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How To Organise Language Courses For Your Business

If you are a frequent purchaser of language training you are likely to be familiar with the format. However if this is the first time you have organized this type of training here are a few areas to consider. Cactus can coordinate much of the organizational process for you or alternatively can provide guidance as required. We will work with you and your organization to provide the course you need.

Language Training Check List 
:: Who is going to be trained?
:: What kind of courses can you choose from?
:: What will the content of the course be?
:: Budget & time authorisations
:: On a limited budget?
:: What time of day will the training take place?
:: Where will the training take place?
:: Is everyone at the same level?
:: Is language training a perk or a pre-requisite?
:: Incentive language & leisure courses
:: What are your timescales?

If you’re used to organising language training on a regular basis, you’ll already know what works best for you. Just think back to the most straightforward and successful training programme you’ve organised, and let us know why it was so easy.

If you're new to language training, selecting the right organisation can be a bit of a minefield, with so many organisations offering seemingly identical services. You may be required to obtain a handful of quotes from different organisations before making the decision on which provider to use. Organising training may be one small task in a day full of duties, so time may not be on your side. What follows is a mini-guide to getting it right, based on our extensive experience of providing in-company training.

Language Training Check List

Who Is Going To Be Trained?

Select your criteria on who is to be trained. Does the purpose of this training have a direct business need or not? For groups, get an idea of numbers and their current abilities. Whether participants study together is often decided on these variables; the participants’ current proficiency in the target language, their reasons for learning, the timing of the training and budget. These factors can all be discussed with Cactus who can provide guidance as required.

What Kind of Courses Can You Choose?

Every language training permutation can be organised through Cactus Language Training. Here are the suggested course formats:

One-to-One Language Courses
Small Closed Group* Language Courses
Telephone Language Courses
Incentive Group Language Courses
Incentive Luxury Weekend City Courses
Residential Homestay Courses
International One-to-One Language Courses
Language Holidays Worldwide
Open Group* UK-Based Evening Language Courses

* A 'Closed Group' denotes tailor-made training where all participants come from your organisation. An 'Open Group' is where participants from your organisation will join a pre-existing group with others studying at the same level.

What will the content of the course be?

For individual and group training Cactus will conduct a Needs Analysis prior to the course start date. This will be in the form of our formal document [needs analysis] but may also combine a face to face meeting or phone call as appropriate. Our courses are tailor made to the participants’ specific needs and reasons for learning. Again, the final content does not need to be decided upon until you have decided to book the course although, of course, the more information we have in the early stages the better. It is our aim that each Cactus course will be successful in preparing the participants concerned for the situations that they specifically will need to use the target language in. Cactus will also test the students both prior to the course using our online level test available in the European languages [link tests] to get an idea of their level. During the first lesson the teacher will also assess the participants’ language abilities and discuss their needs in more detail. This procedure ensures that maximum effort is made to help the participants to succeed.

For more general courses, we can provide guidance and suggestions as to the content if you are not sure of what skills and topic areas are appropriate to include.

Budget & Time Authorisations

Budget and the cost of training should be a subject discussed openly from the outset. Let us know what you have in mind and we will put together a programme that fits into your specifications.

On a Limited Budget?

Some companies ask for a contribution from their employees. For some, this is simply to insist that training takes place outside company time. Matched learning is another option. The employers contribute a fixed sum, and individuals are also asked to contribute to the cost. This has the advantage of ensuring the absolute motivation of employees.

What Time Of Day Will The Training Take Place?

For group tuition the day and time of the tuition should be fixed. You can decide if it is easier for you to specify the day and time fro the outset or if you want to check with your colleagues preferences before making a decision. This detail does not need to be decided upon until you have confirmed the booking with Cactus. Training can take place from 8am to 8pm for all of our students – including weekends. For individual and 2-1 tuition the days and times can be flexible. Cactus require only 24 hours notice, therefore these students never need miss a lesson. Many of our individual students organise their schedule from week to week directly with their teacher. Cactus will keep in touch with both client and trainer throughout the course.

Where Will The Training Take Place?

Our language trainers can come to you and provide training in your offices, anytime and anywhere. Alternatively, if you don't have sufficient room or simply wish to detach from the work environment, you can hire one of our fully-equipped training rooms.

Is Everybody At The Same Level?

This is particularly important if you only have a limited amount of people to train. To make sure the training is optimised, and participants improve rapidly, groups need to be formed of people of similar levels. For the main European languages - Spanish, French, German, Italian, English - you can direct people to our online tests, and we can tell you quickly whether the levels fit together. Alternatively. contact us with the names and email addresses of the people whose levels you would like to be tested, we will send them a link and will send you a report with their results and our grouping suggestions.

Is Language Training a Perk or a Pre-Requisite?

If you're organising this to reward and incentivise your staff, then the approach can be very different from when a course forms an integral part of your human resources or corporate strategy. It has to be clear before you start why the course is important, both to you as a company and to each participant individually.

If the need for language training is dictated by strategic requirements, it is imperative that the training is structured accordingly, so that the lesson format follows your organisation's goal.

Incentive Language & Leisure Courses

Incentive language courses will tend to centre around more general and free time themes and can take place in-company, in an alternative UK location, such as a local hotel or training centre, or overseas for weekend or 3-4 day breaks.

In the UK, we organise programmes such as Spanish & Sangria and Italian & White Wine which you might wish to use as a template for your own courses. We also build intensive language and culture weekends away for individuals and groups, for example Spanish & Salsa in Barcelona and French & French Cuisine in Paris.

What Are Your Timescales?

We aim to organise your training quickly and efficiently. Cactus Language Training has all the resources to provide the highest quality language training, delivered in the format you require, with best value and cost effectiveness in mind at all times.