FAQ

You can enroll on a course which has already started on two conditions:

1. There must be free space in the class
2. Your level must be approved by the teacher

You can of course take more than one course at a time, but you need to allow for the fact that you will have to do private study as well as attending classes. This can be a lot of work if you have a job or are studying at the same time. We only recommend taking more than one course if you want to invest a lot of time in improving your language skills over a short period.

Payment is expected before the beginning of the course. This guarantees your place will be reserved. Payment can be made by bank transfer or in cash with receipt.

Mixtree Languages bank details are as follows:

Name: STICHTING MIXTREE
IBAN: NL78 ABNA 0409 4668 08
BIC: ABNANL2A
( please enter the following information when you make the transfer: your name and English course + Start date )

If you prefer to pay cash with receipt, please make an appointment with us.

To identify language proficiency levels, MixTree Languages uses an international standard known as the Common European Framework of Reference. This means that you always know what language level your course provides. The level will also be stated on your final certificate. Below is an overview of the skills required for each level.

C2	Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
C1	Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
B2	Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
B1	Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.  Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
A2	Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.  Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
A1	Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

As a rule every course that is planned takes place, but it can happen that there is too little interest to start a course at a particular level at a particular time. We require a minimum of five students for a class. If there are not enough students we shall contact you as soon as possible. Initially we shall offer you an alternative arrangement to enable the course to take place. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel the course, any course fees you have already paid will of course be refunded. If there is a lot of interest we may have to put you on a waiting list, in which case we shall inform you immediately, so that you know where you stand.

After you have completed your English Level Check (online), it is possible to enroll from abroad through our website or by sending us an email to info@mixtreelang.nl. As soon as we have processed your registration, we will send you an enrolment confirmation. We will also send you an invoice by email. With the registration by email, you will receive instructions for the payment. You can pay by bank transfer to the bank account of STICHTING MIXTREE, by credit or debit card and by PayPal.  It’s also possible to pay in cash with a receipt when you arrive in Amsterdam; in this case please make an appointment with us.

You may be able to join part of the course, or a few weeks, if above conditions are met. You will only pay for the remaining part of the course, plus €30 of administration cost.

Before enrolling, we need to know your goals and your level of English so we can place you on the most suitable course. 

You can meet Live-Online in Zoom or via WhatsApp and have a conversation with one of our friendly, CELTA/TEFL certified, experienced English teachers to determine your overall level and your specific needs.

You can book your free English Level Check here:  – https://mixtreelang.nl/free-online-english-level-check/

As a rule every course that is planned takes place, but it can happen that there is too little interest to start a course at a particular level at a particular time. We require a minimum of six students for a class. If there are not enough students we shall contact you as soon as possible. Initially we shall offer you an alternative arrangement to enable the course to take place. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel the course, any course fees you have already paid will of course be refunded. If there is a lot of interest we may have to put you on a waiting list, in which case we shall inform you immediately, so that you know where you stand.

The school cannot provide accommodation for students, but we have listed useful suggestions at the following link of our website: https://mixtreelang.nl/english-language-tips/accommodation-in-amsterdam

If you need to abandon your course for personal reasons, we can offer the option of postponing the course to a later date or moving to another course. You can see the detailed conditions at paragraph 3 of our Terms and Conditions: https://mixtreelang.nl/terms-and-conditions/

MixTree Languages is closed on the following dates:
New Year’s Day (1 January), Good Friday, Easter Monday, King’s Day (27 April), Liberation Day (5 May), Ascension Day (Thursday and Friday), Whit Monday and Christmas (25 and 26 December). Lessons continue during school holidays.

The start and end dates shown on our website take any public holidays into account: where a lesson would take place on one of these days, it is cancelled and the course continues longer. You will receive an email confirming these dates shortly before the course starts. On request, it is possible for individual lessons and tailor-made courses to be scheduled on these days.

The main difference you will feel at MixTree Languages is our community. Our teaching is based on the theories of collaborative/social learning. This means that we believe language is learnt not only through ‘input’ but also in the social processes of interaction.

This is why it is just as important on our courses that you get to know each other and have opportunities to share your ideas and experiences, as it is to discuss grammar points & new vocabulary. We not only encourage this in class but also outside of class through using WhatsApp groups or attending our cultural events.

