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What is Net Languages (NL)?
Net Languages is a language school on the Internet. It is the product of a large
organisation: International
House (a worldwide language training organisation) At NL you can learn English
or Spanish using your computer. You can study at home, at school, at work, in
an Internet Café - anywhere with an Internet connection.
What makes NL special?
Our writers and developers have years of experience: when you enrol on a course,
you can be sure that you are being taught by professional teachers using the
most modern and effective methods.
Why is NL better than other Internet language schools?
Compare what the NL Virtual School offers. When you register with us you get:
Where is NL based?
NL is a virtual school that exists entirely on the internet, so we can accept
students from anywhere in the world. The NL team itself is based in Barcelona,
Spain - where it uses the resources of International House to produce the course.
Who are the teachers on the course?
For all our courses which include tutor support, the tutors are fully qualified
native teachers with many years teaching experience.
What is the NL Newsletter?
It has news of what's happening at NL, details of special offers, interesting
facts, games, quizzes, exercises and lots more.
How do I get the NL Newsletter?
Fill
in the form and we will send it to you by email.
What courses do you offer?
At NL you can do a course in General English, English for Teachers, English
for Work, Methodology for English Teachers, English for Kids, FCE Examination
Practice, IELTS Preparation Course, Pronunciation Practice or General Spanish.
What are the courses like?
Each General English, English for Teachers, English for Kids or General Spanish
course is one level in ten Units. Our English for Work courses are shorter modules
concentrating on professional skills. Our FCE Examination Practice Tests are
short tests designed to help you prepare for the Cambridge FCE examinations.
The IELTS Preparation Course helps students to prepare for the IELTS exam. Pronunciation
Practice is suitable for students at all levels and helps students to focus
on and improve their pronunciation of sounds in English. There are many different
exercises and activities and in each Unit or Module you will learn and practise
new language, read, write, listen, speak and communicate with other students
and with your tutor.
How long is each course?
Each General English, English for Teachers or General Spanish course has ten
Units. A Unit is approximately 12-15 hours of study. This means that an entire
course is approximately 120-150 hours of study. Our English for Work modules
contain between 20 and 25 hours of work each. Our FCE EXamination Practice Tests
have approximately 10 hours of work each. The IELTS Preparation Course takes
between 20 and 25 hours to complete.
What are the Units or Modules about?
Each Unit or Module has a combination of vocabulary, reading, listening, pronunciation,
speaking and writing activities, based around a different theme. For example,
at Advanced level in General English there is a Unit called "The Same Argument"
which looks at whether men and women have different arguing styles. You can
look at a Unit in one of the sample classes
available on this site.
Is it only reading and writing?
No it isn't. There are lots of fun activities and opportunities to speak and
practise your pronunciation. A Net Languages course is very interactive and
you will spend a lot of time communicating with your tutor and other students
around the world.
Who wrote the courses?
The courses have been written by a team of teachers and published textbook writers
who all have many years of teaching experience, as well as professional qualifications.
Are there any timetables?
No there aren't - you can study when you want. You have a maximum of a year
to do a level, but you can go at the speed you want and communicate with your
tutor when you have a problem or want to ask a question, talk about your progress,
etc.
What levels are there?
At the moment there are seven levels of General English, two levels of English
for Work and English for Teachers, four levels of General Spanish and two levels
of English for Kids.
Do I get a certificate?
In the courses which are assessed by a tutor, you will receive an internationally
recognised International House certificate when you successfully complete the
course.
How do I find out what level I am?
Take the NL level test for the course you are interested in. This has been written
and tested by our team of experienced teachers so it is a very accurate way
of testing how good your English or Spanish is. When you have taken the test,
if you need to find out more about your level before enrolling on a course,
then send us an email.
You don't have a course for my level - what can I do?
We are constantly developing new courses. Get the free
NL Newsletter by filling in the form and we will tell you about new levels
and courses when they are added. We´ll also send you regular tips for
learning English or Spanish.
How can I register for a course?
Use our secure
online registration form to register for the course(s) of your choice. Our
online registration process is completely safe and guaranteed by the Verisign
company and the Net Languages web development team.
How much does a course cost?
You can find information on the prices of our different courses if you choose
the course you're interested in from the home page, and then click on 'Course
prices'.
How do I pay for a course?
You can pay for a course using the secure online registration form. Just click
on the 'buy online' link on the home page. NL has a secure server, so you can
send your credit card information with total security. If you prefer, you can
also send payment by bank transfer.
Can I still pay for a course if I haven't got a credit card?
Yes. You can send us a bank transfer. You’ll find our bank account details
on the payment section of the registration form.
Can I try a course before I register?
Yes, we have sample classes for all our courses. Once you know which level is
best for you, simply go to the corresponding sample class page.
How do I know which level to do?
Once you have decided which type of course you want to take (General English,
English for Work, General Spanish... ), take the Net Languages Level Test to
see which level is right for you. Some courses (FCE Examination Practice, English
for Kids, IELTS Preparation Course, Pronunciation Practice and Methodology for
Teachers) do not require you to do a level test.
What do I get when I register for course?
If you register for a complete level of our General English or General Spanish
courses, you will receive
If you register for one of our English for Teachers courses, you get all this plus an additional 10-15 hours of materials designed to help you teach more effectively.
