Frequently Asked questions

What can you help me with?

• making your English accent and pronunciation easier to understand
• making your accent closer to the Standard British (RP) accent
• communicating with your voice more effectively
• public speaking skills

What can you NOT help me with?

• learning accents other than Standard British (RP)
• clinical speech disorders, such as stuttering, or those resulting form disabilities or physical conditions - these should be treated by a qualified Speech Therapist

How often should I take the sessions?

The choice is yours – most of my clients have one hour per week. Some people take more frequent sessions for the first few weeks, then have occasional top-up sessions.

How long is a typical course?

There is no set length to a course – it depends on your goals, your budget and how much you practice outside the sessions. I focus on the areas of greatest need first, so that you can get maximum benefit early on.

If you have a very limited specific need (e.g. difficulty pronouncing just one or two sounds, or an interview practice) then it may take only one or two sessions to achieve what you want.

Normally, however, I would suggest that you plan for about 8 sessions to make a start on all the main areas that need work.

Do I have to practice at home?

Yes. This is essential. I will give you exercises to practice at home – most of the work will be done by you between sessions. You need many hours of practice to change the habits that have become ingrained over many years, particularly if you want to change your accent. Like any other complex physical skill, your new habits will only become automatic after many hours of regular repetition.

What teaching methods do you use?

It depends on your individual needs, but these may include:

• practice exercises
• worksheets comparing the sounds of English
• physical warm-ups and breathing exercises
• recording your voice
• role-play and speaking practice

How long will it take for my accent to change?

This depends on many factors: your goals (do you just want to speak a little more clearly? or do you want to sound as close as possible to Standard English?), your motivation and how much you practice. Some aspects of pronunciation can be quite easy to change, others need a lot of hard work, while others may be virtually impossible to change completely. Sometimes progress can be very obvious, at other times you will feel you are making no progress at all. This is completely normal, and it varies a lot between individuals. However, with regular practice between sessions you should notice some useful improvement after about 8 sessions. Significant long-term changes may need several months of practice.

I have a foreign accent. Will I ever sound like an English person?

If you are an adult, then even after many years of work on your accent you will probably always sound a little non-English to a native English speaker. Realistically, you can aim to improve your accent so that it has minimal effect on your ability to communicate.