Taking a casual approach to learning, Hamburg-based Language Lounge combines English lessons with a coffee shop. For a monthly fee, members can drop by from Monday to Thursday between 5 pm and 9 pm for conversation classes. The company compares its setup to a gym membership: there's no need to sign up for a fixed day or time—members can just join in whenever it's convenient. Light membership is priced at EUR 59/month and allows members to attend one class per week. The school's premium membership gives access to as many classes per month as a member wants to attend, and is priced at EUR 99/month. Language Lounge's informal group classes are led by native English speakers with at least two years of teaching experience, and the lounge is also open to customers who'd rather stick to speaking German.
It sounds like a relatively easy way for language teachers to set up their own language 'gyms'—find an existing being space that could use some extra customers four or five evenings a week, and partner with a few fellow teachers once word gets out.
Website: www.language-lounge.com
Contact: info@language-lounge.com
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
sounds lovely, but what happens when students of a different level decide to pop in for a chat...and what about the social misfits who may turn up and outstay their welcome?
What a great idea! Pity there's nothing like this in the USA - so we 'ignorant Americans' could catch-up with the rest of the world and learn to speak some languages other than Americanese. Maybe Starbucks or Panara Bread should look into this?
Speaking as a language teacher it sounds good.
Students are often nervous to talk in a classroom setting and anything that relaxes them will help their conversation skills. Background noise could be a potential problem and as Paul mentioned above students' level is always a big issue.
Duncan