How to choose an online English class for your child in Malaysia

Should the class be live or recorded?

Live, if your child is learning to speak and read. In a live class the teacher hears every answer, helps with a tricky sound straight away and changes the activity when your child loses interest. Recorded videos and apps can be useful extra practice, but they can't listen to your child or notice when they're confused. Some providers mix live sessions with self-study videos, so ask how much of each lesson your child spends talking with a teacher.

Is a 1-to-1 or a group class better for my child?

It depends on what your child needs. In a 1-to-1 lesson the teacher's attention is on your child the whole time: they get every speaking turn, and the teacher can slow down for a hard sound or move on when something is already easy. In a group class, speaking time is shared and activities are pitched at the middle of the group, but your child learns alongside other children, which some enjoy.

A shy child, or one who needs help with reading, often does well 1-to-1. If you're also weighing up a tuition centre, read online vs in-person English lessons.

How long should each lesson be for my child's age?

Shorter, regular lessons usually suit young children better than long, occasional ones. A 4-year-old may stay with one activity for only a few minutes, so a good lesson for young children is a series of short activities with songs, pictures and games. Ask how a lesson is split up, not only how long it lasts. Our guide how long should a child's lesson be? explains the signs that a lesson is too long.

What should the class actually teach?

Look for a clear plan, not just chat. For a child learning to read, ask whether the class teaches phonics: linking sounds to letters and blending them to read words. For a child who reads but rarely speaks, ask how much of each lesson is speaking practice. Our guide to what phonics is explains how reading begins.

It also helps if the levels make sense next to school English. English in Malaysian schools is aligned with the CEFR, the international scale that describes what learners can do in a language, so a class that describes progress in CEFR terms (Pre-A1, A1 and A2 for young learners) is easier to compare with what you hear from school. Your child's school remains the place to ask what is expected each year. See English in Malaysian primary schools and the CEFR.

What safety questions should I ask?

Ask these before you book, and expect clear, specific answers:

• Is every teacher background-checked before they can teach children?
• Do lessons happen only inside the provider's own classroom, never on a personal video or chat app?
• Are teachers and children blocked from sharing phone numbers or other contact details?
• How can my child or I report a concern, including during a lesson?
• Who handles payments, and where is my family's data kept?

The full list, with what good answers sound like, is in how to choose a safe online tutor.

How will I know how my child is getting on?

You shouldn't have to guess. Ask whether the teacher gives feedback after lessons, whether you can see progress in one place, and how a move to the next level is decided and shown to you. Useful feedback is specific: which sounds or words your child is confident with, what comes next and one thing to practise at home.

What should I watch in the free first lesson?

A free first lesson is the easiest place to test everything above. Watch your child more than the content: are they joining in, given time to think and plenty of chances to talk? Afterwards you should know roughly where your child is starting and what lessons would focus on first.

Before booking, check whether card details are needed, so you know what happens if you decide not to continue. Our guide to what to look for in a free first lesson has a full list of signs and questions.

Will lesson times fit around school?

Check that times are shown in Malaysian time, then look at your real week: school, homework, tuition, religious classes and sport. Many families find a regular slot after school or at the weekend easiest to keep, at a time when their child has eaten and had a break. Ask how much notice you need to give to cancel or move a single lesson.

Which billing terms should I check?

Before you pay, find out:

• How often you're billed, and how many lessons each payment covers.
• How to cancel, and when cancelling takes effect.
• Whether you can switch to more or fewer lessons a week, and when the change applies.
• How late you can cancel a single lesson without losing it.
• Whether the price can go up while you're subscribed.

What device and setup do we need?

A laptop, desktop computer or tablet with a camera and microphone is easier than a phone, because the slides and whiteboard are bigger. Add reliable internet, a quiet spot in a shared room and headphones, which help a child hear sounds clearly in phonics.

Does it matter if we speak Malay or Chinese at home?

No. Many Malaysian children grow up speaking Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil or another language at home and learn English alongside it. A good teacher works from your child's level with pictures, actions and simple English, and doesn't expect you to speak English at home. Keep your home language strong. If your child attends an SJKC or SJKT, see English in a Chinese- or Tamil-medium school. For this checklist in Bahasa Malaysia, read cara memilih kelas Bahasa Inggeris online.

How does CurioKids answer these questions?

CurioKids lessons are live and 1-to-1, 25 minutes each, for children aged 4 to 12, with a real teacher in the CurioKids online classroom: live 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 runs from letter sounds to reading sentences, followed by CEFR-based levels Pre-A1, A1 and A2.

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, and a “Report a concern” button is in every lesson. After lessons the teacher gives feedback, and you follow progress in your parent dashboard. Read more on our safety page.

Families choose 1, 2 or 3 lessons a week on Starter, Growth or Accelerator, priced in Malaysian ringgit and billed every 4 weeks, or weekly if you prefer. You can change plan any time, and you can cancel any time: cancelling takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and a single lesson can be cancelled up to 2 hours before it starts. The free first lesson needs no card until you decide to continue. See our prices in ringgit, or book a free first lesson from our Malaysia page.