Paying to Learn

[darkchild]

Some people say when they pay for language lessons, they tend to be committed to learn faster than when they learn it for free.

Did this happen to you? Have you paid for language lessons in the past?

Please share.

[宇崎ちゃん]

For most people, paying for lessons is a big motivator.
Humans don't want to waste money, they want to spend it so it's worth it.
In many cases, the price also indicates the quality to many people.

But in many cases, it's all true.
I have learnt more Japanese from a professional teacher than from a language exchange.
The latter one switched to English a lot and I picked up only 1 new vocab word out of a 30 minute conversation (which was 15 minutes of Japanese and 15 minutes of Dutch).
The teacher on the other hand tossed new vocabulary and grammar rules every minute (in the beginning, because the more I spoke, the more I already understood).

And in many more cases, it's not true.
I have learnt far more C++ in 1 month for free, than I did in 1 year at school (1906 euros a year, paid monthly).
This is related to the fact I can take my time when I learn for free, while at school you must focus on whatever the teacher explains to all 80 to 250 students (depending on the course given).
Because you didn't understand something? Too bad, the teacher won't sacrifice his time to explain it in-depth!
And also, no demo's during class, because there's no time for that.

[Miya]

Pretty much agree with Blaveloper. I think paying for lessons motivates someone to work harder. The only time where this wouldn't be true is if that person isn't geniunely interested in the language. For example, if a mom signs up her child for a lesson and pays for it.... doubt the child will be motivated if he/she isn't interested. 

[lingvo]

Seems to be logical since you're paying someone to save the time of looking for a suitable learning source for you. A professional will know an effective approach to learn reasonably fast or will pick a method suitable for you. But yeh, language learning with high quality pros is not cheap at all. Therefore is something you should consider whether is worth it or not to spend money. 

[宇崎ちゃん]

4 hours ago, lingvo said:

But yeh, language learning with high quality pros is not cheap at all. Therefore is something you should consider whether is worth it or not to spend money. 

Which is why I like Italki so much.
Same profession as with face-to-face teachers, but just with a way lower price per hour (of course depending on where they live, so a teacher in London (UK) would obviously ask more than one in Riyadh (Saudi-Arabia), even though in both cases they teach Arabic).

[petesede]

I read the title and I thought someone was paying people to learn a new language!!  Wouldn´t that be cool.

There probably is some truth to your statement, but there are also many, and better ( in my opinion)  reasons to do it for free.  The biggest for me is just flexible scheduling.  If I want to have a 4 hour marathon study session in the middle of the night, duolingo is always there, I am not sure a spanish teacher would appreciate me calling them.

[takibari]

Last year, I was connected to a school teaching Korean language. Interestingly, the results were varied. There were students who were truly interested in learning the language, but for some reason their progress differ from that of their peers. The students were given the same materials, and the same amount of one-on-one class time with the teacher. From that, I can surmise that there are certainly other factors coming into play why progress of two paying students were different. When the company was just starting out, it offered free classes to some students. There were certainly those who excelled more compared to their peers. As wasting money wasn't in the formula (as the classes were free), then clearly, these students have different motivations and have different learning curves.

[Trellum]

Not yet, but soon I might sub to Dutch101, so far that online course is the best one I've found.  I love all the things it has to offer, it's a bit expensive, but they offer ''discounts'' often, so I guess isn't all that bad. Plus the most expensive package offers personalized help from a Native Dutch teacher...!!! Who can also offer you a study plan based on your needs, considering all that... I don't think is that expensive.  At least not if you are serious to learn a language, just like I am... because I will be living there so soon. 

[petesede]

22 hours ago, takibari said:

Last year, I was connected to a school teaching Korean language. Interestingly, the results were varied. There were students who were truly interested in learning the language, but for some reason their progress differ from that of their peers. The students were given the same materials, and the same amount of one-on-one class time with the teacher. From that, I can surmise that there are certainly other factors coming into play why progress of two paying students were different. When the company was just starting out, it offered free classes to some students. There were certainly those who excelled more compared to their peers. As wasting money wasn't in the formula (as the classes were free), then clearly, these students have different motivations and have different learning curves.

A lot of people just learn better alone, with their own material.  You can put yourself in an environment that is comfortable for you, you can take breaks when you feel you need them.  In your case, it could also just be that some people are uncomfortable learning in a small classroom.  I am like that, I preferred either the huge halls with over 30 students, or studying alone.  I had a few college classes where there were only a handful of other students, and the dynamic just made it uncomfortable.

