Conditions for
students continuing courses with Viv at intermediate level +
Maintaining progress
If you were doing a course at an efficient and effective language school, after completing a level, you would automatically have a new teacher for the next level course. This is because, with time, students get used to their teacher's methods, accent and work rate. It also often becomes more difficult for teachers to motivate their students to work hard on improving their English as time goes by. Furthermore, the course certificates which language schools and teachers give students after course completion are of little professional value, whereas passing an internationally recognised examination will provide the student with a language qualification which may well be of real use in his or her future career.
Saturation
Sooner or later, most students reach 'saturation level', this means that they have reached a level of communicative English sufficient for their professional and personal needs and no longer have the motivation necessary to work hard on pushing the limits forward.
What is important, isn't whether you enjoy having classes and feel they are useful; the question is whether you really have the motivation and time available to dedicate to reaching a higher level of English. For most people, the higher the level, the more difficult it is to find the motivation necessary, because at advanced level and above, the focus is more on specific vocabulary areas (more obscure vocabulary, phrasal verbs and idioms) rather than grammatical tenses, which only need to be revised every so often.
The following conditions have been designed by Viv to maintain motivation and objectivity, and give the student the opportunity to have the value of what they are learning in class assessed and evaluated by an internationally recognised organisation.
1. After finishing a level (around 120 hours of classes) I recommend that students take a break in classes of one month (with a two-week break being the minimum). Apart from giving the student a well-earned holiday from classes, it's also important to give the learner time to absorb what has been studied and allow the grammar and vocabulary 'to settle'.
2. Students successful in passing the intermediate level and above may only continue classes with Viv if they prepare for an internationally recognised examination (Cambridge First Certificate in English, Cambridge Advanced Examination or Cambridge Proficiency in English).
3. The minimum number of hours of class time per week for the 'Preparation for Cambridge' course is two hours *.
4. All students starting a new level will need to start a new vocabulary and grammar notebook. Before starting the new notebook, both vocabulary and 'back of notebook' tests must be passed using the old notebook.
5. The maximum course duration is two years. If a student isn't able to take the selected examination after two years of preparation, the course will be terminated.
6. However, it's not all bad news! Everyone who finishes a level with Viv is entitled to an optional 'bar class'. This means going to a local bar and spending the class time speaking informally in English. There will be no charge for the class, but the student has to pay for the drinks!
* An exception to this rule will be made if, at the time of the start of the new level, Viv does not have available time in his timetable for an extra class. However, the student should plan for two hours of classes as soon as possible, or condition 5 will mean it is impossible to complete the course.