Why should you learn a language online during a global pandemic?

It’s no exaggeration to say that 2020 hasn’t been an easy year. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of insecurity for everyone, especially around work. Lingoda, the number one trusted online language school, explains why, now more than ever, learning a language could help you open new doors.

The coronavirus crisis has been a testing time for many people, across all areas of life - none more so than in the world of work. With job losses, reduced hours, remote work and the downsizing of existing and new positions becoming increasingly common occurrences, the job market has been permanently changed.

This dynamic means that it’s never been so important to give yourself a decisive advantage if you wish to advance or rebuild your career - and language learning could be the key. Here’s how.

Further your career with lockdown language learning

The effects of coronavirus on the job market have made it more difficult to develop professionally. However with the right set of skills, you can still stand out, even as more applicants compete for fewer positions in this changed economy. Language proficiency is one way of putting yourself head and shoulders above the rest, since language skills have long become essential in the globalised job market.

Learning a language or developing your existing language skills helps you to:

1. Expand your skill set and grow professionally

Language skills always look good on your CV, but they offer more opportunities for career advancement than just something you tag onto your resume. Language skills also help you negotiate in interviews and communicate with confidence in multicultural settings.

Whether you’re learning German as an expat, English or Business English, the expansion of your cultural understanding that comes with language learning allows you to think globally and navigate professional and social situations.

2. Stay sharp and hone your cognitive abilities

When you’re forced to stay at home, things can quickly feel dull and you might have trouble staying “sharp”. While we all need time to relax and recharge, don’t just fill any new gaps in your schedule or activities with passive entertainment. Dedicating yourself to learning a new language gives you structure and has proven cognitive benefits.

You’ll increase your ability to focus and process information, develop and strengthen neural connections and the ability for complex thought, and fight off the onset of age-related mental decline. Stay home AND stay sharp: use this time to invest in your mental capacity and your mental health.

3. Practice speaking and social skills

The whole idea of limiting interactions with other people is of course to keep everyone healthy and safe and to minimise risks. However, reducing interactions has an unintended consequence: we speak a lot less because we spend more time alone.

Online classes can help you overcome that feeling of isolation, even though you only meet your teacher and other students virtually. The opportunity to physically speak in an online classroom environment gives you a positive sense of connection, which your language learning achievements will only reinforce.

4. Be productive and track progress to stay positive

Productivity comes down to the difference between being efficient and being effective. You can be very efficiently doomscrolling all day, but the only effect will be that you’ll feel down and have negative thoughts.

Learning a new language is effective at focusing your attention on something concrete with a positive outcome. Don’t think of it as a distraction from the current situation or your worries about work, family, health and life in general. Approach it as a project with incremental growth which gives you achievable and trackable goals. Each completed lesson, each newly learned word or grammatical construct is a win on your way to proficiency or fluency.

Why quality online language classes are important

When selecting an online language school or platform, choose wisely to select a course or programme that not only fits your needs and level, but also benefits you the most by allowing you to learn in the most effective way.

Here are a few tips on what to look for in quality online language classes:

• Choose an online language learning platform with significant and profound online teaching experience of at least a couple of years.
• Look for teachers who are qualified native speakers with certified experience in second language online teaching. A good teacher doesn’t just recite course material, but is able to engage students, provide a great remote learning experience and maximise results.
• Check the course materials are developed by experts from the learning platform. Lessons should be in a fully digital format and adapted to online learning.
• Pay attention to the size of virtual classes. You can pay extra for private lessons, of course, but group classes should not be a video call with too many students, or worse, a pre-recorded video.

Get started with online language learning now

Unfortunately, many activities and plans have had to be put on hold during the pandemic until a return to some sort of normalcy is possible. Luckily for you, learning a new language is not one of those, and the time to acquire new language skills is now! Thanks to online classes, you have every opportunity to prepare for travel in the future or to improve your professional prospects.

Why not test online language learning now with a free trial? Lingoda lets you try their language classes for free! They meet all the requirements for quality online language classes outlined above. You can sign up for a trial of three group classes or one private class worth 40 euros. Start learning now!