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A majority of international business can be conducted in the English language. This leaves many non-native speakers needing to adapt. A business English course focuses on the vocabulary and language skills needed to succeed in the workplace and to build important relationships.
From communicating with coworkers to interacting with business partners, these classes can prepare their students to take all workplace situations in stride. They cover various scenarios (interviews, meetings, emails, networking), all with the goal of helping you overcome any professional challenges.
Naturally, these skills can be a big benefit to your career. Advancement, higher salaries, even relocation to another country – business English can open many doors. As such, these classes can pay off handsomely in the long run.
Quick Look: The Best Business English Courses
- Small Talk Basics for English Language Students by Skillshare - Get this course
- Global Business Skills in English for Your Career by Udemy - Get this course
- English Basics: Start Using English At Work Today! by Udemy - Get this course
- Business Communication: Writing Better Emails by Udemy - Get this course
- Business English Course for ESL Students by Udemy - Get this course
- EJO Business Speaking by Elizabeth Johnson Organisation
- Advanced Business English Vocabulary by Udemy - Get this course
- Business Skills: Easy English Meetings by Udemy - Get this course
- Business English Course Online by Udemy - Get this course
What Makes a Great Business English Course?
When it comes to teaching non-native speakers English, there is no shortage of courses to choose from. However, with so many different options available, you should consider a few different factors in order to find the best class possible.
Instructor’s Background
You want an instructor who has a proven track record of teaching English as a second language. As mentioned, this is a very big industry, so it’s not particularly difficult to find individuals and organizations with solid credentials.
Course Contents
This factor often plays the biggest role when it comes to choosing a course, and there are 2 things to pay attention to here.
The first is the course level. Your business English skills will depend on your general mastery of the language, meaning that you shouldn’t take a class that’s too advanced or too basic for you. Finding the right balance is crucial to getting the most out of any given course.
Secondly, you should look over the exact curriculum. All these classes deal with using English in a business setting, but they may have different focuses. For instance, some courses are general, while others center on a particular area (such as writing emails). Both can be valuable, and the correct choice will depend on your particular needs.
Price
Business English classes can have a very direct impact on your career. This makes them a sound investment and they’ll justify their own cost in time. But, your current funds may be limited, particularly if your career is just starting out. That’s why it never hurts to keep an eye on the price.
The Best Online Business English Courses
Bearing all this in mind, we’ve put together a list of 9 courses that cater to different requirements. They cover different levels, skills, and price points, so you should be able to find a class that’s just right for you.
Best Online Business English Courses for Beginners
These are starter courses, covering the simpler aspects of business English. They also have lower requirements in terms of overall English proficiency.
1. Small Talk Basics for English Language Students by Skillshare
- Who’s it for? Beginners
- Price: On sale
While this class may be slightly different from a standard business English course, it covers important aspects of anyone’s career, networking and meeting new people. This comes into play in numerous situations, including the office, conferences, business lunches, and more.
Small talk can play a huge role in your professional advancement, as it allows you to establish business connections. The class will teach you how to start conversations and how to find the right words in any context.
You’ll need a premium subscription to Skillshare to access this course. That will cost $15 for one month or $8.25 per month on an annual basis. However, you can get a free trial for a month for your first month.
2. Global Business Skills in English for Your Career by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Beginners
- Price: On sale
This animated course will take you on a typical professional journey. You can follow a character as he searches for a job, goes to an interview, performs his tasks around the office, and more. All the while, you’ll be growing your vocabulary, improving your language skills, and mastering business etiquette.
The course is great for anyone who is just entering the corporate world, meaning they’re likely to go through situations similar to the ones in the story. The price is affordable even without the discount, and the animation gives the course a pleasant aesthetic.
3. English Basics: Start Using English At Work Today! by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Beginners
- Price: On sale
Of the 3 beginner courses, this is likely the simplest one. This makes it a good option for people who are looking to start with the absolute basics.
By using simple grammatical forms, students will learn to introduce themselves in business settings.
