If you are a non native English speaking actor (or singer), you will no doubt want to focus on either an American English (AE) or a British accent (BE) first. You may need to learn them both, but you should start by clearly hearing and being able to produce the contrasting sounds, for example in As, Hs and Rs. Then you can dive into your chosen accent.
Just a few of the accent differences (AE vs BE) are:
- the mid and final position R (usually not spoken in BE)
- the O sound in words like shop and lost
- words like caught and court sound the same in BE. In American English, the sounded R distinguishes them.
- the vowels in the words ferry and fairy sound the same in AE,but different in BE
- the A sound in can’t is flat and rather closed in AE, while it sounds like an open “ah” in BE
- the words pen and pin are almost indistinguishable in AE, but the E in pen is clearly heard in BE
This sort of training is totally personalized and recommended for actors, singers, public speakers, business presenters, business leaders and thought leaders.
At the moment we recommend online training, but we also offer in-person appointments at our outstanding locations in Amsterdam – in the beautiful, artistic Museum Quarter close to the Vondelpark and Van Gogh Museum, and at a historic Binnenkant canal house just minutes from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Plus we see clients in Den Haag, Amstelveen and at in-company locations. Please note that a surcharge may apply for on-location training.
Contact us about a free intake appointment so you can get started working with your native-speaker trainer.
Course details
| Level | B1 and higher |
| Teacher | Native-Speaker |
| Course | 8 weeks |
| Day and time | flex |
| Class hours | 12 |
| Self-study hours | 16: interactive video training recommended |
| Total study hours | 28 |
| Max. participants | 1 |
| Study book | recommended, not included |
| Level test | ✔ |
| Interactieve video | recommended, not included |
| Location | Live Online via Zoom or in great classrooms at Van Eeghenlaan 27 (Museum Quarter), Kromme Waal 9 (near Centraal Station), Amstelveen Chirurgijn and Den Haag. |
Helen Metselaar
13:20 26 Apr 21
I would recommend the English Center to anyone who wants to increase their English communication in just a couple of lessons. After 1 phone call, they immediately matched me with the perfect teacher. The whole course was so beneficial for me in multiple ways. I'll definitely approach The English Centre again if I need an extra course.
gizem akkaya
16:44 04 Mar 21
I attended online lessons in English Center for 3 months and improved my English significantly in such a short period. I found their teaching method is highly professional, proactive and supportive. Great teachers that give you a very friendly and warm environment.
Funda Ovaci Kahyaoglu
14:23 26 Jan 21
Rose was my English teacher. She is a very skillful person. She takes the classes in a friendly and interesting way. She encouraged me to speak in English. I learned a lot of things from her. She was so professional and kind. I want to continue study english with her.
Tianshu Yue
09:50 04 Jan 21
Great one to one English courses for improving my pronunciation. The courses are always fun and engaging, and I feel I have learned a lot!
Claire van de Loo
12:05 27 Dec 20
I had Very nice lessons from Rose, which helped me a lot. She is Very relaxed So I didn’t feel limited to learn
Yuliia Shylo
11:15 06 Nov 20
I had a very good experience with The English Center! I had a bundle of private lessons with Rose and it was a great experience, we were mostly working on my pronunciation. A lot of topics were covered in a short period of time, Rose focused on gaps I had and helped me to improve fast. Lessons were not only useful but very fun as well.
Wilma Kapitein
11:21 24 Aug 20
Last spring I had a package of 10 online private lessons. I always looked forward to the meetings. I learnt a lot, got so many tools to improve my English, and it was so much fun 🙂 I highly recommend The English Centre!
Noortje Boots
14:20 07 Aug 20
I loved the cource. Rose is a great teacher. It’s nice to focus on different parts in a small group. You also practice speaking a lot!??
Shirin Saffari
12:18 07 Aug 20
Rose was an amazing teacher, I've learned so many useful things past week. Pronouncing some words repeatedly, giving tips & tricks and also really taking the time to explain what the difference is in UK/ US.I really enjoyed my class and would recommend her and The English Center to everybody.
Penny Qian
21:20 21 Jul 20
Useful course for English as a second language learners, the teacher is very nice and responsible. The course is provided in a small group, with a lot of information and after-class homework. I had a very nice experience!
Salomée Rodenburg
19:43 18 Jul 20
Good quality, very intuitive platform, lovely teachers - learned a lot from them. Definitely recommend it to anyone who would like to step up their gam and would like to learn better corporate English!
Andrea Erdbecher Córdoba
12:11 03 Jul 20
My experience at The English Center was excellent !! I had Rose as a teacher, She is the best professional, very good teaching you and above all she is so patient. All the content is very useful. Don't to loose the chance to learn English at TEC.
Roman Beukema
08:19 11 Jun 20
Not only was my time at the English Centre very useful, it was also a great pleasure. Steph is a wonderful teacher who makes the effort to adjust the course to your personal needs and wishes. Besides, she speaks with this lovely sweet and melodious British accent which I alway so much admire and am aiming for myself!
Natalia Sawicka
20:02 31 Mar 20
I had a great experience with The English Center. It was super easy and quick to arrange the classes in the format I expected. I want to especially recommend my teacher - Rose. Her lessons are always fun while also structured and fit to purpose. I was really impressed how Rose picked up on my pronunciation missteps and helped to improve those in a fun and interactive way! Last but not least, Rose is an amazing person, she will keep you engaged on every level, pick up on the latest world developments, recommend a nice book or laugh about recent tv show you both happened to watch.
Ron Seesing
05:36 10 Oct 19
The English Course is perfect to improve my English for business purpose. Great teacher Rose Hook who is very helpfull with great excercises. The course takes place at beatifull locations. I strongly recommand this course.
Tomas Beerthuis
09:11 29 Sep 19
I warmly recommend The English Center and in particular Rose! Rose is a fantastic teacher who easily uncovers areas of improvement, gives great feedback and tailors each session to meet your objectives. Thank you for helping me improve!
Aliina Neep
16:07 18 Jul 19
Very happy to have chosen The English Center to improve my business English. Not only have I gained confidence in speaking English, but I've noticed a huge improvement in my pronunciation and vocabulary. Thank you, The English Center!
Melissa Nguyen
09:55 24 Apr 19
I have private lessons which are tailor made to my learning goals, and I'm very satisfied with the quality of teaching! Highly recommended!
Joanne Schouten
13:47 04 Apr 19
If you want to improve your English skills, the English Center is the place to be. My teacher Daniel was the best, and I am impressed by the personal approach and feedback of the staff. Thank you all for helping me reach my goals.
Francesca Bergamin
07:53 11 Oct 18
Helpful staff, beautiful and cozy location. The course was created by matching my needs and my teacher Esther did an amazing job. Honestly I am sad that the lessons are finished. I do recommend this school.
Isis Caljé
13:36 05 Oct 18
I got great feedback on what I need to focus on to reduce my natural accent and sound more American.
Claire Langenhoff
10:10 06 Feb 18
If you're looking for a place to develop your professional English skills, this is the place to go!
Koen Feya Koen
10:14 22 Jun 16
Great teachers, very nice atmosphere and the founders/owners have a very personal approach into setting you up with the right course and helping you get started!
Mario Derksen
06:56 15 Apr 16
The English Center outsources their MailChimp newsletter at Mailhouse Rock. Each time a pleasure to work with Brenda/Michael!
