EF English Live Experience: How Was My Experience?
As you know, almost everyone now learns English thanks to online English training courses. I’m a new graduate dreaming of a master’s degree abroad. So, I was looking for a platform where I could improve my English. While my search was continuing, I wanted to give a chance to EF’s English Live platform. This was one of the companies I had heard of before. In this article, I’ll talk about my own EF English Live experiences. I’ll also touch upon what I like and dislike about EF English. I hope this EF English Live experience can help you enough to make your choice:
Table of Contents:
- How I Came Across EF English Live
- My EF English Live Experience Begins
- EF English Live with Pros and Cons
- Do I Recommend EF English Live?
- There Are Better Alternatives than EF English Live
How I Came Across EF English Live
First of all, I’d like to introduce myself a little. Then I’ll talk a little more about why I was looking for an English course. I am a 22-year-old student who has just graduated from the psychology department. I want to continue my master’s degree abroad. Even though I had made such a plan for next year, I didn’t feel that my English was at a sufficient level yet. I was also delaying taking the TOEFL and IELTS exams. Their results would be needed for my master’s degree applications.
However, I was aware that I had to take a step to solve this problem. Just as I was looking for a course, I came across EF English Live reviews. So, the first online English course reviews I came across were those of this company. EF is a company that I’ve come across before with other English services they offer. Since I didn’t want to waste any more time, the EF English Live experience was a logical option.
How I Signed Up for EF English Live
Frankly, my registration process to EF English Live was more difficult than I expected. First of all, when you visit the EF English Live platform, it’s not possible to see lesson packages and prices. To see the prices, you have to sign up and wait until they call you. On the day I wanted to sign up, I had difficulty in communicating with them over the phone. They had a technical malfunction in their system. However, when I wrote to their e-mail addresses, they helped me. So, I finally got the answers to the questions I was wondering about. Then, I officially started my EF English Live adventure with the 6-month package they recommended.
My EF English Live Experience Begins
First of all, the 6-month package I chose included 30 live group lessons and 4 individual lessons per month. Although individual lessons were few in number, I was also very curious about the group lessons. Because it was said that there are live group lessons 24/7 and every half hour. They first determine what level I was at. I made an appointment for my first group lesson on the same day. Honestly, I was quite nervous but also curious as I walked into my first lesson.
For my first lesson, I chose a teacher who attended the lessons from London. When I looked at the other students, I noticed that they also had users from all around the world. This one excited me but the teacher hardly gave equal time to every student. That’s why I wanted to make my next choice for the individual lesson format. For this reason, I made my first individual lesson appointment 8 hours in advance. When signing up to the platform, I was told that I had to book individual lessons at least 8 hours in advance.
My Next Lesson and First Weeks with EF English Live
I think my first individual lesson was more useful than the live group lesson. Because in individual lessons, all the time is given to you. So, you are free to choose the topics you want to cover too. I wanted to use this course for speaking practices. My teacher also gave me writing practices for the exam. In summary, individual lessons are a good choice for those like me. Especially those who want to prepare for TOEFL and IELTS formats.
My Next Weeks
My next weeks continued mostly with live group lessons. Because, as I mentioned above, you have the right to benefit from individual lessons 4 times a month. Therefore, the features of the platform that I could access outside of class also helped me prepare for the exam process. For example; The first things that come to my mind are the interactive videos, grammar guide, and exam preparation exercises chosen by my course advisor to suit my goals. Additionally, the feature that receives help from artificial intelligence was another feature that allowed me to practice speaking.
EF English Live with Pros and Cons
Now I’d like to talk a little more about the features of the platform that I like and dislike. Let’s see what the EF English Live experience has given me in summary:
Pros of EF English Live
First, let’s start with the features of the platform that I am satisfied with:
The Opportunity to Meet Different Cultures
EF English Live is an online English course with users from all over the world. The opportunity to get to know different cultures and English accents was my favorite aspect.
Native English Teachers
My teachers were native English speakers. It’s possible to find teachers from English spoken countries.
Personalized Study Plans
Course consultants promise you a personalized study plan. They take into account your needs and the areas you want to focus on. Another detail I liked was that they prepared a suitable plan for me. I told them that I wanted to study based on TOEFL and IELTS formats.
Cons of EF English Live
Now I’d like to touch upon the aspects that I am not very satisfied with:
Common Technical Problems on the Platform
Unfortunately, I occasionally encountered some technical issues while working on the platform and trying to reach customer service. That’s why, as I mentioned above, even the registration phase took longer than I expected. In this respect, I don’t think that the platform can offer a very good user experience.
Lack of One on One Private Lessons
I don’t think that the platform offers a sufficient number of private lessons. Although you can practice individual speaking with features using artificial intelligence, I think more emphasis should have been given to individual lessons. Unfortunately, everyone’s learning speed and technique is different. Especially those who are new to English should prefer individual lessons.
The Difficulty of Taking Lessons from the Teacher You Like
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to take regular lessons from teachers that you are satisfied with. There are prominent and popular teachers on the platform. Finding a vacancy in their classrooms can be challenging.
Lesson Package Prices and Durations
The prices of EF English Live are the aspects of the platform that I’m most dissatisfied with. There are very few group lessons. They don’t offer installment options, and their shortest term package is 6 months. I would prefer to be more flexible in package prices and durations.
Do I Recommend EF English Live?
Although EF English Live had features that I liked, there were also some that I didn’t like. In general, I realized that individual lessons would be more beneficial for me. I tried to make up for this deficiency with extracurricular exercises. Additionally, when I researched EF English Live alternative platforms, I saw similar features at more affordable prices. So, unfortunately, the EF English Live experience was not as advantageous as I expected. Unfortunately, the fact that there are platforms where you can take more individual lessons leaves EF English behind its competitors. In summary, EF English Live will unfortunately be inadequate to meet the expectations of people. Those who prefer individual lessons and are looking for shorter-term and more affordable lesson packages.
There Are Better Alternatives than EF English Live
As a result, it’s quite possible to find online English training courses where you can take more individual lessons at cheaper prices. For example, Flalingo, which I came across during my research, focuses more on individual lessons and offers a better price-performance ratio to its users. Additionally, Flalingo is one step ahead for those looking for short-term lesson packages with its 3-month lesson package option. However, since everyone’s English goals and expectations will be different, I leave the final decision to you and wish you success in your English education!
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