Balancing work, life, and learning: How adult learners navigate English language learning

Dr. Le Dinh Bao Quoc
A man sat outside smiling working on a laptop
Reading time: 4 minutes

Dr. Quoc is an author, educational solutions provider and AIED expert with over 20 years of experience in ELT and education in Vietnam. He is the Founder and CEO of Pro.Ed Education Solutions and Chief Officer of EduVerse, a global network supporting lifelong learning for educators. Dr. Quoc is also the author of The Art and Science of ChatGPT in Education and was named a LinkedIn Top Educational Leadership Voice in 2024. His work focuses on integrating AI into education to support personalized and flexible learning for teachers and learners.

For many adult learners, mastering English isn¡¯t just about gaining a new skill¡ªit¡¯s about unlocking opportunities in work, family and social spheres. But juggling English lessons alongside work, family obligations and social commitments is a challenge that can feel overwhelming.

This guide explores the unique challenges adult learners face and how educators can support them with empathy, flexibility and effective strategies.

The challenges of learning English as an adult

Meet Le, a 35-year-old Vietnamese project manager who dreams of working for an international company. With a demanding full-time job and two young children, finding time for English lessons feels impossible. Missing classes and struggling to complete assignments leads to frustration and self-doubt¡ªan all-too-common experience among adult learners.

Many adults face similar challenges:

  • Balancing work, family and personal commitments leaves little time and energy for study.
  • Fatigue after a long day makes it difficult to concentrate or retain information.
  • Progress feels slow, which can be demotivating.

Without practical support, the goal of English proficiency can seem out of reach.

Strategies for overcoming challenges

1. Setting SMART Goals

Educators can guide learners to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. Breaking down larger objectives into small, measurable milestones gives learners a sense of achievement. For example, ɫèAV¡¯s Global Scale of English (GSE) provides actionable ¡°Can-do¡± statements, such as:

  • Reading (GSE 37/CEFR A2+): Can understand simple personal emails.
  • Speaking (GSE 44/CEFR B1): Can give a short talk with visual support.

These manageable goals create motivation and help learners like Le stay focused without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Offering flexible learning options

Flexibility is key for adult learners. Teachers can adopt strategies such as:

  • Modular lessons that can be completed in short sessions.
  • Micro-learning, including 10-minute daily practices using apps or quick grammar exercises.

For learners like Le, micro-learning can easily be integrated into a work commute or lunch break.

3. Blending learning with real-world scenarios

Teaching English through practical, real-life contexts makes lessons more relevant and efficient. Using authentic materials like emails, meeting notes, or presentations mirrors learners¡¯ daily lives and creates immediate applications for their new skills. For instance:

  • Help learners role-play workplace conversations.
  • Develop speaking proficiency for social interactions or workplace scenarios.

This approach saves time and reinforces the usefulness of learning English, keeping learners motivated.

4. Encouraging weekly reflection

Reflection allows learners to monitor their progress, stay motivated and adapt their strategies. Teachers can:

  • Encourage learners to set weekly goals (e.g., learning new business vocabulary or practicing pronunciation for 15 minutes daily).
  • Use reflection journals to track achievements, identify challenges and adjust learning plans.

This habit reinforces a growth mindset, helping learners make consistent progress amidst their busy schedules.

Implementing the strategies

Here¡¯s how educators can apply these strategies effectively:

1. Assess and set goals

Work with learners to set realistic, measurable goals based on their personal motivations and schedules.

2. Create flexible study plans

Develop personalized study schedules that incorporate modular lessons and micro-learning techniques.

3. Use authentic materials

Include sample emails, presentations, or conversations that align with the learner¡¯s work or life situations, making lessons more practical.

4. Encourage accountability

Implement tools like reflective journals or digital reminders to help learners stay on track and see their progress.

5. Leverage personalized AI tools

Use AI-powered tools to recommend tailored exercises, provide instant feedback and enable targeted practice in learners¡¯ focus areas.

Why It matters

English proficiency opens doors to better job opportunities, stronger social connections and enriched personal growth. By providing empathetic and flexible support, teachers empower learners to achieve their goals without compromising their work-life balance.
For educators seeking further resources, ɫèAV¡¯s GSE framework offers valuable tools to help adult learners succeed. Teachers can use these aids to track progress and personalize lessons for maximum impact.

Celebrate education

To mark the incredible work of educators helping learners balance work, life and study, we encourage you to share your own experiences and tips to others. Together, we can continue to empower lifelong learning and celebrate the role of education in transforming lives.

Further reading

Read our blog posts 'Improving professional development with Teaching with the GSE' and 'English for employability: Why teaching general English is not enough'.

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A pile of open books on top of each other

    Using authentic material from the real world to teach English

    By Steffanie Zazulak

    There are lots of resources available to English teachers today: from textbooks to online teaching tools, they can all aid and enrich English lessons. Many ESL teachers also introduce authentic English material into their lessons to expose learners to the language as it is spoken in the real world.

