Liverpool isn’t just home to the legendary Beatles and Liverpool Football Club; it’s also a fantastic city for anyone looking to learn English. Its local schools offer language courses that provide an authentic taste of the British way of life. Liverpool is famous for its friendliness, which makes it an ideal place to practise English through real-world conversations with locals and other students. Read on to find out more on liverpool1.one.
An Overview
Most of Liverpool’s language schools are located in the city centre, close to famous landmarks like the Liver Building, Royal Albert Dock, and Tate Liverpool. This means that students not only get a quality education but can also immerse themselves in the city’s vibrant cultural scene.
The University of Liverpool English Language Centre offers a variety of non-commercial methods, including conversation clubs and language exchange programmes. We’ll go into more detail about this below, but generally, this option is aimed at improving both academic and social English.
Liverpool Central Library offers free resources for learning English, hosts language workshops, and organises conversation clubs. Libraries are great, free places for self-study and for finding local communities where you can practise speaking regularly.
The University of Liverpool
One of the best ways to improve your English in the birthplace of the Beatles is at the University of Liverpool, which offers students a wealth of opportunities and resources. A key benefit of this university is access to a dedicated learning space known as the Language Lounge. Here, students can use books, DVDs, and textbooks, and get advice from teachers on the most effective materials for their specific needs.
The Language Lounge also organises conversation clubs where students can practise English both in person and online. Additionally, there is a language exchange programme where students can share knowledge of different languages with their partners. They also have access to the university’s two large libraries, which contain millions of resources, including online materials accessible from any computer.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Courses – for Over-19s
Learning languages is much easier as a child, because the brain is highly receptive to new knowledge. But what about someone who has moved to the UK and settled in Liverpool as an adult? Is all hope lost for them? Not at all. The city has various English courses for adults, including free programmes for those aged 19 and over.
For immigrants whose native language is not English, there are ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses aimed at developing speaking, reading, and writing skills. Many of these courses are free and are taught by specialists who are experts in English. To start a course, a student just needs to undergo an initial assessment of their language level. This helps them find the most suitable course.
Here are some of the options:
- Functional Skills English – this course focuses on developing everyday writing and reading skills and helps prepare students for more difficult exams. Successful students may be recommended for further study at the GCSE level. Even if you just want to help your children with their homework or manage the family budget more effectively, this free course is perfect for these modest goals.
- GCSE English – a course for more advanced students who already have a command of English beyond functional skills and want to obtain a qualification. It serves as preparation for more complex courses.
- A-Level English – for the highest level of student preparation, who have already successfully completed a GCSE course and are ready to improve their English to a near-native level.
The courses are organised with the circumstances of adult students in mind. Some of them work and may have family obligations, so they only have a few free hours a day or a week. All of this is taken into account, so you can study English when it’s convenient for you.
Jürgen Klopp’s Unconventional Method
Jürgen Klopp, the former Liverpool FC manager, once shared how he learned English. He simply watched the popular American sitcom “Friends.” While the language used by the characters might have a bit of an American twang, which is slightly different from British English, the dialogues are still easy to understand. Klopp explained that the characters in “Friends” speak clearly and without the complex regional accents or slang that you often hear in films.
The manager noted that while he also watched other movies to improve his English, they often used dialects and what he called ‘trash talk,’ which made the language difficult to understand for a non-native speaker. This is why the TV series “Friends” was the most convenient source for him to learn English.
As you can see, in Liverpool you can learn English without leaving your home, without expensive courses or tutors. Just choose the option that suits your taste and budget.