Collaboration is also important, as by supporting each other our learners feel able to leave their ‘comfort zone’ and so develop their language further. In language teaching this ‘comfort zone’ is known as ‘the Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD):

“…the ZPD is the difference between what a person can achieve when acting alone and what the same person can accomplish when acting with support from someone else…”

(Lantolf, 2000: 16-17)

So our collaborative and social environment enables our learners to leave their ZPD more easily and so expand their language more.

We only work with highly experienced and qualified (minimum CELTA) mother tongue or bilingual English teachers. At MixTree Languages community is more than a warm, friendly feeling – it is a powerful way to improve your language learning.

MixTree Languages is a language school and a non profit cultural association that provides high quality language courses at an affordable price. We also organise social, artistic and educative events which our students and the public can take part in.

To be a non profit organization means that we are not allowed to make any profit, in other words we can assure that the price of the course is spent only to cover the costs of the English course (teachers, space renting, materials, promotion and administration costs).

The advantage for the students is that MixTree can provide high quality language courses (We only work with highly experienced and qualified, minimum CELTA) at an affordable price (including teaching materials – you don’t need to buy any books, and registration cost).

Our school does not service visa requests, work permits and any other governmental documents.

At MixTree Languages we understand that progress in language learning is incremental. This means that we expect learners, on average, to spend 2 or 3 courses around the same level. This is because a good learning process needs to revise and build on previous learning (per level we calculate approximately 100/120 of in-class study hours and the same number of self-study hours) and provide a wide variety of different topics and tasks. This is why we have 3 programmes for each level with different vocabulary and grammar topics.

After you have completed a course, your teacher will recommend which level/course you should join next. If necessary, you can have another free consultation with one of our teachers to re-assess your level.

Yes. All lessons are exclusively taught in English.

Yes. If a student find the level either too easy or too difficult, the student can move to another group before the 3rd lesson.  Due to our detailed intake process this doesn’t happen often, but when it does, we find the best solution for the student and group

MixTree Languages offers courses lasting four or six weeks. You can take a series of courses to improve the level of your language skills step by step. If you opt for a business or one-on-one course as well as tailor-made group courses, you can decide how long you want it to be. 

If you choose to purchase more than one course as a package, you will be offered a discount. Contact us for more information.

On our courses you will be expected to do preparation for class the next day. This could be reading an article, watching a video, writing or doing a grammar exercise. This will prepare you for the next class so you can get the most out of your course and also allow more time for talking in class as all passive activities are done at home and discussed in class. Doing work at home by yourself is an important part of the learning process and you can expect about 1-1.5 hours of homework each day. Your teacher will email you the homework assignment the day before, so you have enough time to do it. We also understand that you might be working or are busy and do not have time to do all your homework. If you can’t do your homework it’s OK, please still come to the class. Those who did the preparation will describe it and you will still be able to join in. However, our experience is that the more time you invest in your study, the more you get out of the course.

We regret that you cannot make up a class if you have missed one. Don’t worry, your teacher will send you the pre-task preparation mail, where you can find your homework. Note that you are only entitled to a certificate of successful completion if you have attended at least 80% of the classes.  If you miss more than 25% of the course, you will be granted a 10% discount on your next English course with MixTree Languages.

You will complete an assessment at the beginning of the course which looks at the range and accuracy of your language. This same assessment is repeated in the last week and any improvements/persistent difficulties noted. You will also prepare for and give a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic of your choice. This is a way to celebrate your improvement and show us what you have learnt.

You will receive a Certificate of Attendance and Proficiency Level after the end of the course. We use the standardized Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Our courses are designed to be highly interactive AND discuss/practise grammar. Each week the programme will focus on the present/past/future tenses and their relevant grammar points. You will have opportunities to practise grammar exercises at home for preparation work and to activate this grammar in class. There will always be time set aside in class to discuss any difficulties with grammar.

MixTree Languages is in Eerste Weteringplantsoen 2c, 1017 SJ Amsterdam.

MixTree Languages employs reliable, expert teachers and guarantees the quality of all its teaching staff. We only work with highly experienced and qualified (minimum CELTA) mother tongue or bilingual English teachers.

If you have attended at least 80% of the classes, you will receive a certificate of successful completion. The certificate will show your proficiency level, using the standardized Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Our course material is continually improved, updated and developed, based on experience, students’ feedback and studies.