A while back, we sorted through 1500 learning profiles of formal students from the past 2 years, plus 300 tracking records from self-study learners who voluntarily submitted their data. We found a pretty striking result: for people who speak English every day for 3 full months, those who take 1-on-1 tutor lessons see a 2.7x higher improvement in speaking fluency than pure self-study learners, and are 62% more likely to actively initiate conversations with native speakers.

01The Hidden Flaw of Self-Study: No One Corrects Your Mistakes

A lot of people assume when they start learning that if they memorize enough words and shadow TV shows, they’ll get good eventually. But the truth is, when you practice alone, you have no way of knowing when you’re saying something wrong.

"I practiced alone with short videos for half a year, and when I met a foreign client last time, I talked for 10 minutes and they only got half of what I meant. I found out I’d been pronouncing so many words wrong from the start, and no one ever pointed it out." — Xiao Zhou, cross-border operations specialist

People learning English from scratch are especially prone to this pitfall. If no one corrects your pronunciation and expression logic at the start, the longer you practice, the harder it is to fix bad habits later. Honestly, I’ve seen so many self-study learners practice for 1-2 years, only to end up with a Chinese accent so ingrained it’s almost impossible to adjust.

02The Core of Speaking English Every Day: Effective Input + Instant Feedback

See, self-study is basically walking in the dark by yourself, while learning with a professional tutor is like having someone walk with you holding a GPS, so you never take wrong turns. Our courses are designed with the Karen Method, all our teachers are full-time staff based at our physical campus in Manila, Philippines, and each 25-minute short lesson fits perfectly with the attention span of working adults. When you mispronounce a word or use an awkward expression in class, your tutor will correct you right away, and give you more natural alternatives — every class turns your ineffective practice into useful learning.

A lot of people ask what to do if they’re scared to speak English. The answer is simple: you just need a safe environment where you can speak freely and get corrections right when you make mistakes. You don’t have to force yourself to practice to an empty room.

033 Actionable Tips for Anyone Looking to Improve Their Spoken English

We sorted through common experiences from students of all levels, and put together these easy-to-follow tips:

  • If you’re learning English from scratch, spend 1 week working with a professional teacher to correct your basic pronunciation first before you start practicing expression — don’t waste time figuring things out alone and taking wrong turns
  • Refer to the experience of long-time students, practice for 25 minutes every day at a fixed time, this works far better than cramming for 2 full weekends
  • Review your mistakes right after each practice session, whether it’s pronunciation or expression logic. You’ll remember the correction best if you fix it the same day, don’t wait until next time when you’ve forgotten all about it.

We were actually really torn when we decided to publish these real comparison numbers, because they break the myth that you can learn spoken English quickly and cheaply all by yourself. But we wanted to give everyone honest reference, so you don’t waste your precious time on methods that don’t work. If you want to try the efficient way to speak English every day, you can book our free trial lesson first to feel the difference of instant feedback from a 1-on-1 tutor.