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How to save the market for language courses during a pandemic?

The experience of a polyglot, combining the roles of a student, teacher and entrepreneur, whose business would not have been possible without foreign languages.

Aperitif before flight


By the time the aircraft’s landing gear touched the asphalt at the Doha airport, the QR0282 passenger was able to learn only three out of ten phrases in Arabic well. I opened the Russian-Arabic phrasebook and with horror closed it again. And so several times during the six-hour flight, being sure that it is impossible to learn, even having five European languages ​​in the arsenal, actually developed teaching methods and a great desire.

Perseverance prevailed and the polyglot prepared for a meeting with a local investor, squeezing a few words out of itself, seasoned with a sincere interest in local culture and language. But after, thanks to one order of this client from Qatar, it was possible to earn a larger sum than it was possible to earn in two months of intensive work in tourism with compatriots, the motivation in learning the Oriental language grew rapidly. Arabic began to magically succumb to assimilation, as in the fairy tale about Aladdin’s lamp.

I have been analyzing this situation for a long time and the factors that influenced the client’s decision to contact us, and not the local travel company or resort to an independent reservation. But the main conclusion is that without a foreign language, nothing could even have begun.

In quarantine, it is becoming increasingly difficult to object that there will probably never be a more successful opportunity to start learning a language or to increase an existing level.

This unique situation allows everyone to win: language schools - to improve methods of online learning, teachers - to expand the circle of students, students - to plow the field of business opportunities in the rapidly changing 2020, winning 2: 2 instead of 0: 0.

Recently, a joint study by Forbes Woman and Forbes Education was published on how language schools try to survive the quarantine era and move their businesses online. It was not so simple. But abandoned seeds can still be germinated, fertilized and enjoy the fruits in the near future.

On the runway


My start of teaching foreign languages ​​began in 1999. Friends of parents aged about 40+ became my first students, planning my first trip abroad to France. I was then preparing for the French language Olympiad, intending to enter a prestigious language university. The fate of the profession was different: since 2007, I have practically not been teaching. However, languages ​​are inextricably linked with both areas of business - real estate and tourism, occupying at least 70% of my daily communication with foreigners.

Asset: English, French, Italian, Ukrainian; Arabic in the process of learning along with Spanish.

The developed methods, the synthesized experience learned from the best teachers, the ongoing process of improving language skills, the study of the problems facing adults on the topic of what prevents them from learning a foreign language in changing conditions, led to certain conclusions.

Turbulence in flight


Language schools are now in a better position and it is much easier for them to rebuild. Treating patients remotely or learning to drive a car online is a much more difficult task compared to teaching, for example, English.

The problem is the lack of activity on the part of those who want to study, although this seems paradoxical: finally, conditions have been created that many have dreamed about for years.

The key to success in mastering the language lies at the intersection of psychology, discipline and the ability to rejoice in future dividends in advance, giving them emotional credit.

1. For many, things are bad with self-organization: you need someone who will constantly monitor the process from the outside, otherwise you will not be able to learn. Those who are willing to pay more for offline classes do not pay for the quality of the process, but for the ingredient in the form of additional control. And for socialization, which - alas - does not have a pandemic for everyone. The brain clings to an old school template stating that a teacher should be standing with a pointer and, if you do not try, a deuce to the magazine. It is familiar, familiar and contains an element of nostalgia.

If it seems that the difference in the costs of offline and online training is small, try calculating the time spent during the month on the road to get to the courses and find a parking: in a metropolis it takes 1-1.5 hours one way at least. Everyone has invaluable time, but if you turn to the calculator, how much does one hour of time cost, for example, of a top manager?

2. The inability to take responsibility in the conditions of relaxation at home, amidst a mass of pleasant things distracting from the educational process, is added to the first paragraph.

To overcome this barrier, the language being studied must be classified as a “rest and hobby”, organically fit into the lifestyle, without turning it into penal servitude. If after five online conferences there is no more strength for the sixth hour of working with a teacher through a monitor, you can read websites of any subject in a foreign language and try to understand the meaning, even if only 5% of the words are still familiar; study the instructions for the purchased goods in parallel in their native language and in the language being studied; include movies, music, hobbies. During periods of severe fatigue, you can use the book as an alternative to a laptop, write by hand or choose an even less energy-consuming action, for example, communication with a native speaker through voice messages.

The brain remembers everything: both what you read about your favorite football team in Spanish and the stress of the news with a loud headline, which you clicked on and received an alarm. All that remains is to change the habit setting.

3. Fear of failure and inability to rejoice at the result in advance.

My experience of teaching to completely different people suggests that any person, regardless of age, basic data and self-esteem, having only a sheet of paper and a pencil is 100% able to speak a foreign language right away. And leaving the lesson with simple phrases to tell about himself: what is his name, how old is he, what does he do, what does he like to do, what kind of drink does he want to drink, why did he decide to learn a language and what does he usually do in the evenings. It is enough to listen and automatically repeat these phrases after the teacher, to write them down in any convenient way. Thus, knowledge can be put into practice immediately, and not in the deferred future.

The brain at this moment does not think, but on the basis of the action sees that the goal is easily achievable. He is convinced that "I already know how, I can and I say", automatically eliminating doubts, thoughts about the "boring" sections of phonetics, grammar and other things. All this will also be studied, but dosed in a lively exciting process.

Many people are stopped by the idea that it will not be possible to achieve a free level of language proficiency soon. In my experience, teaching people aged 20 to 65: three months is enough to master the basic level, have a conversation on everyday topics, understand the essence of the issues discussed by 80% and be able to express your thoughts in simple phrases in English, for example.

Spanish will be even easier, German more difficult, but the terms plus or minus are as follows. If in the future you need the language for a professional level in your field of activity, you can plan another three months, increase the intensity of classes, filigree raising the level in accordance with the task.

No one knows for sure what will happen after quarantine ends. And that is why postponing language learning is short-sighted and irrational.

4. The surge of interest in online language courses does not end with a large number of applications because many people, when mentioning the word “online”, are looking for an approach similar to clicking on a button and getting ready skills delivered.

Learning a foreign language in a smartphone application is effectively obtained from a minority due to dopamine starvation: the temptation to break away and look at other applications, social networks, news feeds, the distribution map of coronavirus, depriving the brain of an effective learning process.

You can try to object, saying that now people have many other worries about the restructuring of life and they hold on to finance their studies, fearing an economic downturn and unemployment. But knowledge of foreign languages ​​significantly increases competitive advantages in most business areas. Time spent studying is much more useful than hours of surfing the net with the hope of finding good or picking up bad news about the virus. The argument in the style of "no free time" is sarcastically rejected in quarantine.

Dessert before boarding


The decline in activity and interest in learning in the classic offline format is a temporary phenomenon, since the psyche needs time to adapt to new realities.

It is the perestroika of students and the rapid introduction of a number of new habits in learning a foreign language into their lifestyles that can support not only the business of language schools without any help, tax holidays, loans and other benefits, without allowing bankruptcy of educational institutions, but preserving jobs for a huge number of people including yourself! A new line in your resume may turn out to be a turning point in your career, and successful negotiations with foreign partners may be the key in business. In such a combination, everyone wins and everyone will expect a safe and smooth landing with applause. Outside the influence of side winds and foggy visibility.

You can try to give only the only argument against learning languages ​​- time costs. But what is the price of inaction and who has to pay for it?

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