Course types · Levels from beginner to advanced
Compare our English course types
Five routes through the same small-group teaching, laid out by goal and format so you can pick in a few minutes instead of guessing.
Which English course fits you
One question sits behind all five options: what do you need your English to do? A nurse writing shift handovers and an accountant presenting quarterly numbers share almost nothing linguistically, yet both need to sound clear and appropriately direct in a British workplace. Your answer changes the course, the hours and the pace.
Every route below runs at CEFR-aligned levels, in small groups, with the same teaching approach. If you already know your goal, scan to the relevant section and register. If two sound equally right, that is normal rather than indecision.
Starting points we hear most
- You can read and write well, but you go quiet on a phone call.
- Your emails get read but not always answered.
- An exam or interview date is already on the calendar.
- You want steady improvement with no single deadline.
The five courses side by side
One school, five different rooms
The stripe above each row shows contact hours per week: thin for steady evening study, dense for compressed daytime terms. Hover a row to see it slide into register.
General English: the broad base
All four skills, grammar built into the lesson
Term · rolling start
Business English: professional communication
Meetings, email register, presentations
Term · weekday
Conversation English: speaking first
Discussion, role-play, correction on the spot
Small groups · capped
IELTS preparation: technique plus language
Timed practice, Writing Task 2, Speaking feedback
Target band · test date
Intensive English: the compressed option
Same content, more hours per week, fewer weeks
Short course · deadline-led
General English: the broad base
General English develops all four skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing, with grammar and vocabulary built into the lesson rather than taught in isolation. It suits learners who want overall improvement rather than a single target, including people preparing for further study in the UK who need a steadier foundation first.
Lessons blend discussion, listening work based on British accents and real recordings, short writing tasks and structured grammar review. Expect homework. It is not heavy, but the learners who progress fastest are the ones who do it.
Typical General English room: a long table, a blank board and enough quiet for everyone to speak in a term.
Business English: professional communication
This course covers meetings, email register, presentations, negotiation language and the small talk that opens doors in a UK workplace. It is sector-neutral, so a nurse and an accountant in the same room still get value. What they share is a need to sound clear and appropriately direct without sounding rude.
Common starting points: writing that gets replies, disagreeing politely in a meeting, handling unexpected questions after a presentation, and understanding fast colloquial speech from colleagues.
Business English rehearses the moments that decide a meeting: the opening minute, the polite disagreement, the closing question.
A conversation class of twenty is a lecture with extra steps
Conversation English: speaking first, fluency driven
Conversation English exists for one reason: to get you talking. Sessions are structured around discussion, role-play and correction on the spot. Grammar comes up when it blocks meaning, not as a separate lecture. If you can write a good email but go silent on a call, this is usually the right room. Class sizes stay small here on purpose, because a room of twenty turns practice into a lecture.
Register for Conversation EnglishIntensive English: the compressed option
Intensive courses run the same content as the standard term in fewer weeks with more hours per week. They suit learners with a deadline: a university start date, a job interview, a visa timeline. The trade-off is pace, since study is harder to sustain alongside full-time work, so we ask about weekly availability before placing you.
Short-course English study in the UK can run from as little as a week up to a year, depending on the provider and your goal. Our intensive option sits at the shorter, higher-intensity end; our standard terms suit steady progress over months.
IELTS preparation: exam technique plus language
IELTS preparation covers Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking with timed practice and individual feedback. We focus heavily on Speaking fluency and Writing Task 2, the two areas where UK candidates most often lose marks they could have kept.
Before you commit to an exam date
What an IELTS course actually changes
Two of the four papers are marked in ways that reward technique as much as language: Writing Task 2 and the Speaking interview. A strong speaker can lose marks by answering too briefly; a strong writer can lose them by running out of time on the second task. That is the part a course can move.
You will write under time pressure and get your scripts back with specific comments rather than a score alone. Tell us your target band and your test date on the form, and we will tell you honestly whether the timeline is workable. If it is not, we will say so and suggest alternatives.
