Why We Run Group Classes for Free

"Why are the group classes free? There must be a catch."

Fair enough. Free usually comes with a reason. So here is the reason, exactly as it is.

There is something one-to-one cannot give you

One-to-one classes maximise your chances to speak. You talk for the full forty minutes and the teacher adjusts to your level. For sheer learning efficiency, there is no better structure.

But there is one situation one-to-one cannot create: speaking while other people are in the room.

The moment you speak up in a meeting. The moment you step into a conversation at a gathering. The moment it is not your turn and you have to follow what someone else is saying. These use a completely different muscle from talking face to face with your teacher. People who speak comfortably one-to-one often go silent the moment there are three of them.

Group class is where that muscle gets used. You listen while others talk, you come in without breaking the flow, and you practise summing up your opinion briefly and throwing it into the room.

Why we do not charge for it

The reason is simple. If we charged, people would not come.

A group class is an intimidating place. People hesitate to sign up because they are afraid of getting things wrong in front of others. Add a fee on top of that and it becomes "why would I pay for this", and most people never even try it once.

So we removed the barrier entirely. We made it somewhere you can drop into with nothing at stake, and simply not come back if it turns out not to be for you. In practice, the thing first-timers say most often is "that was better than I expected". Creating that one first time is the whole point.

There is one more thing. Group classes give you the feeling that you are not doing this alone. Seeing with your own eyes that you are not the only one struggling, that everyone gets stuck in much the same places, turns out to be a considerable source of strength. One-to-one can never give you that.

So what do we get out of it

Honestly, we do get something.

Students stay longer. Students who have got to know other learners' faces in group classes keep studying far longer than students who only do one-to-one. Learning is ultimately a battle of persistence, and the single biggest contributor to persistence is a sense of belonging.

It is good for teachers too. A teacher who opens a group class designs it around a topic they are strong in. They get better in the process, and students naturally get to know them.

So it is not charity. It is a structure where both sides gain. The only thing is that the student comes first in the order.

One thing if you join

Do not put pressure on yourself. It is completely fine to sit through the whole thing listening without saying a word. Plenty of people do exactly that in their first session, and start speaking from the second or third.

The choice that costs you the most is telling yourself "I'll go once my English gets better". In that order, the day never arrives. Come in at the level you are at now.