Students will also learn toBusiness Communication: Writing Better Emails by Udemy talk about their activities, ask questions about their colleagues’ routines, and more.
Best Intermediate Online Business English Courses
These courses are more complex than the previous set, and they explore the different aspects of business English in more detail.
1. Business Communication: Writing Better Emails by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Intermediate learners
- Price: On sale
This is a specialized course which centers on one very important aspect of business communication, emails. Business correspondence is an area where mistakes can be particularly costly, and this class can provide you with the tools you need to avoid any problems.
You can learn how to start and end an email, what to avoid, what to check before hitting the send button, etc. It’s the most affordable class in this set because it deals with a single issue, but its importance can’t be overstated.
2. Business English Course for ESL Students by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Intermediate students
- Price: On sale
With 40 individual lessons, this course provides a solid and comprehensive option to those wishing to learn business English at an intermediate level. It goes over many scenarios: interviews, phone calls, presentations, negotiations, and much more.
The course also covers certain specialized areas of business, such as retail, manufacturing, marketing, non-profit organizations, etc.
3. EJO Business Speaking by Elizabeth Johnson Organisation
- Who’s it for? Intermediate learners
- Price: $168
This course includes 60 lessons which cover 30 different business situations. In total, students will learn over 600 expressions they can apply in various work settings, along with a host of other skills.
The material features speakers from 6 countries, exposing students to different accents. This can be invaluable preparation for the real-world interactions they can expect to encounter in international working environments. The course can also include a Skype tutorial, but that option costs extra.
This class is more expensive than the other two in this group, but the high-quality content justifies the price.
Best Advanced Online Business English Courses
Finally, this is the set of classes intended for those who already have a solid foundation and now wish to take their business English to an even higher level.
1. Advanced Business English Vocabulary by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Advanced learners
- Price: On sale
As the name implies, this course takes a deep dive into the most advanced vocabulary one can expect to encounter at the workplace. It provides detailed explanations regarding the meaning and usage of many business expressions and terms.
The course also contains real-life interviews with successful entrepreneurs. Not only do these provide a valuable learning experience in terms of language, but they also contain genuine business insights.
2. Business Skills: Easy English Meetings by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Advanced learners
- Price: On sale
Business meetings are among the most challenging and stressful workplace situations even when language isn’t an issue. But when a language barrier is also present, meetings can become an even bigger problem in your career. This is the issue addressed by this course.
The course teaches the language needed to participate in and even lead meetings. It discusses different strategies on communicating effectively under these conditions and allows people who already have a good command of English to fill any meeting-related vocabulary gaps they may have.
3. Business English Course Online by Udemy
- Who’s it for? Advanced learners
- Price: On sale
Finally, the last course on the list is another one that covers a lot of ground. It addresses nearly every aspect of business communication, giving its students the confidence to tackle any language-related issue head-on.
This includes conversation, negotiation, writing, presenting, and so on. It comes with the highest price tag of all the courses, but it delivers a lot of value for that money and comes from a very reputable institution.
Final Thoughts
When you consider how connected the world has become, not being able to effectively communicate in English can be a major stumbling block in your career path. Simply put, business has gone global and you need business English to keep up with it.
Fortunately, there are good courses which can help you with this. Our list covers various options, allowing you to choose whichever one aligns with your needs the best. Learning business English requires time and effort, but your career will benefit greatly from it.
Want to learn more? Check out Benzinga's guides to the best people management training, the best presentation skills training and the best networking books.
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About Luke Jacobi
Luke Jacobi is a distinguished professional known for his role as President at Benzinga, a renowned financial media outlet. With a background in business operations and management, Luke brings valuable expertise to his position, overseeing various aspects of Benzinga’s operations. His contributions play a crucial role in the company’s success, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness across different departments. Prior to his role at Benzinga, Luke has held positions that have honed his skills in leadership and strategic decision-making. With a keen understanding of the financial industry and a commitment to driving innovation, Luke continues to make significant contributions to Benzinga’s mission of providing high-quality financial news and analysis.