    Authentic material is any material written in English that was not created for intentional use in the English classroom. Using this content for teaching English can make the teaching experience even more engaging, imaginative and motivating for students. It can also be useful to elicit genuine responses from English language learners.

    The great thing about using authentic material is that it is everywhere, which makes it easy to find, and simple for learners to practice English in their own time. Remember that it isn¡¯t limited to articles from newspapers and magazines. Songs, TV programs and films, radio and podcasts, leaflets, menus ¨C anything written in English constitutes authentic material.

    Selecting authentic material

    The best content to select depends on the learners, their level of English and the course content the English teacher wishes to focus on. It¡¯s also a good idea to find out the learners¡¯ interests ¨C after all, there¡¯s no point trying to get students fascinated by a text on the latest sci-fi movie if they¡¯re all fans of action films.

    The materials should reflect a situation that a student may face in an English-speaking environment ¨C this will help them transition into a world where English is the norm. In this world, people use abbreviations, body language is important and they¡¯ll use 'filler' sounds ¨C such as 'ummm' ¨C when they are speaking English ¨C and learners will encounter these in authentic material.

    It¡¯s important not to overwhelm learners with the first piece of authentic material. So, choose articles, songs or sections of TV programs or movies that aren¡¯t too difficult to understand or take too long to get through.

  • Woman wearing headphones outside, smiling and looking hopeful

    6 easy ways to learn English

    By Steffanie Zazulak

    When you¡¯re learning English, it¡¯s important to keep your motivation up. As with any task, there may be times when it feels a bit more difficult, so switch up your methods and don¡¯t be afraid to make mistakes ¨C you¡¯ll reach the level you want to be at.

    We¡¯ve already provided some unique ways to teach English that you may now have experienced with your teacher. Here, we suggest some easy ways to learn English that you can try any time ¨C at home, at work or on the move. Why not try them today? Surround yourself with English and you¡¯ll see improvements in your language confidence and skills, while having fun at the same time¡­

    1. English words with friends

    Scrabble is a classic board game in which players use random lettered tiles to create words in a crossword fashion. It¡¯s a fantastic way to strengthen your English vocabulary, and there¡¯s also a Scrabble Junior version for beginners. Playing Scrabble challenges you to really think in English as you try to come up with different words using your set of letters.

    If you¡¯re taking an English class, buy the board game and invite your classmates to play with you. You can also play Scrabble online through websites like Facebook, where it is called Words With Friends.

    2. Add some music

    Not only will your favorite song wake up your mind and put you in a positive mood to learn English, but the lyrics can help you expand your skills. acquire grammar and vocabulary and improve spelling.

    Songs almost always contain a lot of useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions. And since the intended audience is fluent English speakers, the latest tunes include up-to-date language and colloquialisms. The language used in songs is casual and usable, if you pick the right music. Music also has an uncanny ability to stick in our heads, which can help you remember your new English words.

  • a hand holding a remote control

    8 easy tricks for improving your English skills

    By Steffanie Zazulak

    As you work to improve your English skills, it¡¯s always helpful to have some tricks and tips to help you stay motivated. With that in mind, we¡¯ve collated these eight simple tips from fellow English language learners, to help you on your quest¡­

    1. Set yourself small goals

    Learning English is a long process, and it may take years to progress from one level to the next. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to set yourself achievable goals. At ɫèAV, we work with thousands of English teachers worldwide to define what it means to ¡®be at a level¡¯ in English.?

    2. Create a study schedule

    Ensure this schedule works around your daily responsibilities and make sure to keep it simple! Try breaking up your English language learning over the course of an entire day, which may make it feel more manageable.

    3. Practice a little bit every day

    Even if it¡¯s listening to an English podcast during your commute or practicing your favorite words while having breakfast, every little bit of practice helps!

    4. Discover what type of learner you are

    Auditory, visual, or tactile. Use this as a basis for how you spend time studying. For instance, a visual learner may benefit from flashcards (see point 7), while an auditory learner may benefit from watching a television program in English.

    5. Turn on music in English

    Rhythms and rhymes have been found to stimulate the brain and improve learning. Our research found that music can be an invaluable tool when learning English, as it helps with pronunciation, word boundaries and vocabulary.

    6. Watch movies with English dialogue

    Movies are a great source of native conversation and vocabulary. Plus, the visual nature of film allows you to experience nonverbal context too ¡ª such as facial expressions and hand gestures ¡ª accompanying and contextualizing the film¡¯s dialogue. Above all, watching a movie is a fun and motivational way to develop English language skills.

    7. Learn new vocabulary with flashcards

    While this may be the oldest studying trick in the book, students around the world use flashcards because they work!

    8. Track your progress

    To gain a sense of accomplishment, it¡¯s important to know where you¡¯ve started. We¡¯ve just introduced a new way to measure progress in English. Have a look at it to quickly discover what your areas of strength and weakness are.

    Finally, it¡¯s important to remember that not every learning trick will work for you. So, if you find that chatting with fluent English speakers helps you progress faster but you¡¯re not always able to converse with them face-to-face, spend more of your time communicating online with your English-speaking friends and contacts.