Frequently Asked Questions
Look, we get asked the same things all the time. And that's fine — language learning can feel confusing when you're just starting out. We've compiled the questions our students actually ask, so you can figure out if Lab Courses is the right fit without the guesswork.
Online courses let you move at your own pace. You watch videos, do exercises, get feedback. In-person? That's real conversation with a teacher who catches your mistakes before they become habits. Most people find in-person works faster for speaking skills, but online fits better with crazy schedules. We offer both because different people need different things.
Depends what you mean by conversational. Small talk at a bar? Maybe 12-16 weeks if you're putting in genuine effort. Business-level fluency? That's more like 6-9 months. We've found that intensity matters more than duration. Someone who studies 5 hours a week will lap someone doing 2 hours a week every single time. Your actual commitment determines the timeline, not our course structure.
We give you 2 weeks free to test-drive any course. If it doesn't click, no charge, no questions. After that? You're committed. We don't do refunds because our pricing already reflects what these courses actually cost to run. But here's the thing — if you're showing up and doing the work, you'll improve. We've seen it happen 47 times in the last 18 months.
English, Spanish, German, and Czech. That's it. We're not trying to be everything to everyone. We went deep with these four languages instead of spreading ourselves thin across twelve. Each has native-speaking instructors and curriculum we've refined over 11 years. If you need something else, we'll point you somewhere legit rather than pretend we can help.
You pay per course block — usually 4 or 8 weeks depending on what you pick. Invoice upfront, due within 5 days. We accept bank transfer or card. Life happens, so we allow one deferral per year (pushing your course back 2-4 weeks). No refunds once we've started. We're pretty flexible about rescheduling, though. Call or email, and let's figure it out.
Our in-person classes happen right here in town (Národní třída 76). But our online students? They're everywhere. Poland, Germany, Australia, Czech Republic obviously. You join a video call, and you learn. Same instructors, same quality. Distance doesn't matter for online. For in-person, you need to be in Plzeň.
That's actually where we shine. Our introductory courses assume nothing. You'll learn pronunciation, basic grammar, survival phrases. We build from there. The people who struggle most? Those who tried teaching themselves with apps first, picked up bad habits. If you're brand new, we can fix that properly from day one. No bad foundation to undo.
Email [email protected] or call +420 658 087 385. We're based in Plzeň, and someone will get back to you within 24 hours (usually faster). Seriously, just reach out. A lot of people have specific situations we can't cover in FAQs — different schedules, prior language knowledge, weird time zones. Let's talk about what actually works for you.