English Online Help and support

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.

If you prefer a certain teacher, you can choose to only book classes with them, whether in a group or private setting.

However, 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.

We offer students a flexible and totally customised online course, with a variety of classes and teachers to choose from.

With English Online, you can customise your study plan to suit your own preferences and study goals. You can choose to join:

• 55-minute group classes with maximum 10 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;
•  25-minute private classes with our expert teachers – choose between private sessions with a set topic or book a freestyle private class and choose what you want to focus on. For a more intensive and personalised experience, you can attend private classes with your favourite teachers and learn at your own pace. Whether you want to learn about a set topic in a one-to-one setting or work on a specific task that is personalised to your study goals, we have the right private class for you! You will receive a report with personalised feedback after every private class you attend, which will help you track your progress;
• 25-minute grammar or pronunciation webinars called Live25 sessions – these sessions are completely free and included as part of your subscription. You can join 4 of these sessions every month with an active subscription and use them as an opportunity for additional practice between your regular group or private classes. If you need extra help with understanding English verb tenses or  how to use intonation in a sentence, Live25 sessions offer you the opportunity to advance your knowledge.

Each class you book with a set topic includes access to premium online exercises that you complete before and after your live session with your teacher. These exercises will help you improve your reading, listening and vocabulary skills, as well as help you practice and revise what you have learnt after your class. To browse our available classes before you commit to a subscription plan, you can set up a free English Online account.

English Online offers you a dynamic and interactive classroom experience, as well as access to premium online exercises that you can do in your own time. You will improve your speaking and study different topics ranging from business to social English in a vibrant and international environment.

We offer students complete flexibility and the chance to customise their studies to fit their personal needs and preferences. With English Online, you will be taught by the world’s leading English teaching experts in an inclusive and open environment, and you will reach your study goals in your own time and at your own pace.

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).

With English Online, students create their own timetable depending on their personal preferences.

Live online classes are scheduled throughout the day, every day, so you can choose to study what you want, when you want. When you log in for the first time, you will be asked to select your time zone and your preferred time format (12-hour clock or 24-hour clock). All the class times will be shown according to your selected local time.

To view the available class times, themes and teachers, you can create a free English Online explorer account and see if our course is the right choice for you: Set up your free account today and get started.

The exact number of classes you can attend in a month depends on your subscription plan.

Every English Online package includes a set number of class credits per month, which you use to book group classes (1 credit each) or private classes (2 credits each). It’s up to you to decide how to use your credits and which classes you want to take – we offer you complete flexibility!

Click here to browse our available packages.

Our classes are organised in specific themes, according to their topic. One theme consists of 6 lessons and the topics range from social and cultural topics to business-oriented ones. While completing themes is not mandatory, at the end of each theme you will unlock a 2-part assessment.

To track your progress, we highly recommend that you complete this assessment at the end of each theme.

The assessment consists of 2 parts:

• Theme challenge: You have 30 minutes to complete 2 language exercises (grammar and/or vocabulary) and 2 text activities (reading and/or listening). Note that your quiz starts as soon as you click on “Start the challenge”! Your score will be saved after 1 attempt and you cannot retake it.
• Private speaking test: 25 minutes (2 credits). You will be able to book this test after completing the theme challenge.

After the speaking test, you will receive a feedback report from your teacher within 24 hours and you will also receive a digital badge in return for your hard work!

English Online functions as a monthly subscription and because of this, there is no official course duration - your course lasts for as long as you want!

You are free to study with us for as many months as you want in order to reach your study goals. With a flexible class schedule and a wide variety of classes to choose from, you can create your own personalised study plan at every level and pace your studies in a way that is convenient and productive for you!

English Online is a subscription-based course which does not have a set course duration - you can study with us for as long as you feel comfortable and advance at your own pace!

Each level includes between 54 – 84 online lessons , however it is not mandatory to attend all the classes before upgrading to the next level. As we give students complete flexibility, you will decide for yourself for how long you want to study with us and which classes you want to attend at any given level.

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.

Yes, you can pay for English Online using an employer’s bank card, however please remember that your English Online student 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.

