11 Ways To Learn A Language While Working Full Time
If you are working full time and you want to learn a language, you need to make the most of every second of the day that you have free to study. It can take thousands of hours of study to become fluent in a language but this should not stop you from reaching that goal. Here are the best tips and tricks on how to learn a language while working full time that don’t take too much effort at all!
To learn a language while working full time you need to work around the roughly third of a day chunk your job takes up. This means you should be language learning as you get ready for work by have foreign language news on in the background; during your commute to and from work such as by listening to a podcast while driving; during lunch or coffee breaks by reviewing vocabulary flashcards or reading; and even in sneaky ways while working such as by changing the language of your work computer or phone.
1. Use A Language Learning Planner To Keep Yourself On Track Towards Your Goals
Working full time unfortunately means having a very jam packed schedule and easily finding excuses for putting off language learning. That is why it is so important to have a language learning planner to keep you accountable and on track towards your language learning goals.
As a full time working language learner you should be making SMART goals. This stands for:
- S– specific
- M– measurable
- A– attainable
- R– realistic
- T– time bound
You can make your goals by writing them down on a piece of paper or you could follow a scaffold and answer specific questions to guide you to make achievable SMART goals by using a template in a language learning planner.
Find The Printable Language Learning Planner Here…
Find The Digital Language Learning Planner For iPad Here…
Read Also: How To Set Fail Proof Language Learning Goals
2. Listen To Podcasts While Driving To Work
The commute to work for most people is very long and a big time waster each day. There isn’t much to do while driving except listen to the radio but what if you started listening to foreign language podcasts instead?
Podcasts are a great way to learn a language as they can seriously improve your pronunciation skills and also your listening skills. And there are podcasts available for free for all levels of language learners no matter if you are a beginner or advanced learner.
In addition to podcasts, you should consider listening to audiobooks in your target language. This is especially a great idea for more advanced learners or people who want more of a challenge. You can find heaps of foreign language audiobooks on a service like Audible and on other online platforms.
3. Do Rocket Languages Courses On Public Transport
If you don’t drive to work and rather take public transport you have many more options for how you can language learn! One way is to do online language learning courses through an app on your phone or on your laptop.
Online language courses are a great idea for learning while working full time as it gives you lots of flexibility to learn when it suits you. This is great in comparison to having to go to a language learning school at a certain time each week. Furthermore, online language courses allow you to learn at the pace that suits you unlike following a strict syllabus of a school.
Imagine if you spent each morning or evening commute (this could be up to an hour!) studying a language on your mobile phone instead of scrolling through Instagram or mindlessly looking out the window.
Check Out The Wide Range Of Courses Rocket Languages Offers:
4. Revise Flashcard Sets During Lunch Break
Learning a language while working full time means making time in every free moment of your day and what is not a better time than your lunch break! Anytime that you are all alone during your lunch break you should study some vocabulary with flashcards.
One of the most efficient ways to get foreign language vocabulary into your long term memory is to use flashcards with the principles of spaced repetition. (If you are not familiar with spaced repetition I highly recommend that you read this article here about it.) And the best way to use spaced repetition with flashcards is to us the leitner method.
The leitner method, in summary, uses boxes where flashcards go up as you get the correct or back to box one if you answer it incorrect. Each box has a different study schedule (e.g. study everyday), the schedule become more and more infrequent as the box number increases (e.g. study every other week). You can find out more about the leitner method here.
The method works quite well for work as you can take the box that you need to study to work for the day and revise the words during your lunch break or when you have some free time. Personally I like to use printable study boxes however you can make your own mini organisation system for your flashcards yourself with folders or filing boxes.
Read Also: How To Effectively Learn Vocabulary With Flashcards
5. Do An Online Video Call Lesson Anytime & Anywhere That Suits Your Busy Work Schedule
The reason why many people don’t learn a language as an adult is because they “don’t have enough time” but that doesn’t have to be the case when you can attend an online video call lesson at 6am, 10pm, 3am or anytime that suits your busy work schedule! You can do this through online language schools such as Rype or Lingoda!
Rype
Rype is a video call language learning model where you can learn privately (1 teacher to 1 student) with a 100% personalised curriculum and 100s of teacher options. It is a very affordable option for video call lessons as they can be as low as $9.99USD/Hour. Also you can learn anywhere, anytime 24/7!
Lingoda
Lingoda offers both private and small group video call lessons. Each lessons is 60 minutes long and you can learn online anytime 24/7. Currently, Lingoda has monthly subscriptions for classes or marathon courses where you commit to do a lesson everyday or every second day for 3, 6 or 12 months, have a one-time upfront payment and then can earn up to a 100% cashback if you attend every class. This is one feature that really sets Lingoda apart from other online language learning courses. It’s super motivating to put in the effort to language learn each day!
6. Change The Language Of Your Work Computer & Phone
Everyone spends hours on their electronic devices daily. Lucky for us that we can easily change the language of our computers and phones with a few quick clicks. If your workplace allows it, you should change the language of your computer or at least rename some of your personal folders with titles in your target language. If not, simply change the language of your phone. It’s crazy the amount of new technology related vocabulary you will learn from doing this!
7. Listen To Foreign Language Songs While Working
If you like to listen to music while working why not start listening to music in your target language. I’m sure you can find heaps of playlists of foreign language music on Spotify or on YouTube!
Read Also: How To Learn A Language By Listening To Music
8. Make The Most Of Digital Flashcards On Your Phone While Waiting For Your Takeaway Coffee
Instead of using physical flashcards like the ones I showed you above, you can download a digital flashcard app such as Anki or Quizlet to study your vocabulary.
Digital flashcards are fantastic for language learning as they are always with you (unless you somehow leave your phone at home!). They also usually have some sort of spaced repetition system/algorithm on them to help you learn your vocabulary in the most efficient manner.
So next time you are waiting around for your name to be called out for your morning coffee, whip out your digital flashcard app and study a few words! It’s much better time spent than scrolling through social media.
9. Watch The News In Your Target Language Before Leaving For Work
Most people leave the TV on with the morning news in the background as they eat breakfast and get ready for work. You can simply change this habit into a language learning session by playing the news in your target language. If your TV does not have a channel with the news in your preferred language, don’t hesitate to look online for it.
Pro Tip: Actively learn by writing down new words or phrases that you hear while watching the news in your language learning planner!
10. Watch Foreign Language Movies On The Weekend
Watching foreign language movies is one of the most fun ways to learn a language. You probably already watch a few movies after work or on the weekend so it is a really easy way to learn a language by making a small change to a habit.
While watching foreign language movies it is super important to watch them actively so you learn the maximum amount possible. This means that you get out a notebook or use a vocabulary template from a language learning planner to jot down new words and any phrases that are interesting or you want to use yourself.
Whatever you do, do not watch a foreign language movie passively. While you will pick up words here and there it will be a very slow process to really learn anything!
Read Also: How To Learn A Language By Watching Netflix
11. Do A Little Bit Of Language Learning Every Single Day *The Most Important Tip!*
The key to becoming fluent in a foreign language while working full time is to put a little bit of effort into learning every single day. This may seem daunting at first but even as little as 5 minutes of language study each day will be super beneficial and keep you on track towards your goals.
Do one of the suggested ways to learn a foreign language while working full time that are listed above. They are already ready to integrate seamlessly into your busy work schedule. You have no excuses now!
Don’t Forget To Check Out Lingoda And Rype!
Check Out The Online Video Call Courses Below:
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