Each of our English for Work modules includes:
Can I register for more than one course at a time?
Each General English and General Spanish course is designed to help you improve
your current level of ability so you only need to do one course at a time. When
you finish your course you can move onto the next level.
In the case of our English for Work courses, you can do as many different modules
as you like. So you can, for example, take the Upper Intermediate level modules
on Telephoning, Selling & Negotiating, and Making Presentations, all at
the same time.
You can also register for more than one course if they belong to different course
series. For example you can combine a General English course at Lower Intermediate
level with any Lower Intermediate English for Work module. Also, if you really
enjoy learning languages, you can register for an English course and a Spanish
course at the same time!
What happens once I've registered?
When you register you automatically receive your own user name and password.
These are not activated until we receive payment for the course, but as soon
as payment is cleared, we immediately authorise these access codes. You can
then start work on your course and use all the resources of the Virtual School.
Will I be contacted by a tutor when I start the course?
Yes, if you have registered for a course with tutor support. As soon as we receive
payment from you, we assign one of our tutors to work with you. Your tutor will
send you an email welcoming you to NL and telling you anything else you need
to know about the course. You will work with the same tutor throughout the course
(unless they happen to be sick or go on holiday - in which case we will assign
you a temporary substitute tutor).
Where can I get more information?
You can get more information by sending us an email to: info@netlanguages.com.
We also invite you to keep up with what's happening at NL, by subscribing to
the free
NL newsletter.
Can I talk to someone in person before signing up?
Yes, simply give us a ring on +34 93 268 71 46. Or contact you nearest NL course
distributor, or International
House school.
What sort of computer do I need?
The minimum necessary hardware you need is: any computer using any version of
Windows (Windows 95 or above), a 486 PC with 16 MB Ram, 256 colour display,
14" colour monitor, 40 MB free hard disk space, sound card and speakers,
modem and Internet connection.
The recommended hardware is: Pentium PC with 128 MB Ram, 16 million colour display, 17" colour monitor, 40 MB free hard disk space, sound card, speakers, microphone, modem and Internet connection.
You may also need a printer if you want to print exercises. At the moment NL cannot guarantee that our materials will function on Macintosh computers or other operating systems.
What software do I need?
You need an Internet browser (Netscape or Microsoft Explorer), email software
(Eudora or Outlook Express), the Flash plug-in, the Java Virtual Machine, Shockwave and some chat software (Netmeeting, or Microsoft
MSN).
Where can I get the software?
You can get all the software for free on our technical information page. There
is a link on the NL home page.
What is the Reception?
The Reception is where you'll find all the information you need about the school
and the different courses. There is a Reception area for each type of course.
What can I do in the Reception?
You can get information on the courses and the levels, do a level test, try
a class, register for a course and get advice.
Who can visit the Reception?
This area of the school is open to everyone
How do I get to Reception?
You can get to the various Receptions by clicking on Our courses on the navigation
bar on the upper part of the screen and then clicking on the course line you
want (General English, General Spanish, etc).
What is the Library?
Our library contains a large number of additional study resources including
links to other websites that we think will be of interest to our students.
What can I do in the Library?
You can read books and magazines, listen to recordings and watch videos. You
can also look at grammar references, encyclopaedias and other reference books.
How do I get to the Library?
As a registered student, you can always get to the Library by clicking on the
library link from inside any of the areas of your course.
When do I visit the Library?
You can visit the library whenever you want to do some extra study during the
course.
What is the Study Room?
The Study Room is the place to go to meet other students and talk about the
course you are doing, or just practice your language skills with them. There
are different Study Rooms for each type of course.
How do I get to the Study Room?
You get to the Study Room by clicking on the Study Room link from anywhere inside
your course area.
What can I do in the Study Room?
You can chat to other students and use the Noticeboards to participate in discussions
about issues connected with your course.
When do I visit the Study Room?
You visit the Study Room regularly as part of each a course. You can also go
there whenever you want to communicate with other students or simply see what
other people have to say.
What is the Café?
The Café is designed to be a place where you can relax and have fun while you're
studying with us.
How do I get to the Café?
You can always get to the Café by clicking on the Café link inside your course
area.
What can I do in the Café?
You can chat with other students, play games and read magazines and newspapers.
When do I visit the Café?
Visit the Café when you want to relax and take a break and when you want to
talk to other students.
What happens if I have any problems doing the course?
You get in touch with your tutor. If it is a problem to do with the work that
you are doing, they will be able to help you.
Is there a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for technical problems?
Yes, there is a FAQ for technical problems accessible from our Home page and
from inside every course area. This will probably answer most of your questions,
for example if you having problems listening to sound files, or installing software.
Who do I contact if I have technical problems?
Your tutor. If they can't help they will ask the NL technical support team to
contact you and help you find a solution.
What if I need to stop the course half way through?
You can join the NL school again later on. If you need to stop in the middle
of a course, tell us and we'll organise everything for you. When you're ready
to start the course again, send us an email.
How can I stay in touch with Net Languages?
Bookmark this site! And if you want to receive a copy of one of our free
Newsletters (English Newsletter or Boletín de Español) by
email, simply fill in this form.
Can I get more information?
Yes. If you have any questions about any aspect of the course, simply send an
email to: info@netlanguages.com.
Please let us know which country you are from and, if you’ve already taken
the Level Test, please tell us what your level is.