🇬🇧 Learning English in United Kingdom

Morley runs ESOL across campuses in central and south London as a funded subject area, so for learners who meet the Adult Skills Fund criteria — 19 or over, low earnings or unemployed, settled in the UK — courses are normally free, with co-funded fees otherwise. London ESOL funding is set by the Greater London Authority rather than nationally, so check the college's own fee-remission policy for your circumstances rather than assuming the national rules apply. Enrolment usually starts with an initial assessment to place you at the right level.

These are the classes IH London's trainee teachers deliver under supervision by experienced trainers, which is exactly why they cost so little. Free if you are a refugee, an asylum seeker, receiving unemployment benefits, or over 65; otherwise a low flat fee. Open to adults 16 and over at roughly A2 to B2 level, with afternoon and evening slots at the Covent Garden school and courses running two to six weeks. You take an online level test then a short speaking assessment before registering. A good bridge if college ESOL intakes have closed for the term.

St Giles runs accredited schools in London Central, London Highgate, Brighton, Cambridge and Eastbourne, teaching general and specialist adult English alongside teacher training including CELTA. Adult general English is the mainstream offer; junior summer centres are run separately. Fees and start dates are published on each individual school's page and you book direct through the site. A reasonable default if you want a paid intensive course rather than a funded part-time one.

King's teaches a wide range of languages including English across its Strand and Waterloo campuses and online, and states plainly that independent learners as well as King's students and staff can enrol. Evening and Saturday classes are open to everyone, with discounts for King's staff and partner-institution members. This distinguishes it from most London university English provision, which is restricted to students who already hold an offer. Browse by language on the course search portal and register through the official form; fees are published in the centre's fees section.

The Idea Store is Tower Hamlets Council's combined library and adult learning service, running ESOL across centres in Bow, Canary Wharf, Chrisp Street, Watney Market and Whitechapel alongside a programme of hundreds of other courses. As a council provider funded through the adult skills system, courses are normally free to eligible residents, but the site does not spell out fee remission — confirm your own eligibility before enrolling. Enrol through the course pages or in person at a centre. If you live elsewhere in the UK, your own council's adult learning service is the equivalent to look for.

A registered charity providing free English classes for migrants in London, alongside campaigning on migrant issues and training ESOL teachers. Its classes are genuinely free and some come with a creche, which removes the barrier that keeps many parents out of ESOL entirely. Projects run in boroughs including Tower Hamlets and Greenwich. Enrolment happens through a sign-up form on the homepage when intakes open, or by email — check the site since intakes are periodic rather than continuous.