Bring these to the form
- Target band, if you have one already
- Your booked or intended test date
- Which paper worries you most
- Hours per week you can realistically study
Group, private, or both
Which format: group, one-to-one, or mixed
Small group classes
Regular speaking practice, a fixed teacher and the momentum of peers who turn up on the same evening each week. The cheapest route per hour, and the one most learners stay in.
Best for steady term progress
One-to-one tutoring
A faster, more targeted pace and full attention on your specific weak points, whether that is pronunciation, email register or exam timing. Sessions are arranged around your own calendar.
Best for a dated deadline
Mixed programmes
A group class for routine practice plus private sessions before a deadline. Most learners who choose mixed do it for one of two reasons: an exam or interview is coming, or their level sits awkwardly between two classes.
Best for a level in between
If two course options sound equally right, that is normal. Send the form with a sentence about your situation and we will suggest which one to start with.
LocalVisa English Courses · 48 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2SA
Course finder
How to choose in five minutes
Is there an exam or a specific deadline?
If yes, go to IELTS preparation or intensive options, because both are built around a fixed end date. If the deadline is a test date, tell us the band you need. If the deadline is a job interview or a course start, intensive options fit better, since they compress the same content into fewer weeks.
Is your main problem speaking confidence?
Conversation English or a mixed programme. Conversation classes are capped on purpose so each learner speaks several times an hour, and mixed adds private sessions if one particular situation, a call, a presentation, keeps tripping you up.
Is the goal workplace communication?
Business English. It covers the meeting, email and presentation language that British offices actually use, and it works for any sector because the register is the same whether you are discussing patients, contracts or spreadsheets.
None of those fit cleanly?
General English is the safe start, and you can switch at the end of a term. Moving between General and Conversation English at the same level is usually straightforward, and many learners do exactly that once they have a clearer picture of what they need.
Ask which course fits meFees and terms
Fees, terms and what happens before you pay
Course fees depend on format, hours per week and whether you take group, private or mixed sessions. We confirm the exact figure in writing before anything is charged, along with the term dates and the teacher. Nothing is billed from the registration form alone, so asking about a course costs you nothing but a short conversation.
If you need to change course after the first session, talk to us. Switching between General and Conversation English at the same level is usually straightforward. Moving to IELTS preparation mid-term depends on where the class has reached, and we will tell you honestly if joining now would leave you behind.
How to register
Send your first name, surname, email and phone number on our registration form with a sentence about your goal. We reply with the course we suggest, the level, and the next available start date.
RegisterQuestions before you pick a course
Do I need a placement test before I choose a level?
We ask a few short questions when you register and place you on a CEFR-aligned level. If your level sits between two classes, we will say so and suggest the mixed programme rather than leaving you in the wrong room.
Can I change course after the first lesson?
Yes. Switching between General and Conversation English at the same level is usually straightforward. Moving into IELTS preparation mid-term depends on where the class has reached, so speak to us first and we will tell you whether it is a sensible point to join.
How many hours a week should I expect?
Standard terms run a few hours a week, which suits people working alongside study. Intensive options pack the same content into more hours per week over fewer weeks, so they are better for a fixed deadline but harder to combine with full-time work.
What information do you need from me when I register?
First name, surname, email address and a phone number, plus a sentence about your goal or deadline. That is enough for us to suggest a course, a level and a start date. You can reach us on +44 20 7937 6510 or at info@localvisa.digital if you would rather ask first.
Do you teach outside London?
Our classroom teaching runs from 48 Bloomsbury Way in central London, and our courses are built for learners across the United Kingdom. Tell us where you are based when you register and we will explain what your options are from there.
Still deciding between two courses?
Message us with what you need your English to do in the next twelve months, and we will point you at one of the five routes. If a general improvement with no deadline is the honest answer, that points to General English and you can adjust a term later.
Visit48 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2SA, United Kingdom
Call+44 20 7937 6510
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.