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Are private lessons better than group lessons?
For this month's article, we are going to answer a common question: are private lessons better than group lessons?
Firstly, what do we mean by private lessons? Many schools have different definitions and we will offer ours. At Langage d'ici, a private course consists of a learner and a teacher. There is only one learner in the group. As soon as we have more than one learner, we are now into group lessons. Not all schools have the same definition, but this is ours.
The question of price is another consideration. If private lessons are more expensive per person than group lessons, it's mainly because the teacher's time is divided among fewer learners. This is not a statement on the training quality, but rather a matter of the breakdown of the training costs.
So, with these preambles out of the way, let us get to our topic "what type of training is better"? The short answer: both offer advantages and limitations, and are determined by your goals, your availability, or what you are working on.
If you cannot free yourself for the schedule of group lessons, private lessons offer more flexibility. As we have to match the availability of only one learner with one teacher, we generally have more options available for private lessons. When we have to coordinate the schedules of 3, 4, 5, or even 6 learners, the flexibility becomes limited. The availability of some does not combine with that of others and generally, there are compromises to be made, which makes flexibility difficult or even impossible once the course has started.
Also, if you have specific needs, such as specific work vocabulary, and distinct subject matter, private lessons offer greater personalization. We can take some of your texts, presentations, or communications, and include them in the training to maximize retention and transfer. This is hard to do for groups, even when the group members are from the same company. The reality is that even if the company is from a particular sector, employees may occupy different functions, such as human resources, marketing, finance, operations, IT, etc. So, yes, we personalize our courses with groups, taking into consideration the students' various jobs and interests.
Another element to consider is what you are working on. Group courses are more "standard" in order to address a group with similar needs. At Langage d'ici, we have 10 levels in most of the languages we offer. This is a lot when compared to some other schools. Add to that an emphasis on writing or pronunciation, correcting or working on terminology, we would end up with groups of one learner since groupings would be almost impossible -- the more specific your needs are, the more private lessons are your best option.
So far, we have praised private lessons. Now let's look at the benefits of group lessons.
If your level is low beginner, group lessons will be more profitable for you, unless you have difficulty with your availabilities or have specific needs. The reason is simple; at this level, learners do not speak at all or very little. Having a 60min lesson with a teacher may not be the most productive option. In these cases, group classes are possibly a better alternative.
Also, if you want to improve your comprehension, group lessons offer you more opportunities to practice your listening skills. Sometimes the strength of our teachers can also be a weakness. Of course, teachers' language levels are very high, otherwise, they wouldn't be with us. But in the reality of business communications, not all your contacts have achieved this level in the language. So having other learners who speak at a different rate and/or accent can sometimes prove helpful with this aspect of learning.
Finally, as stated in the introduction, there is the question of cost. If you are a business that needs to train multiple employees of a similar level, group training will be more cost-efficient. Of course, not all of your employees will be able to be part of these groups, for the reasons listed in this article, but if you manage to do some group lessons, and do private lessons for others, you will do more targeted training for your money.
In conclusion, group lessons and private lessons are equally good, it all depends on your learning goals and your budget. To find out which option is best for you, do not hesitate to contact me.