This article may seem
very biased, as I myself work as a language teacher. On the other hand, as a
polyglot and enthusiastic language learner, I have been and am also a consumer
of language instruction. Personally, I am extremely time-conscious. I have so many other things to
do apart from language learning, that I am intolerant towards wasting time in
unproductive classrooms. That is why I hated or dropped out of most language
courses I attended back in Germany.
The choice of your language teacher can
leave an imprint on the rest of your life. If your personal life and career
depend on your level in a foreign language, you should not leave this decision
to chance. If you are planning to migrate or to work in a foreign language,
most of your success (salaries, integration, personal life) will depend on how
you speak the respective language.
Unfortunately, many students make their
choice based on suboptimal critera:
·
What
is the most easily accessible option?
·
What
is the cheapest option?
·
What
is the option I “like” most (and not, what option is most productive)?
Remember, if you plan to learn German just
to order beer at the Oktoberfest or to pick up women (or men), almost any way
of instruction will do. If, however, you need to speak as closely to a native
speaker as possible, you should realize that you are not only paying the price
for the actual course, but also for the lost opportunities.
Let us do some calculations:
You enroll at a local language course that
costs 150$ per level. Level duration: 3 months. In the ideal case, if the school
delivers what it promised, it may take you 2 years (and eight levels) to reach
an advanced level, enough for getting a job in that country. Now, you could
think that you spent only 150$ * 8 = 1200$ for two years, right?
Now consider what you would earn at an
entry job in that country in your profession. Imagine it would be 2000$.
Therefore, each month not knowing the language costs you 2000$. A 2-year waiting
time costs you 48000$. So, the total cost for two years would be 1200$ + 48000$
= 49200$.
What if, with another teacher/technique,
you could obtain the same results in 12 months? Then the total price would drop
by 24000$ . Now imagine that you had to pay 1200$ for just one year. Then you
would still save 22800$ compared to the first option.
Now consider the risk that you choose the
first option, but you do not reach the desired fluency? Then you would incur a
monthly opportunity cost of 2000$ for each extra month of delay.
Having the right perspective, let us go
through criteria for a good teacher:
1. What percentage of lesson time am I
actually actively producing speech? Is the teacher him- or herself consuming
most of the lesson time?
To
be continued
If you like
the attitude of these articles, please check out my online courses : at the
moment, German for Russian- and Romanian-speakers, as well as on goal-setting.
If you are
interested in improving your English in the area of business presentations, I
know of no better address than Tom Antion. Please check him out following this link.
Stay tuned!
Gerhard
About the GO Method
The GO Method applies research in
psychology as well as principles of quality management to the language teaching
process. It conforms to key elements of the ISO 9001 standard, while being more
specific on teaching-related issues. Customers get access to easily adaptable
document templates.
About me
Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg
/Germany (*1979). Married with children. MA in psychology from the University
of Hamburg. More than 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in
psychology as well as a consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU
and private companies. Coordinator of the GO Method network, with
representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide.
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