also about the motivation it's going to give you
by helping you realize that you can use your English. So, think about this in a
more general sense and see if the money you're spending is going to be worth it.
If you have taken one of these immersion courses if you have spent some time in
an English-speaking country to practice your English, then please share your
experience with us.
You can do that in the comments section below and please let me know if you have
any questions about this.
So, thank you for watching this video - if you have found it helpful, then please share
it with your friends!