English on Mobile

The demand for English language training has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Fluency in English has become a pre-requisite for career advancement which has been one of the most important drivers for this demand. Given the rapid proliferation of new technology, English language coaching companies have started using technology extensively to help learners.

Besides the online medium, mobile phones have also started being used for English training. A few companies have designed programs using mobile as the channel to provide both self-learning and teacher-led courses. A big advantage of these mobile classrooms is that the penetration of mobile phones is extremely high and they can reach students all over the country.

A typical English on mobile self-learning product offering consists of an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system which has many hours of learning content. The student has an option of listening to pre-recorded English learning content. Most products also provide functionalities for the students to record and compare their spoken English with the recordings made by English teachers. The learners are able to use this system at any time. Such products are also priced reasonably to make them affordable for most English learners.

Some companies also provide teacher-led classes on mobile phones. The teacher calls up the students at a pre-decided time. The classes are usually between twenty to forty minutes long. Such classes provide the students with the opportunity to practise their English skills with a real person and get immediate feedback. The classes can either be one-on-one or group classes. However, even for the group classes, the class size is usually between two to four students, hence providing each student with sufficient talk time.

It is believed that such classes are a boon to people in smaller towns who do not have access to quality English training institutes. These are also becoming the favourite of working professionals in big cities do not have the time to attend English coaching classes. Given the convenience and cost advantage of this medium, English training on phones is definitely here to stay.