Every year, an increased number of people are looking to learn English as a second language. Though many are unable to afford the fees of schools and private tutors, they are still able to learn English. This article which has been divided into two sections for convenience sake takes a look at some of the low budget ways to learn ESL. In its contents, you will find both low budget ways to learning English as a second language and low budget ways to getting materials to learning English as a second language.

Low budget ways to learning English as a second language- Using the internet

English learning websites
The first and cheapest material which may be used to learn the English language is the internet. Especially for those who already have internet services at home or in their places of work, using the internet as a means to learning ESL can be very cheap when you know what to look for and how to look for it. It should also be known that for this method to work effectively you should try engaging the services of one of your family, friends, neighbors, or even a work colleague who understands a little English. The work of this person would be to identify those sites which may be of help to you and to assist you wherever you have problems. This method can be very effective yet may still prove to be a disastrous outing for some especially if they are slow-learners. Also, there has to be harmony between the two parties (the person being thought and the family, friend, neighbor who is doing the teaching).

One of the many sites which you may want to have a look at is www.1-language.com and www.usingenglish.com. These sites offer free English learning courses and help for the many people looking to learn the English language. Employing the services of the many English learning sites constitutes the bulk of material you would be needing hence lower costs are inevitable.

Another place you could start from while trying to learn English as a second language through the internet is the search engines. There are search engines local to particular places and they are the perfect places to start from. Try searching using phrases like ‘how to learn English in –your country-‘or ‘learning English as a second language’. Whatever the results of these searches may be, you can shuffle through the results displayed by the engine and then find the perfect site from there. Another way of finding good English learning websites is by asking. You can always ask the people around you especially those who have learnt English in the past.

Blogs
Blogs are one of the finest places to make new friends and people who may share the same interests with you. In using blogs, a fine place to start would be a blog which is local to your own country i.e. a blog whose primary language is your first or native language. Opening new topics to paste inquiries on people who may be willing to offer their services to you is a good idea. It should be known that although some of the people who may show interest might have the intent to charge you a fare, you should try using your negotiation skills to come to an agreeable price between you and the person. You should also be able to find out information on this person so you would be sure he wouldn’t collect fees without delivering his services. It is always advisable to work with renowned bloggers who have their integrity at risk and although these people may be few in number, they are usually more trust-worthy than new bloggers.

Low budget ways to getting materials to learning English as a second language

This section of the article gives you tips and ways you could get the materials needed to learn ESL at either no cost or much cheaper prices. First of all, lets list some of the materials which are normally used, we would then tackle each one after the other.

Dictionary
Thesaurus

Dictionaries & Thesauruses
Getting a dictionary or thesaurus on the internet shouldn’t be a hard task if you know where to look. To begin with, it depends on the kind of dictionary or thesaurus you are looking to get. Supposing your mind is bent on getting a physical or a book-form dictionary, you can get one for a cheap price at www.ebay.com or www.amazon.com. There are also some other online bookshops and we recommend you take a look at as many of them as you can so as to get the best offer available. The online bookshops can be found by executing a proper search using one of the popular search engines.

Another form of dictionaries and thesauruses is the software form. These software forms are much more convenient and portable when compared to the conventional types. Software forms are available for your phones, pocket pc’s and some of the other portable devices we all carry around. They are also available for downloads unto a computer system. As before, these software dictionaries can be downloaded for a fare and depending on how lucky or how in-depth your search goes you may even get to download one for free.

A third form of dictionaries is included with some websites. Sites such as www.dictionary.com offers free definitions to words online. Though using this form of dictionary may not be as convenient as the other forms mentioned above, it is totally free to use. In all, you need to weigh your options and decide which form of a dictionary is best for you.

All other materials such as textbooks can be gotten from e-commerce sites. Sites such as ebay.com or amazon.com could be a good place to start your search for these materials.