Should I Buy an English Course or Pay for a Private English Coach?

You're a Spanish-speaking Sales Engineer.

You get stuck in English conversations.

You struggle to express yourself with clients and colleagues.

You need more confidence to lead meetings and presentations.

So you decide to get help. 

But you don't want to waste your money on something that doesn't work.

Here's my advice to help you choose the right solution.

Buy an English Course if You're a Beginner or Test Taker

Teachers build courses to get as many students (and passive income 😅) as possible. 

Typically, the content is more general to appeal to a wide audience.

‍A course might be perfect for you if you're a beginner or early intermediate learner.

‍Learning basic vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation is the same for everyone.

At this level, there's no need to spend extra money on a private English coach.

‍A course is also a good fit if you have to pass a test like TOEFL or IELTS.

‍Tests are standardized and the same for everyone. 

A TOEFL or IELTS course from a teacher who knows the exams very well is all you need.

Advanced Speakers Need a Private English Coach

You don't need more English courses if you already use English as a Sales Engineer.

A generic course of idioms, vocabulary words, or grammar rules won't solve your biggest problems:

• You're not confident when you speak English.
• You're worried your English is hurting your relationships with prospects, clients, or colleagues.
• You can't fully express yourself.

A private Sales Engineering English coach will use your specific weaknesses to give you personalized lessons.

‍Unlike a course, everything you learn with a private English coach is relevant to your career as a Sales Engineer.

‍In other words: courses are for everybody. Coaching is for you.

📞 Interested in private coaching? Schedule a free 30-minute call with me to learn if it's a good fit for you.

Ask These 3 Questions Before Buying

There are 1000s of English teachers and courses online. 

Here's how to pick the best ones. (Warning: it's not always who is the most popular on social media)

‍1. The most important question before buying an English course is: What is the course completion rate?

Here's an ugly secret about online courses:

‍On average, only 10% of students complete online courses. 🤯

Do you want to buy something that only works 10% of the time?

A good course helps you with more than English. It helps you with motivation, time management, and clear instructions.

If you can find a course with a 40% completion rate or higher, there's a much better chance it will help you too.

‍If teachers don't know their completion rate, they care more about getting new customers ($) than helping their students improve.

‍I recommend staying away from these types of teachers.

2. The most important question to ask a private English coach is: What is your background?

Teaching certifications don't matter. There are plenty of bad teachers who are certified. 

‍You need a coach who worked as a Sales Engineer. ✅

You don't buy private coaching for generic advice.

You buy private coaching for personalized advice for your unique situation.

Make sure your teacher understands that situation.

📞 Interested in private coaching? Schedule a free 30-minute call with me to learn if it's a good fit for you.

3. An important question for both: What type of feedback will I get?

You'll always get less feedback in an online course. But, hopefully, you'll still get some.

Check if the course teacher gives you feedback on homework. Will they correct your writing? Do they review the videos you send them?

If there is no feedback in a course, you're going to watch videos alone. (And the course completion rate is probably low...)

Improving your English requires speaking and writing, along with listening and reading. 

If a course doesn't provide feedback on speaking and writing, don't buy it.

Private coaches will always give you feedback.

However, you want to know how they use it.

A good private English coach will create lessons based on your specific needs. Their classes are personalized feedback.

A bad private coach builds generic lessons and only gives you feedback on the topics they think are important.

Use This Flowchart To Help You Decide

If you're a Sales Engineer and need to improve your English, ask yourself: What is my level?

‍If you're a beginner -> buy an English course.

If you're intermediate or advanced, ask yourself this question:

Do I need to pass a test like IELTS or TOEFL?

If you need to pass a test -> buy an English course.

‍For everything else -> get a private English coach.

📞 Interested in private coaching? Schedule a free 30-minute call with me to learn if it's a good fit for you.

‍Remember To Ask These Questions Before You Buy

If you're buying an English course, ask the teacher:

1. What is your course completion rate? (Look for >40%)
2. Will I get feedback? (If no, don't buy)
   

If you're getting a private English coach, ask them:

1. What is your background? (Did they work as an SE?)
2. How do you use feedback? (Lessons should be customized)

I'll Be Your Sales Engineering English Coach

Hi! My name is Kevin.

‍I spent nearly 10 years working as a Sales Engineer (6 of them as an SE director) at a cybersecurity company.

‍I also taught myself Spanish.

Now, I use my Sales Engineering and language-learning experience to help Latin American Sales Engineers confidently express themselves in English.

‍In my private coaching program, I focus every class on you.

‍We build a custom study plan together based on your specific job requirements.

‍Every class is live and conversation-based.

‍You speak. I listen. We work together to help you sound more confident, professional, and persuasive.

Not sure I'm the best English coach for you? 

‍Schedule a free 30-minute call to ask me about my background, how I use feedback, and my plan to help you achieve your goals.‍