Casual learners - free niche market for language schools

There is a big niche on the market for language schools. We are trying to figure out who are called casual learners and what language schools can offer them.

Casual learners are people who learn foreign languages irregularly when they are in a mood for this. They are always short of time and have quick life tempo. It is easy for them to study foreign languages because:

- It is a good way to spend free time for them.
- Language learning is a hobby for them.
- “Everybody else is learning why not to learn it?”

One may think that casual learners are perfect students for language schools. But it’s not always the case. They are like middle-class tourists who want to get maximum for their money. They squeeze teachers to give them even the smallest details of any grammar rule. They always want to know what they study and why. If they are unhappy they will complain.

What approach can work with casual learners in language schools?

1. Make the most of their time. Learn their needs. If they want theory, give them theory. If they need communication give them communication. Their time is the most valuable asset. For example, online platform gives a variety of tasks.
2. Turn learning into their hobby.  Don’t turn everything into routine. Let them see their results and success. Short activities and instant results. Top-rating to praise the top performing students.
3. Ensure variety of learning. Tasks must vary for them not to feel the drudgery of learning.
4. Ensure the feeling that students learn something new that they have never learned before. Big database of tasks can make learning adaptive to give more complicated materials at every level and preserve the novelty of learning. 
5. Summarize at the beginning and at the end. Casual learners need to see how much they have covered and how much is left to study. When they see that they have done so much work, they will appreciate learning even more.