Yes, you can! Subscribe to a Gold or Platinum package and benefit from a free 7-day trial period that includes 2 free class credits (which you can use to attend 2 group classes or 1 private class). You will be asked to fill in your payment information but you will not be charged during the trial period.

If you just want to explore our platform before you choose a monthly subscription plan, you can create a free English Online account without subscribing. You will not be able to book any classes, but you will gain access to the platform and you will be able to browse the available classes, class times and teachers.

You can choose your preferred monthly subscription plan here. To subscribe, select your preferred plan and then fill in the requested contact and payment information. Please make sure to read our Terms and Conditions of Use before you subscribe.

If you are subscribing to a package with a free trial period, you will not be charged right away, but you still need to fill in your payment information in order for your registration to be successful.

Once the payment is confirmed, you will receive an automated email with a link you need to set up an account password and to access your classes. If you do not receive this email immediately after confirming your payment, please contact our Customer Support team.

You can start booking your classes immediately after your registration has been completed.

If you choose a package with a free trial period, you will not be charged for the first 7 days and you will have 2 free class credits available to attend 2 group classes or 1 private class. When the trial ends, you will be charged automatically.

If you choose a package without a trial period, you will be charged immediately and you will receive your first batch of class credits right away.

No, it is not possible to share your account. Your English Online account is unique and personalised for your individual needs.

If you have registered for this course individually, you can download your payment receipt from the page ‘Account status,’ available in the top-right corner of your homepage, from the drop-down menu under your name. When you click to download your receipt, a pop up message will appear with the option to add a preferred name, address and tax number to your receipt.

If your organisation paid for your course, you will not have access to a payment receipt and any billing and payment information will be discussed directly with your organisation.

Click on your name in the top right-hand corner. You will see a dropdown menu including various options to choose from.

• Profile: select this option to update your profile information. Inside you will find:

→ Profile tab: select this option to update your profile photo. 

→ Communication tab: select this option to update your communication preferences. 

→ Change password tab: select this option to change your password. 

→ Time zone options tab: select this option to update your time zone or preferred time format (12-hour clock or 24-hour clock). 

• Account status: select this option to change your payment method
• Help section: select this option to find the FAQs

Yes, you can! If you want to attend more classes in a month, you can buy 4, 8 or 12 extra class credits directly from your English Online student account so that you can continue your studies uninterrupted.

Please note that buying extra class credits does not delay or change your recurring billing date – you will still be charged automatically for the renewal of your subscription even if you buy extra credits.

Class credits are what you use to book classes on our platform. A group class costs 1 credit and a private class costs 2 credits.

Class credits are valid for 30 days from the moment they are released to your account, and they must be booked during this time, otherwise they expire and cannot be used in a subsequent month.

You can use your credits to book classes as far in the future as you want, however please note the following:

• If you cancel a booking after your credits have expired, the credits will be lost;
• If you cancel a booking less than 24 hours before your class, the credits will be lost;
• If you book but do not attend your class, the credits will be lost.

You are responsible for using all your class credits before their expiry date. Any credits lost due to not being used on time or due to late cancellations or missed classes will not be refunded.

Yes, you can change your subscription plan at any time while your subscription is active, except during a trial period.

You will find the option to downgrade or upgrade your subscription plan on the Account status page in your profile settings and any change requested will take effect from the next billing date.

Changing your subscription plan will not affect any applicable discounts or interfere with your ability to attend classes booked previously.

You have the right to stop your English Online subscription at any time and for any reason.

If you want to temporarily stop your subscription, you can choose to pause it for 1 month or for 2 months. This option allows you to skip 1 or 2 payments and to extend the validity of your credits by 30 or 60 days.

You will be able to use your credits to book and attend classes while your subscription is paused. Once the pause period ends, your subscription will resume automatically.

If you want to stop your subscription indefinitely, you can cancel it at any time from your English Online account, from the Account status page. You must cancel your subscription at least 72 hours before the next billing date to avoid an added charge. Canceling your subscription will not interfere with your ability to attend previously booked classes or to book your remaining credits.

If you need help with canceling or pausing your subscription, please contact our Customer Support team.

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 

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.