English Lessons in Vancouver

Although Canada has two official languages, 94% of Vancouver’s local residents speak English. As a result, if you want to get a good job in the city, have an active social life and truly understand the local culture, learning how to speak English well is essential. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone, as you’ll find that there are many institutions in the city which offer free language courses for immigrants, conversation groups and all sorts of activities that will help you make the first steps in your journey to fluency. There are also a lot of free resources at the local public libraries you can check out, and different communities of immigrants who gather every week to help each other adapt to the local language and culture.

However, if you’re truly committed to learning English, why don’t you start a language course? This will help you advance much more quickly and feel like a native speaker before you know it. Even if you find it hard at the beginning, with the help of the right teacher, your skills will start improving more and more and this will impact all the areas of your life, making your day-to-day experience in the city much more enjoyable.

Learn English for Work and Travel

Are you part of the foreign-born population? If so, you’re probably tired of being offered the same badly-paid positions nobody else wants to take. The good news is you can change that simply by learning to communicate well in English. In fact, if you start a business English course in Vancouver, you’ll be able to access coveted corporate positions for bilinguals, no matter what your first language is, like Bilingual Customer Account Specialist for Astor Carter, Bilingual Customer Service Representative at Royal Bank of Canada and Senior Managers in Technology Transformation at EY. On top of that, by becoming a proficient speaker, you’ll also be able to take advantage of the many opportunities available in some of Vancouver’s major economic sectors, which include technology, tourism, natural resources, film and TV, and construction, and change your life in the city forever.

Learn English for Social

One of the most unique festivals in the city that theatre lovers and English enthusiasts can’t miss is the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Held in September at the Vanier Park, located at 1000 Chestnut Street, this festival offers the unique opportunity to enjoy some of the best performers in the city bring to life Shakespeare’s greatest plays which will make you fall in love with the English language. In addition to these plays, the festival also offers wonderful orchestral concerts, choral and opera performances, delicious wine tastings and lots of educational events to expand what you know about English theatre and literature. There will also be lots of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including pre-show talks, where you get to listen to many experts talking about Shakespeare’s life and work, amenities to make your time at the festival more pleasant, like concession and bar services, and a Bard Boutique where you can buy beautiful memorabilia.

Learn English for Culture

A great way to meet new people in the city and boost your conversational skills at the same time is to join the UBC Learning Exchange, a free language group in Vancouver that provides conversation sessions and activities for Canadian citizens, immigrants and refugees. There are four levels of conversation sessions, so no matter how fluent you are, if you’re 19 or older you can attend. Every conversation group has no more than ten participants so that everyone gets a chance to speak and although these sessions are informal, they do have a trained facilitator to guide you through the whole process. On top of chatting with other people, there are also fun activities you can try like singing and acting lessons in English, and all sorts of fun games that will help you develop your skills without even noticing, and you can even help other people out with their English by becoming a trained facilitator. To attend these meetings, all you need to do is register on their website and show up at 612 Main Street on Tuesdays or, if you can’t make it there, register for their online sessions which take place on Zoom. Even if you’re shy, give this friendly group a chance and you won’t regret it!

Where to learn English in and around Vancouver?

If you’re new in Vancouver, you should check out The Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada program, a Canadian government service that provides free English lessons for newcomers in the country. Fortunately, many organizations in the Vancouver area offer these classes, like the Collingwood Neighbourhood House, located at 3690 Vanness Street, the Collège Éducacentre, which you can find at 842 Thurlow Street, and the Immigrant Services Society of BC, at 2610 Victoria Drive. However, as useful as these language courses are if you want to get past elementary levels and really become proficient in English, your best choice in Vancouver is to study at Listen & Learn. Here, you’ll find stimulating English courses taught by the best teachers in the area that will help you expand your knowledge of the language while having fun. Regardless of what your interests and goals are, if you send us a quick inquiry today, we’ll have one of our tutors build the perfect learning program to take your English skills to the next level. What’s more, even if you have a busy lifestyle, you’ll find that our courses are completely flexible and adaptable to your own schedule, so don’t spend one more moment struggling with your English and contact us now!