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How To Book A Private Course Through Us

Booking a tailor made language course is simple with good communication. Here is a checklist of the preparation process.

:: 1. Contact Cactus
:: 2. Level Assessment
:: 3. Needs Analysis
:: 4. Course Proposal/Order Form
:: 5. Payment
:: 6. Organising Your Language Training
:: 7. Start of Training
:: 8. Feedback & Support
:: 9. Further Study

 

 

1. Contact Cactus

Contact us either by our quick quote system, contact address or our online needs analysis form to give us an idea of your language needs and location. Alternatively, if time is of the essence and you just want to ‘get on with it’. You can book and pay for a general 20, 40 or 60 hour language course online now.

2. Level Assessment

This multiple choice test is a useful tool for us to gauge where you are in terms of the language you’ve acquired to date. If you’re a beginner, there’s no need for you to do this. If you have no time to complete a test, we can arrange for the assessment to take place during the first session with your trainer.

3. Needs Analysis

This is an online form and gives us a clear idea of the subject areas and content you would like to cover. For beginners this information is still important as we need to know the reason for your learning in order to know your skills and the topic areas to focus upon. For one-to-one or small group training, we recommend you complete the online needs analysis which we can follow up by phone or email with any questions. You can complete this prior to or after booking the course.

4. Course Proposal/Order Form

This document states exactly what your course will cost you, the number of hours suggested and an idea of your course content and programme. The proposal/order form includes a section for you to complete with your preferred lesson dates and times. If you are happy with the course proposal and are ready to go ahead, you can simply sign and return it to us to set your training programme in motion. We will then agree a start date with you and plan the finer details with your trainer.

5. Payment

Payment should be made prior to your course starting and at the time when you send back your signed and completed order form. Alternatively, after the initial deposit of £300, you can set up a standing order for the remainder of the course. You can pay by cheque (payable to 'Cactus Worldwide Ltd.') or by debit or credit card (a 2.5% card fee applies to all non-debit cards, e.g. Visa, Mastercard). It is also possible to pay by bank transfer: please contact us if you need our bank details.

6. Organising Your Language Training

Once we have your commitment to the course we will need to confirm the start date, time and the location for the training. Any extra logistical elements, such as booking a training room or obtaining directions to your place of work etc, will be finalised at this stage. We can also discuss any other elements to do with the content of your course. All the confirmed details will be sent to you in an email including the teacher’s name and a description of their teaching background.

7. Start of Training

Your first session will be a combination of further diagnostic assessment, discussing your objectives and agreeing on both short term and long term achievable aims and of course, getting acquainted. If you’re above beginner level, this will undoubtably as much as possible take place in the language you’re learning, so you’ll definitely be having a ‘proper lesson’. If you are a beginner, you might enjoy spending just a few minutes talking in English, before you launch into your learning. Remember all ‘hour sessions’ really last 60 minutes, so if you’re planning on having a break mid-way, please allow a little extra time at the end.

8. Feedback & Support

This is a constant process at Cactus Language Training, not just something which takes place at the end of your course. We’ll be in touch with your trainer soon after your first session to gain a pedagogic insight into how it went. We will remain in contact with both you and your trainer throughout your course to check that all is running smoothly and your expectations are being met.

9. Further Study

Towards the end of your course, we can discuss options for further study with you. This might mean extending your training sessions with us, or changing to a different permutation. We can also give you guidance and ideas on our international language holidays and weekend breaks overseas, which are one of the finest and most cost-efficient ways of putting your new language acquisitions into practice. We can also make recommendations on techniques and strategies to help you maintain your level of language.