Many of these private schools are located on or near a college or university campus. Others are located elsewhere, for example in a downtown office building. Private language institutes can be less expensive than schools operated by colleges and universities. Students at private schools also may complete the course in less time. The courses offered at private English schools do not always begin and end at the same time as a college or university term.
Schedules are more flexible, with a new session beginning every few weeks or months.
This can be an advantage, because a student can start the program at any time of year. Advanced-level students at many private ESL institutes are allowed to take a few academic courses at nearby colleges or universities. Ideally, there should be no more than 12 to 15 students in each classroom. Reputable language schools usually ask entering students to take a test of their ability in English. The schools use the test results to estimate how much time each student will need to study English before he or she is qualified to enter a full-time academic program.