As the Covid pandemic has hit the world, maybe people and companies have had to adapt – some have struggled, and some have flourished. But when it comes to online teaching and learning, the market has thrived thus creating a bigger demand for more online education companies. 

Many children, teens and adults have decided or are forced to stay indoors and when learning English is no longer possible outside of home, online learning has paved the way forward to create an atmosphere of learning and entertainment to those wanting to understand or speak English. Online English learning does not stop at learning to understand and speak, but also to write and assist with studying for important school or university exams.

From the warm climates of Saudi to the cold conditions in Russia, there is no limit when it comes to teaching and learning English online. All that is required is a headset, a stable internet connection and a mindset to learn.

Now that the basis of what online English learning and teaching is, has been covered, here is a list of the best online English courses and what they entail:

1- Enlego

•           Personalized English courses for all level and ages
•           99 euros – 379 euros per month depending on preferred package
•           100% Free trial class, no credit card required
•           1-on-1 Private class with native teachers

Enlego is a relatively new company that focusses on English teaching from children to adults. Enlego recruits mainly South African native English speaking teachers but do not let this fool you as South Africans are known for being one of the best native speakers to learn English from.

Whether it be just having a conversation with an English native speaker and learning pronunciation to being assisted with English/business exam studying, Enlego has it covered. 

100% personalized language courses which makes it one of the best online English courses to buy.

Enlego connects learners and teachers to choose from a variety of topics that are both fun and interactive and ensure that learning takes place. Enlego is on its way to become one of the best and fastest growing online English teaching companies out there. What ever your desire is with English, Enlego will ensure you are more than satisfied at the end of the day.

2- Preply

• Free Trial 15 minutes
• Cost: From 5USD to 25USD

Preply is the one of most popular Website to find native Speaking teachers on the internet. Preply does not stop at only teaching English however but also 49 other languages which makes it one of the best online English courses to buy. Preply focusses on one – on – one Private Language learning, which means that more than sufficient amounts of attention and care is given to the English learners. If the learner has any questions or concerns, the teacher will focus solely on those and assist until the student understands everything. 

With regards to pay, the teachers set their own price, and students have a variety of teachers to choose from with regards to which they think they would feel the most comfortable with.

Preply Sample Class:

3 - Cambly

         

• Private class via video call
• 64 – 84 dollars per month
• 15 minutes free trial
• Alternative benefits: All ages, 24 hours a day, no fee to reschedule class, payment method: paypal

Based in the US, Cambly is one of the fastest growing online English teaching platforms to date. Focussing on one – on – one classes, it focusses on teaching English. Cambly kids is another part of the company that focusses on teaching children aged 4 – 15 so there is no age limit when it comes to Cambly. 

Students can choose the tutor that they feel would be best suited for them and sign up for English conversation classes, writing lessons, exam preparations and beyond. Cambly also offers students the choice of choosing particular accents that they feel most comfortable with, with teachers who are Tefl certified that assist with English language studies or native speakers with whom students only want to better their English conversation skills.

Cambly Sample Class:

4 - VIPKID

• Private class via video call
• Free 15 minute trial class
• Class length: 25 minutes
• 7 - 9 dollars per lesson
• Alternative benefits: Teachers are TEFL certified, in depth curriculum, preview lesson

VIPKID has been around for more than 8 years, focussing on English accent practice online as well as English conversation classes of which includes: Listening Comprehension, speaking & pronunciation, reading & phonics and writing & grammar. VIPKID also offers after-class materials for students to review in the case of wanting to check over the work covered in the lesson. Communication is done via VIPKID’s own English teaching platform that is available once a student has signed up or registered. VIPKID also offers a preview video so that students are prepared for the class content.

VIPKID Sample Class:

5 - PALFISH

• Free 15 minute trial class
• Class length: 25 minutes
• Class occurs through Palfish app
• 10 – 18 dollars per lesson
• Alternative benefits: ready made English material, ages 3 – 12

Palfish is an English course for kids and connects young Chinese students ages 3 – 12 with English teachers through an application designed by Palfish. Classes are 25 minutes in length and are presented with ready made English teaching material. Students can create their own schedule and the times are flexible. Classes are focussed on learning English conversation. The English class fee ranges from 10 to 18 dollars per hour.

Palfish Sample Class:

6 - Magic Ears

• Ages 4 – 12
• Available 24 hours
• Focus on English conversation
• Price: 10 to 18 dollars

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Magic Ears offers top English lessons for one on four classes, meaning usually more than one student present. Ages of students range from 4 – 12, thus offering young students the opportunity to learn English quickly. Mainly targeted at young students form China, Magic Ears offers flexible hours with premade lesson plans all to educate younger children with English conversational skills. Cost per lesson however constantly changes and can range from between 10 to 18 dollars.

Magic Ears Sample Class:

7 - Skooli

• Low costs
• Wide variety of subjects to assist with
• Certified teachers
• Alternative benefits: 1 on 1 private classes, elementary to college level, flexible hours

Skooli specializes in teaching and assisting with a wide variety of subjects. Basically any need the student requires is met by Skooli and this can include learning English to understanding Math, hence Skooli teaches a wide variety of subjects that students might have difficulty with. Other subjects include History, science, other languages, business and many more. Skooli tutors are always available and ready to assist. Prices for students range form either 10 dollars per week or 30 dollars per week. Classes are one – on – one.

Skooli Sample Class:

8 - QKIDS

• Cost per course, not per lesson (240 dollars for 24 lessons/30 minutes per lesson)
• Ages 4 – 12
• Focusses on teaching English through storytelling

Qkids is an English teaching website that offers English conversation classes from North American English teachers to students around the world form ages 4 to 12. English conversation is taught mainly by narrative driven lessons which includes storytelling that children love. Pricing ranges between 240 to 540 dollars depending on the amount of lessons required for example 240 dollars gets you 24 lessons, so 10 dollars per lesson usually.

Qkids Sample Class:

9 - Lingoda

• English, Business English, French, Spanish and German classes.
• Free 7 day trial
• 2 – 4 students per class
• 6 – 9.6 euros per month depending on course selected

Lingoda focusses on English conversation lessons that aims to teach the language until fluency is achieved. This however is not only limited to English but other languages as well (German, Spanish and French) with classes being available 24/7. Classes can be between 2 – 4 students which happen on the Zoom app.

 Apart from other online English courses, Lingoda offers a free 7 day trial instead of the usual 15 minute free trial. After each lesson, exercises are provided to make sure the student understands the content or extend the knowledge gained from the lesson. Lingoda uses a monthly payment method which ranges from 6 to 9.5 euros per month.

Lingoda Sample Class:

10 - Udemy

• Premade courses (not live)
• Wide variety of topics and courses
• 64 to 96 dollars per course
• Alternative benefits: Ability to rewind course content to recheck

Udemy focusses on Online English courses but with a twist. Courses are premade by teachers to ensure students understand what they are watching, and if they do not, they can always rewind the course. Udemy specializes in a wide variety of topics, form learning other languages (including English learning), to mathematics, programming and more. Courses can range from a few short videos to long in depth study guides, so it is important to first see what you are paying for. Courses can range from 64 to 96 dollars.