How it works
How online English lessons work, by appointment.
Four steps, from a first call to a test every two months. The same Cambridge CELTA-qualified tutor, at the same time, every week, with a plan someone checks.
Free call. In English, Italian, Spanish or Russian. Camera optional. No sales pitch.
Four steps
From the first call to the first test.
Step 1
We get to know you
A free 15–20 minute video call with Marcus. He asks what you need English for and when you're usually free. No level test, no sales pitch.
Step 2
We match you
Marcus matches you with a tutor from our small team, and with a fixed weekly time, for example Tuesday at 19:00. You don't pick from a catalogue: we choose the person who fits your goals and your week. If the call goes well for both of us, you can start the following week.
Step 3
You show up
One or more 55-minute lessons a week, with the same tutor, in the same slot, or slots. The lesson is built around you speaking. After each lesson, the materials, notes and homework are in MyMEI.
Step 4
We check it's working
Your progress is assessed as you go, and every 2 months there's a progress test. Your tutor and a supervisor read the results and adjust the plan.
MyMEI
Your student area: everything in one place.
Where your lessons live from one week to the next.
- The history of every lesson you've had
- The materials of every lesson, always there
- Homework and reminders
- Your lesson credits, always up to date
- Book, move or cancel a lesson from the app
- Progress by skill: speaking, listening, grammar, vocabulary
- Continuous assessment with MEI's own adaptive test
- Followed by your tutor and a supervisor
A progress test every 2 months
Every 2 months, a test shows your progress, your gaps and how your English is changing, skill by skill. Between tests, MEI's adaptive test follows you as you go.
Two people on your English
Your MEI tutor teaches you every week. A supervisor checks your plan, your tests and your tutor's work.
Why the method matters
What each option gives you, and what it leaves out.
| Big schoolsTeachers change. The course is the same for everyone. | AppsThe easiest to stop. Good for new words, not a path to results. | AI tutorsNobody waits for you, so you skip. No real conversation, so speaking grows less. | Tutor marketplaces(e.g. Preply, italki, Classgap)You choose on feeling. Weeks get skipped. One freelancer, no structure. | MEIThe same tutor, at the same time, every week, with a plan someone checks. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Someone matches you with the right tutor | |||||
| The same tutor, at the same time, every week | |||||
| A plan checked by a supervisor | |||||
| Progress measured skill by skill | |||||
| Real conversation with a person, every week |
Big schools
Teachers change. The course is the same for everyone.
- Someone matches you with the right tutor
- The same tutor, at the same time, every week
- A plan checked by a supervisor
- Progress measured skill by skill
- Real conversation with a person, every week
Apps
The easiest to stop. Good for new words, not a path to results.
- Someone matches you with the right tutor
- The same tutor, at the same time, every week
- A plan checked by a supervisor
- Progress measured skill by skill
- Real conversation with a person, every week
AI tutors
Nobody waits for you, so you skip. No real conversation, so speaking grows less.
- Someone matches you with the right tutor
- The same tutor, at the same time, every week
- A plan checked by a supervisor
- Progress measured skill by skill
- Real conversation with a person, every week
Tutor marketplaces
(e.g. Preply, italki, Classgap)You choose on feeling. Weeks get skipped. One freelancer, no structure.
- Someone matches you with the right tutor
- The same tutor, at the same time, every week
- A plan checked by a supervisor
- Progress measured skill by skill
- Real conversation with a person, every week
MEI
The same tutor, at the same time, every week, with a plan someone checks.
- Someone matches you with the right tutor
- The same tutor, at the same time, every week
- A plan checked by a supervisor
- Progress measured skill by skill
- Real conversation with a person, every week
What happens in the first call
The first call is free. It lasts 15 to 20 minutes, by video, with Marcus. You can speak English, Italian, Spanish or Russian, and the camera is optional. There's no level test: your level doesn't matter, your calendar does.
Marcus asks two things: what you need English for, and when you're usually free. He also explains how lessons and prices work. We take on new students after a first call. If the call goes well for both of us, your first lesson can be as early as the following week.
If you'd rather write first, you can send Marcus a message: the same two answers, and your email so he can reply.
How we match your tutor, and why there's no catalogue
MEI is a small team. Every MEI tutor is Cambridge CELTA-qualified, has at least 10 years of teaching behind them, and is part of the school, not a freelancer passing through. They teach people who need English for work, and people who simply want to travel and live better in English.
After the call, Marcus matches you with one of them, based on your goals, your work and your week. You don't scroll through profiles to pick a face.
This is deliberate. We all choose the people we like; it's natural. But a tutor chosen that way tends to do what you want, not always what you need. In any discipline, sooner or later, you have to trust the process. So we choose a professional whose job is your progress, and who can tell you when you're wrong.
That's also why MEI tutors are not listed by name. You can still get to know them: their written profiles and short audio clips are on the About page.
Then we fix the time: the same day and hour every week. With more than one lesson a week, each has its own fixed slot.
What a typical lesson looks like
A lesson lasts 55 minutes, online, by video call with your tutor. It follows your plan, not a book that is the same for everyone. If you need English for meetings, you practise meetings. If the gap is general English, you start there.
The lesson is built around you speaking. Your tutor doesn't give you a lecture: with questions, examples and situations from your week, they get the English out of you, and you find the rule by using it. Cambridge CELTA teachers call this eliciting.
Grammar, vocabulary, how to build a sentence and how to get your message across come in when you need them, to help you say what you want to say. Your tutor corrects you, notes your mistakes and plans the next lesson. Afterwards, the materials, notes and homework go into MyMEI, so you can review them before next week.
MyMEI, your student area
Lesson history and materials, homework, reminders, lesson credits, progress by skill: everything above is in MyMEI, and you manage your lessons from the app. Your tutor and a supervisor see the same data you see. The rules on cancelling a lesson are on the pricing page.
Progress tests and continuous assessment
Every 2 months, a progress test shows what has improved, where the gaps are and how your English is changing. Between tests, MEI's own adaptive test keeps measuring. Your tutor and a supervisor read every result, and the next two months start from there.
If something isn't working, we change it
Watching over your course is our job, not yours. Your tutor sees you every week; the supervisor and Marcus read the tests.
If something isn't working, we change it: the plan, the focus, the way you work. Because your lesson, or lessons, are at a fixed time, we notice early.
Start with a conversation.
A free 15-minute call with Marcus, in English, Italian, Spanish or Russian. Or write to him first.
Free call. In English, Italian, Spanish or Russian. Camera optional. No sales pitch.
Questions about how it works
Do I need to take a level test before I start?
No. The first call is about what you need English for and when you're free. Your tutor sees your level in the first lessons, and the tests measure it from there.
How many lessons a week can I have?
One or more. Each lesson is 55 minutes, always with the same tutor, at a fixed time. We decide how many together in the first call, based on your goals and your week.
Can I choose my tutor?
No, and it's deliberate. We all choose the people we like, but a tutor chosen that way tends to do what you want, not always what you need. Marcus matches you with an MEI tutor for your goals and your week. You can hear MEI tutors on the About page.
Who is the supervisor?
A person at MEI, other than your tutor, who checks your plan, your test results and your tutor's work. You don't need to contact them: they work in the background, with your tutor.
How soon can I start?
If the call goes well for both of us, you can start as early as the following week. Your tutor and your weekly time are agreed in the call.
Can I change my lesson time later?
Yes. The fixed time is the centre of the method, so we choose it carefully in the first call. We advise against changing it often, for example every month to follow shift work: a new slot may not be free.
Are the lessons only online?
Yes. All lessons are online, by video call with your tutor. The materials and the history of your lessons stay in MyMEI.