One-to-one English lessons
One-to-one English lessons are private lessons built around one student. Each lesson covers speaking, listening, reading, and writing in the proportions that student needs, rather than following a fixed course book. Lessons run for 60 or 90 minutes, weekly, in person in London or online.
Who these lessons are for
- Adults who studied English at school and want to use it confidently now
- Students who need to move up a level before a specific deadline
- People who have moved to England and want everyday English to stop being an effort
- Learners who have plateaued in a group class and need attention on their own gaps
If none of these describes you exactly, write anyway. The list is a guide, not a filter.
What we work on
The balance depends on you, and it changes over time. A student who reads technical English all day and never speaks it needs something different from one who talks easily but cannot write a formal email.
- Speaking: fluency, accuracy, and the confidence to keep going when a word will not come
- Listening: real speech at real speed, including accents you will actually meet
- Reading: skimming, close reading, and working out meaning without a dictionary
- Writing: emails, essays, reports, and the structures each one expects
- Grammar and vocabulary, taught where they solve a problem rather than in isolation
How the lessons run
The first lesson is partly an assessment. I need to hear you speak and see you write before I can plan anything useful, so we do both, and we finish by agreeing what to work on first.
After that, lessons usually run weekly, for 60 or 90 minutes. Between lessons you get work short enough that you will actually do it. Ten focused minutes a day beats an hour on a Sunday, and the schedule reflects that.
Every few weeks we stop and check progress against what you said you wanted. If the plan is not working, we change it rather than continuing out of habit.
How long it takes
Moving one CEFR level, from B1 to B2 for example, takes most adult learners somewhere between 150 and 200 hours of study, of which lessons are only part. At one lesson a week with regular work in between, that is closer to a year than a term.
That figure is an average across learners, not a promise. It moves depending on how much English you use outside lessons, how close your first language is to English, and how much time you can give it. I will tell you where you realistically sit at the end of the first lesson.
Who teaches it
I have taught one-to-one since 2023, in Hungary and in London, alongside classroom teaching at a language school in Hungary, at Kings London and, now, ESOL in prison education. Moving between very different rooms is what keeps one-to-one lessons honest: you learn quickly what works for a real person and what only works in a course book.
I am CELTA-qualified and completing the Cambridge Delta. Its current module is about diagnosing what a particular learner needs and designing lessons around it, which is what a one-to-one lesson is.
Common questions
What is a private English tutor?
A private English tutor teaches one student at a time, rather than a class, and builds each lesson around what that student needs. There is no fixed syllabus and no course book to keep up with: the lesson goes where your English is weakest or where your deadline is.
How many English lessons a week should I take?
Most students take one lesson a week, which is enough to keep momentum if you do something with the language between lessons. Two or three a week makes sense when a deadline is close, or when you are starting from very little and want the language to become habit rather than homework.
Do you teach English conversation classes?
Speaking is part of every lesson rather than a separate product. If conversation is the only thing you want to work on, say so and the lessons will be built that way, with correction and vocabulary afterwards rather than interruption during.
Do you teach online or in person?
Both. In-person lessons happen in London. Online lessons work anywhere and use the same material. Most students who start online stay online, because it removes the travel and makes a regular weekly slot easier to keep.
How long is a lesson, and how often should I have them?
Lessons are 60 or 90 minutes. Once a week is the usual rhythm and is enough to make steady progress. Twice a week suits people working to a deadline. Less than once a week means each lesson is spent remembering the last one.
Do I need to buy a course book?
No. I bring the material, and most of it is chosen for you rather than taken from a single book. If a particular course book suits your goal, I will say so and you can decide whether to buy it.
What level do I need to start?
Any level, including complete beginner. If you are an absolute beginner in English, lessons start in a mixture of Hungarian and English and move to English as quickly as you are comfortable with.
Can we focus on just speaking?
Yes, and many adults do. Be aware that reading and writing feed speaking more than most people expect, so the lessons will still borrow from them, just with speaking as the point of everything.
How much do lessons cost?
Prices depend on the lesson length, whether the lessons are one-to-one or in a group, and whether they run in person or online. Send me a message describing what you need and I will quote a rate.
Book a first lesson
Tell me your level, what you want to be able to do, and any deadline you are working towards. I will reply with an honest view of what that takes.