Help and support

About English Online Self-Study

What is English Online Self-Study?

English Online Self-Study is a 100% online and subscription-based course, designed to help you improve your level of English with the help of premium web-based exercises, grammar and pronunciation webinars and optional live classes.

This course gives you complete flexibility - study in your own time and at your own pace! With an active English Online Self-Study subscription, you have access to premium online exercises that you can complete from anywhere and at any point.

You will also improve your theoretical knowledge of English language grammar and pronunciation with our Live25 sessions. Taught by our expert teachers, these webinars will help you write and speak English with more accuracy and help you gain more confidence when using this language. With an active Self-Study subscription, you can attend 4 Live25 sessions per calendar month.

Once you have started your English Online Self-Study course, if you want to progress at a faster pace, you can upgrade to our English Online Self Study monthly subscription which also includes 4 class credits per month. With these credits you can attend live classes taught in groups of up to 15 students. Our live classes are highly interactive and focus on helping students improve their speaking and listening skills, as well as put in practice your grammar and vocabulary knowledge. You can book the classes that suit your personal needs.

While live classes are optional, we highly recommend you join them and take your English learning to the next level.

What is the course duration for English Online Self-Study?

English Online Self-Study is suitable for students at the CEFR levels: Elementary (A1), Pre-Intermediate (A2), Intermediate (B1), Upper Intermediate (B2) and Advanced (C1).

Each English Online Self-Study level includes access to 6 themes, with 6 self-study lessons per theme. You can complete the lessons in any order you like, and supplement your learning with the help of Live25 sessions and live classes.

The duration of your course depends entirely on you - you can choose to complete all the exercises available at a level before requesting to advance to the next level, or you can choose to advance to the next level once you feel confident you are ready for more advanced exercises.

Your Self-Study course ends when you choose to cancel your subscription. However, if you decide to reactivate your subscription after you have cancelled, you will regain access to your study history and be able to continue right from where you left off.

How do I check my level?

You will be asked to select your English level when you log in to your account for the first time.
If you are unsure of your current English level, you can take our free level test before joining the online classes. Sign up to our newsletter to access our level test.

English Online Self-Study offers you complete flexibility - this means you take control of how you progress, and you decide when you feel ready to advance. When you want to change your level, you can request this by contacting our Customer Support team and they will update your account.

Our course is available at CEFR levels: Elementary (Level A1), Pre-Intermediate (Level A2), Intermediate (Level B1), Upper-Intermediate (Level B2), and Advanced (Level C1).

How do I track my progress?

English Online is a subscription-based course which offers you the flexibility of advancing at your own pace - you can study with us for as long as you want!

Each level includes 6 themes that each include 6 self-study lessons, however it is not mandatory to complete all self-study lessons before upgrading to the next level. As we give students complete flexibility, you decide for how long you want to study with us and how many self-study lessons you want to complete at any given level.

Do I get a certificate?

Each time you complete a full theme, you will be rewarded with a digital badge that you can share with your network on social media, or download to your device for personal use. Badges are a great way to track your own progress and to count the milestones you achieve on your English learning journey.

If you also upgrade your subscription and attend live classes you will unlock access to a platform-generated attendance certificate. This certificate will include the total number of hours you studied with us and your CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) level.

The certificate is updated in real time after every class you attend, and it can be downloaded at any time directly from your English Online Self-Study account. There is no final examination necessary to obtain a certificate with English Online.

Our certificates bear the British Council logo and attest to your hard work as our student. You can share your English Online certificate on your LinkedIn page or download it to your device for personal use.

What technology do I need to join English Online Self-study Course?

To access your student portal and attend our live online classes, you will need: 

  • a desktop/laptop computer (preferred) or a mobile device (tablet, smartphone)
  • a reliable Internet connection 
  • a headset or headphones with a built-in microphone 
  • a working webcam 

 

Please note that if you do not wish to attend any live classes, you do not need a working webcam or a built-in microphone for this course.

If you want to join online classes, please also note:

English Online classes take place using the free and secure Zoom software. Please make sure to download Zoom to your device before your class begins.  

We recommend using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to access the English Online platform as some portal features may not work as desired on other browsers. 

Your name on Zoom must perfectly match the name connected to your English Online account, otherwise teachers reserve the right to deny you access to your live class.

To ensure an optimal learning experience for all, our students must commit to respecting our virtual classroom rules. This means you must actively participate in your class and have your microphone and webcam turned on at all times, so that your teacher and the other students can interact with you freely, as they would in any face-to-face classroom.

Please consult our English Online code of conduct for students before you subscribe.

How to join English Online Self-Study

How do I subscribe to English Online Self-Study?

Subscribing to our Self-Study course is easy! All you need to do is go to our website and click to Purchase now from the ‘Pricing’ section of the web page.