I think it mainly comes down to discipline.  Many people do not have the discipline to study on their own, so need a scheduled class-time with a teacher to make sure they spend X amount of hours per week.  Other people have the discipline to study alone and would prefer to relax in bed with a cup of tea and their books.  WIth languages, at least the early stages where you are just building vocabulary with memorization, I prefer to be alone.  When I am ready to add conversations, then you need help.

[takibari]

23 hours ago, petesede said:

I read the title and I thought someone was paying people to learn a new language!!  Wouldn´t that be cool.

 

Haha, I was about to point this out yesterday, but just thought of dropping it. The title actually got my attention, too. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something new and getting paid in the process. It really would be an awesome idea, hehe! I will readily sign up for one. Who wouldn't want to learn something and be paid for it?

[firespirt]

I think paid lessons has its benefits. Considering you're paying for them, it's a good motivator to pick the language up or the money would feel as if it's wasted on the lessons. Plus, playing for lessons implies that it is professional and while apps and free resources are great, it doesn't beat learning with a professional and credited source. But again, classes build up the base for language learning. The real learning comes from the student and how committed they are. People can be equally as committed with free resources, too so there's that to consider. It really depends on what motivates a person. 

[reverserewind]

Paid content is usually very helpful. However, you gotta be careful what are you paying for. There are paid consultations and there also are paid video content, for example. Sometimes I do the first thing myself and people are usually pretty happy about my lessons.

[111kg]

It's good to get tested by a professor. Even if you pay him/her for tests or for teaching you, you know that there is someone holding your accountable, reason why the progress made is a lot faster when compared to the progress made by those studying without a professional teacher.

[lingualbabe]

Honestly, I am only learning new languages through self-study. I don't doubt that tutors can be of great help, especially if they are native speakers of the language that they are teaching. And of course, once you paid for something, you wouldn't want your money to go to waste so you'd make the best out of the situation. Aside from that, if you have the means and intention of paying to learn a language, then it only stands to reason that you really want to learn that language. These reasons alone are enough to make someone learn a language faster.

However, we also have to take into account the person's want and motivation for learning a new language. Regardless of whether he or she paid to learn a language, there has to be enough motivation for him or her to succeed in learning it. So if a person is being forced into it, he or she could learn it, yes, but not wholeheartedly. But if a person wants it enough, even if he or she don't have money to learn a language, he or she will find ways to do so. 

It's the same as being in a course you don't want, you can finish it but you won't be happy or the worst, you won't finish it. Language learning is like that... As long as you have the heart for it, doesn't matter if it's paid, you can learn it quicker.

[lushlala]

I have learnt French through paid for lessons in the past, but to be honest, that was long before i became very IT savvy. Long before I even knew you could learn languages online without ever paying a penny. If I were to return to learning any language in the current situation, I'm not sure I'd be so quick to seek out paid for lesson because I've amassed many free learning tools and aids over the years. I'd probably start out with those, and then if i felt I needed to supplement them, only then  would I get paid for lessons. But It wouldn't be like before where it was very involved, Monday-Friday. I'd probably opt for maybe 2 days a week. I can see why those would be a huge motivator, because obviously i'd want to get my money's worth and also not feel as if i was wasting my money. But I think it's really down to how much you want to learn, whether you're paying or not.

[takibari]

10 hours ago, lushlala said:

I have learnt French through paid for lessons in the past, but to be honest, that was long before i became very IT savvy. Long before I even knew you could learn languages online without ever paying a penny. If I were to return to learning any language in the current situation, I'm not sure I'd be so quick to seek out paid for lesson because I've amassed many free learning tools and aids over the years. I'd probably start out with those, and then if i felt I needed to supplement them, only then  would I get paid for lessons. But It wouldn't be like before where it was very involved, Monday-Friday. I'd probably opt for maybe 2 days a week. I can see why those would be a huge motivator, because obviously i'd want to get my money's worth and also not feel as if i was wasting my money. But I think it's really down to how much you want to learn, whether you're paying or not.

The technology that is the Internet, and especially YouTube is definitely a game-changer in language learning. In the past, there are too few websites offering free learning resources. But because the technology has improved greatly and many traditional companies have learned and accepted the value of the world wide web, most of them have shifted or at least added being online or having Internet presence to their business model. Gone are the days when we literally have to seek out traditional language learning schools. Not to mention, these schools demand pretty steep prices. Free language learning tools have indeed given traditional school a run for its money. As such, to those who don't have much extra money to spare, seeking out the free online tools become important.

While I acknowledge this phenomenon, it is my belief that it will still boil down to how a person thinks about learning. Some people are of the mindset that only paid learning offers results. Thus, they go for that. But there are others who can equally vouch that even with free tools, one can still learn as much as those taught by professionals.