How to choose an online English class for your child

What should a good online English class give a child of 4 to 12?

Plenty of time to speak, steady help with reading and a teacher your child looks forward to seeing. Young learners pick up a language by using it: answering questions, naming pictures, retelling a story. Look for lessons where your child does much of the talking, where mistakes are corrected kindly, and where each lesson builds on the one before.

Is a live teacher better than recorded videos?

For a child who is still learning to speak and read in English, yes. A recorded video plays the same way whether your child answers correctly, guesses or has wandered off. A live teacher notices all three. They can model a sound more slowly, praise a good try and switch to a game the moment interest fades.

Videos and apps can add practice between lessons, but treat them as homework rather than teaching. If a provider mixes both, ask how much of each week your child spends talking with a person.

Should I choose 1-to-1 or a group class?

A child who goes quiet in a group, who is just starting to read, or who needs a slower pace tends to get more from 1-to-1, because every question is theirs to answer and the teacher can follow their speed. A sociable child who already speaks freely may enjoy classmates, though each child gets fewer turns.

Ask any group provider how many children share a teacher and how speaking turns are shared out. Our guide to 1-to-1 or group English classes sets out the trade-offs in more detail.

How long should a lesson be at each age?

Match the length to how long your child can stay focused, not to what sounds like good value. A 4- or 5-year-old moves between activities quickly, so a short lesson made of songs, pictures, movement and quick games suits them. Children of 6 to 8 can manage a little longer if the lesson changes pace often. Older children can focus for longer, though even they flag after a full school day.

Ask how a lesson is divided up, and whether the teacher changes activity when attention drops. Read how long should a child's lesson be? for signs that a lesson is running too long.

How can I tell whether a class teaches reading and not only conversation?

Ask the provider to describe, in plain words, how a non-reader becomes a reader. A clear answer starts with phonics: the sounds letters make, blending those sounds into words, then reading short sentences and simple books. You should hear about a set order of sounds and a record of which ones your child knows. Our guide to what phonics is explains each step.

Chatting alone rarely teaches a child to decode new words on a page. If your child can already read, ask how the class builds vocabulary, longer answers and reading for meaning. Either way, ask to see a course outline.

How will I see my child's level and progress?

Look for named levels and regular, specific feedback. Some children's courses describe levels with the CEFR, an international scale that sets out what a learner can do in a language at each stage. For young learners the early stages are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. Our guide to CEFR levels for children explains what each stage looks like.

Be cautious of any class that promises a particular exam result or a level by a set date. Good feedback names what your child did well, what they are working on and one small thing to practise at home.

Which safety questions should I ask before my child joins?

Put these to every provider, and expect direct answers rather than reassurance:

• What checks must a teacher pass before they are allowed to teach children?
• Do all lessons stay on the provider's platform, or could a teacher ask to move to another app?
• Can teachers and families swap phone numbers or social media details through messages?
• During a lesson, how does a child or parent flag something that feels wrong, and who responds?
• Who processes card payments, and does the provider store full card numbers?

Choosing a safe online tutor explains what good answers sound like.

How do I compare prices fairly?

A low monthly figure can hide short lessons, large groups or strict rules, so note for each class:

• The price of a single lesson once a payment is divided by the lessons it covers.
• How many minutes each lesson lasts, so you can work out the cost per minute.
• How many children share one teacher.
• How often you are billed, and whether paying ahead changes the price.
• How to cancel the subscription, how late you can skip a lesson, and what happens to missed lessons.
• Any extra charges for materials, placement tests, certificates or a joining fee.

Prices differ by country, so find your country to see how lessons work where you live.

What should a free first lesson show me?

It should show you a real lesson, not a sales pitch. Watch whether the teacher gets your child talking early, adapts when something is too easy or too hard, and keeps the mood warm. Afterwards you should know your child's starting point and what comes next. Check beforehand whether you need to give card details. Our guide on what to look for in a free first lesson lists the signs to watch for.

How does CurioKids answer these questions?

CurioKids lessons are live and 1-to-1 with a real teacher, 25 minutes each, for children aged 4 to 12. They take place in the CurioKids online classroom, with video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. Phonics Starter is a 52-lesson reading course from letter sounds to reading sentences, followed by CEFR-based levels Pre-A1, A1 and A2. CurioKids follows its own CEFR-based curriculum and is not linked to any school or national exam. See our levels and curriculum.

The teacher gives feedback after lessons, and you follow progress in the parent dashboard. When your child moves up a level, you receive a certificate as a PDF. Teachers can't teach until our team has confirmed a background check and they have signed our teaching agreement. Lessons happen only inside the CurioKids classroom, messages block the sharing of contact details, and every lesson has a “Report a concern” button. Our safety page has the details.

You choose 1, 2 or 3 lessons a week on Starter, Growth or Accelerator, billed every 4 weeks or weekly; paying every 4 weeks costs less than four weekly payments. The country you choose at sign-up sets your currency, and your price is locked on your subscription. You can change plan or cancel anytime, with cancellation taking effect at the end of the billing period, and a single lesson can be cancelled up to 2 hours before it starts. Payments go through Stripe, and CurioKids never sees your full card number. The free first lesson needs no card until you continue. More answers are in our FAQ.