Once you have filled in your payment and contact information, you will receive an email confirming your first payment and the start of your monthly subscription.

Your English Online Self-Study package includes access to premium online exercises which you can do in your own time and at your own pace. With an active Self-Study subscription, you will also have access to 4 Live25 sessions (webinars focused on grammar or pronunciation) per calendar month.

Please note the prices of your monthly Self-study subscription does not include credits that can be used to buy live classes - if you wish to join live classes, you can upgrade your monthly subscription after you have activated your initial subscription.

How do I pay?

You can pay for your subscription online, directly with a credit or debit card or with Google Pay (for Android devices) or Apple Pay (for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac). Other options are available in selected markets. When you subscribe, you will authorise English Online to automatically charge your account on a monthly recurring basis.

Your monthly subscription will be a recurring payment charged via Stripe*, our payment provider, either in your local currency or in USD (the exact price and currency will become available to you once you have selected your country of residence during the registration process). Most credit cards are accepted.

*Stripe has been audited by a PCI-certified auditor and is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry. To accomplish this, Stripe uses the best-in-class security tools and practices to maintain a high level of security.

Can my employer pay for my subscription?

Yes, you can pay for English Online Self-Study using an employer’s bank card, however please remember that your English Online Self-Study account must include your personal contact information (full name and email address).

After each payment, you will be able to download a receipt directly from your English Online student account. This receipt can be edited to include your personal information or your company’s information (such as name, address and tax number), and will be available immediately after every successful payment.

When can I start after I register?

You can start your Self-Study course immediately after your registration has been completed.
When you activate your subscription and the first payment is charged, you will receive an email from English Online with information about how to access your newly created account. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours of your payment, please contact Customer Support for assistance.

You will have unlimited access to our premium online exercises for as long as your subscription is active. This means you can complete the exercises in your own time and at your own pace - it’s up to you!

How do I upgrade my Self-Study course to include credits?

Once you have subscribed to our English Online Self-Study course you can upgrade your monthly subscription to include 4 credits per month. You can do this via the Account status tab when you log into your account. With these credits you can book group, workplace-focused classes and progress at a faster pace.

How can I join live classes?

What live classes are available?

To reach your English learning goals faster, we recommend you supplement your self-study lessons with the help of live online classes. You can book classes if you upgrade your subscription to include 4 class credits per month. This gives you access to group classes focused on workplace English.


55-minute group classes with maximum 15 students per session – these classes include a set topic and focus on speaking and listening tasks. You will learn with other students at the same level as you, and you will receive instant feedback on your speaking, grammar and vocabulary. At the end of each class, the teacher will share valuable class materials with you for additional practice. Through the interactive approach of our online classes, you will improve your confidence when speaking English and will benefit from interacting with other English for Work students.

Who are our teachers?

All our teachers are highly qualified and experienced British Council English teaching professionals. Our teachers are experienced in working with students from many different countries and are online teaching specialists. Teacher training takes place regularly and teaching quality is monitored and evaluated by a team of specialists to ensure we deliver the best learning experience possible.

Whether you choose to only attend Live25 webinars, or decide to also purchase credits for online classes (group or private), we recommend you book sessions with as many teachers as possible. We believe it is pedagogically very valuable to have different teachers who have different pronunciation and speak different dialects of English. This exposure to different accents is essential in a world where English is spoken by millions of people from different countries, and we think this is the best way for our students to be better prepared to deal with real life situations.

However, if you prefer a certain teacher, you can choose to only book classes with them, whether in a group or private setting, or for your Live25 webinars.

How do I join the live classes?

To join online classes, you will need to purchase class credits. With an active Self-Study subscription, you have unlimited access to our web-based exercises and the ability to book 4 Live25 sessions every calendar month.

If you also wish to attend group or private classes, you must first purchase class credits, which you will use to book these classes: a group class costs 1 credit and a private class costs 2 credits.

With your Self-Study subscription, you can choose to buy a class credit package and you will then have immediate access to your credits once the payment is confirmed. This is a one-time purchase and it will not interfere with or delay your recurring monthly payment for your active subscription. 

You can buy credit packages as many times as you need but please remember that class credits are valid for 30 days from the moment of purchase.

What if I want to join more classes?

If you would like to focus your studies more on live classes, you can join our general English course called English Online. This is also a subscription-based course that offers you access to a live class-focused course with the same expert teachers and British Council methodology. 

You can learn more about our English Online course here.

For information about how to subscribe, please contact our Customer Support team and we will be happy to help you!

We are here to help

Get in touch with our Customer Support Team with any questions you may have

We are here to help

Get in touch with our Customer Support Team with any questions you may have.

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