Can I join 25+ if I’m under 25 years of age
No, the minimum age is 25. If you’re 24 years of age or under you can join our General English 16+ course.
General English course for everyday life and the workplace - for adults aged 25+ in Chester
Carefully designed by our trainers to ensure your lessons are both broad in scope while also focusing on your own English language needs, ELC Chester’s 25+ English programme has several options to improve your fluency and confidence.
- Maximum students: 6
- Minimum age: 25
- Minimum duration: 1 week
- CEFR entry level:
- A1
- A2
- B1
- B2
- C1
This course gives you a significant 30 lessons (22.5 hours) of mini-group English lessons per week, during which you’re likely to work on:
- General English
- work-related English
- English for Special Purposes (ESP).
For a more intensive experience, you can also choose to add 5 individual lessons giving a total of 35 lessons (26.25 hours) per week.
Our course also provides:
- a focus on spoken English
- lessons designed to develop your confidence in using English in social and professional settings
- an adult environment in a separate building dedicated to our mature student aged 25+
- social events and excursion opportunities to make the most of your short stay in Chester.
Other course options
We also offer a 25+ Combination English course which gives you the chance to increase the intensity with a number of private one-to-one lessons:
- 20 lessons (15 hours) in a group + 10 x one-to-one lessons per week
- 20 lessons (15 hours) in a group + 15 x one-to-one lessons per week
Please note that if you are planning on staying for just 1 week, we strongly recommend that you book a 25+ Combination English course.
Choose your specialism
We have experience in delivering courses for clients from many different professional areas. We have been working in the corporate market for many years and as a consequence have developed several areas of expertise which we can now offer as 25+ Combination Courses with ESP.
Here are some of the specialisms we are able to offer:
- English for tourism management
- English in the world of finance
- English for human resource management
- English for marketing
- English for customer services
- English for journalism
- Teacher training: CLIL
- Teacher training: language teaching methodology
ELC Chester has excellent local contacts in many professional areas. These contacts, both at an academic and more practical level, sometimes deliver specialist sessions during your course.
Course length
Due to the demanding nature of the programme a maximum stay with us is typically 6 weeks. We can help you decide how long you need when you book. Please contact us if you require further details.
Course features
- Before arriving, you do an online test so your class is at the right level for you.
- We conduct regular progress checks and set homework every day.
- You’ll be in a multi-national group for your English classes.
- Regular individual tutorials with your teacher for private help and study advice.
- All course books and materials are included.
- We conduct a pre-course needs assessment to get your course just right.
- Each course is tailor-made to the needs of the participants.
- End of course certificate with hours of study.
Who is this English course for?
These intensive courses are perfect for more mature students (25+ years of age) who are keen to enjoy an intensive programme of English language studies that will vastly improve their English skills and fluency. If you are an international student of English and possess a CEFR level of A1 to C1 then this might be the ideal course for you.
Frequently asked questions about the 25+ course
How is the 25+ course tailored to my needs?
Before you start your course we will assess your level of English through a writing, reading and listening test. You will then have a Zoom video call to assess your speaking skills and discuss your needs. In addition we will also ask you to complete a comprehensive pre-course questionnaire where you can tell us which areas you would like to improve and what your goals are.
What is the difference between 25+ and 50+?
The 50+ Vacation Course is a very relaxed course. The average age on the course is 62 and you will follow a programme where you can brush up on your English skills and learn about British culture. On the 50+ course you will have lessons in the mornings and activities and excursions in the afternoons and weekends.
Can I study for just one week on the 25+ programme?
Yes. On 25+ the minimum stay is 1 week and the maximum is 6. However, if you can only travel for 1 week we recommend that you take a 25+ Combination Course which includes group and individual lessons. During the individual lessons you will be able to address your specific language needs.
What is the difference between General English and the 25+ General English course?
The 25+ course is completely designed around your needs. It is a more intensive (22.5 hours per week) and the classroom size is maximum 6 and average 3, so you have a lot more teacher attention. Students on the 25+ Course are on average 43 years of age.
What is the maximum number of weeks I can study on the 25+ course?
Usually the maximum course length on 25+ is 6 weeks. We may be able to extend it to 8 weeks, so if this interests you, please contact us.If you want to study in Chester for more than 6 weeks we normally recommend that you choose a combination of two courses. The most common combination is General English and 25+. For example if you are travelling for 12 weeks you could study for 6 weeks on GE followed by 6 weeks on 25+.
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Find your English level
Our language learning levels relate closely to how the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) define them, but with a difference which we have found to help our students at Elementary level.
| ELC level | Equivalent CEFR levels | |
|---|---|---|
| A0 | ||
| A1 | ||
| Upper A1 | Lower A2 | |
| A2 | ||
| B1 | ||
| B2 | ||
| C1 | ||
| C2 | ||
We offer an English level test which anyone can take. It involves 50 questions and, depending on your level, will probably take you from 10 to 20 minutes. At the end of it, we will tell you your probable level.
But when you book, we will ask you to take a more detailed and accurate test, to make sure that you start in the class which is best for you.
What do you think?
If you’re over 25, and a working professional, we think you’ll like this programme at ELC in Chester. If you’ve read through the course info, and you think it might be for you but you have a couple of questions, please do reach out to us. We’re very friendly and we’ll be pleased to hear from you.
Speak soon!