There are a number of e-learning providers that prepare you specifically for upcoming English certificate exams. You can learn English online from home or anywhere else you like and work specifically towards the Preliminary English Test (PET), the Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE), the Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC tests are also possible at some language schools.

In addition to English courses in the classrooms of the language school, many people are increasingly interested in the possibility of continuing their education in an online course. Learning English online is a flexible educational measure that can be carried out without having to travel, enabling participants to learn English from anywhere in the world where fast internet is available.

English courses usually take place at fixed times, so you have your fixed lesson times, just like with the familiar language courses at school. Instead of driving to school, you simply boot up your PC and communicate with teachers and fellow students via chat, webcam, a specially developed program or Skype.

However, some language schools also allow you to set the date and time of each lesson yourself, which gives you even more flexibility. However, if something should come up, you can simply reschedule your English online course one day in advance.

There are also self-study English courses that provide you with all the documents you need, including audio files, and are particularly suitable for people who want to consolidate or revise their existing knowledge.

If you decide to learn English online, you are much more flexible in choosing your lessons than you are in traditional English courses at a language school. With many schools, you can choose the times you want to learn English from lesson to lesson, so that you have different course times each week, for example. This can be booked up to 24 hours in advance (not with all e-learning providers), so you are actually relatively free with this option. However, as you are usually in direct contact with an English teacher in an online course, who practises with you specifically via the Internet, you are always tied to his or her schedule. This means that you won't necessarily find someone to teach you at 3 a.m. just because that might be the best time for you to learn. However, it is not impossible that you will find teachers who will study with you at such times, especially at weekends. Always check with the schools before booking and check the availability of the individual teachers for an online English course.

If you search for English courses online, you will find that there are many different course models on offer, which vary in terms of duration, level and type of course (individual lessons, group lessons). An average beginners' English course at level A1 consists of around 50 lessons, which are usually spread over a period of 4 to 6 months. This means that you will have to invest 2 to 3 hours per week one evening or during the day (depending on whether these are fixed or freely selectable times). Depending on the school, you may also have to do homework.
As the duration can vary greatly, we recommend that you contact your chosen English school directly.