English for relocation
English for relocation: rehearse your first month abroad before you board the plane
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Quick answer
Before relocating or a long work trip abroad, practise out loud the conversations of your first weeks: an apartment viewing, opening a bank account, buying a SIM, seeing a doctor, registering your children at school and your first team meeting. A sensible plan is four weeks of 15 minutes of speaking a day, one area per week. SpeakBase lets you rehearse these as role-plays with an AI tutor that corrects you as you speak, and your first conversation is free.
Most people who relocate read and write English well, then find in the first week that the hard part is speaking quickly to people who will not wait: the letting agent, the bank clerk, other parents at the school gate, the team in the ten o'clock meeting. Those conversations are predictable, which means you can rehearse them in advance. Below are the situations almost every family and new employee meets in the first month, the phrases to have ready, a four-week plan, and the SpeakBase role-play that fits each one.
The situations of your first month, and the phrases to have ready
Phrases to say out loud until they come without thinking. The last column is the SpeakBase role-play to practise each one.
| Situation | Phrases to have ready | Role-play in SpeakBase |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival: airport, taxi, first hotel nights |
| At the airport · Taxi ride · Hotel check-in |
| Apartment viewing |
| Booking by phone (to set the viewing) · Rehearse something real |
| Opening a bank account |
| Rehearse something real |
| SIM card and phone plan |
| Shopping |
| Doctor and pharmacy |
| At the doctor · At the pharmacy · Booking by phone |
| Registering the kids at school |
| Rehearse something real |
| Daily standup and team meetings |
| Team meeting |
| First days at work and small talk |
| First day at work · Office small talk |
| Job interview (if you are still looking) |
| Job interview |
| Social life and new friends |
| Networking event · Introduce yourself · At a cafe |
A four-week plan, 15 minutes a day
Every day: ten minutes of one role-play with Kate, then five minutes reviewing the correction cards saved from that conversation. Each week covers a different layer of your new life.
- Week 1, arrival and home: At the airport, Taxi ride, Hotel check-in, and Booking by phone to arrange an apartment viewing. At the end of the week, describe to Kate the flat you want and ask the questions you will ask the landlord.
- Week 2, admin and health: a bank account, a phone plan, At the doctor, At the pharmacy, and school registration. This is where Rehearse something real pays off most: describe your exact situation in your own words.
- Week 3, work: First day at work, Team meeting and Office small talk. Practise a three-sentence status update (what I finished, what I am on today, what is blocked) until it comes out without thinking.
- Week 4, social life and review: Networking event, Introduce yourself, At a cafe. On the last two days repeat the two situations that felt hardest, with the difficulty dial turned up.
The US, London or Berlin: what changes
- American and British English use different words for the same things: apartment and flat, check and bill, cell phone and mobile, line and queue. Learn the words of your destination so you do not mix them on day one.
- British politeness is more indirect: Could I possibly, Would you mind. If you come from a culture that asks directly, practise those softeners out loud.
- In Berlin many international workplaces run in English, but paperwork and daily life involve a lot of German. Kate speaks German too, so you can add a few basic German conversations before you go.
Why speaking, and not another grammar course
In your first month nobody checks your grammar. What matters is whether you understood the letting agent and whether you could explain to the doctor what hurts. That is fast recall in real time, and it is built only by speaking. The advantage of a relocation is that you know in advance what people will talk to you about, so you can rehearse exactly those conversations, including the follow-up questions that come after them.
A teacher, an AI tutor, or both
A teacher gives you structure, in-depth feedback and regular accountability. An AI tutor gives you volume of speaking: you can practise at 11 at night after packing, repeat the same conversation five times without embarrassment, and rehearse exactly tomorrow morning's situation. Many people progress fastest with both: lessons with a teacher, and short daily speaking practice in between.
Frequently asked questions
How long before relocating should I start practising speaking?
Four to six weeks before you leave is a good window: enough to cover every situation of the first month, and close enough to the move that the phrases stay fresh. Even one week of daily practice beats none, especially if you focus on work and housing.
My written English is good. Why practise speaking?
Because writing gives you time to think and speaking does not. Many people who write excellent emails freeze in their first conversation with a letting agent or their first team meeting. Speaking practice builds the fast recall that is missing, and the confidence to say "Sorry, could you say that again?" without panicking.
There is no ready-made scenario for an apartment viewing or a bank. How do I practise those?
SpeakBase has Rehearse something real: you describe the situation in your own words (for example, a flat viewing in London with a landlord in a hurry) and Kate plays the other side and stays in that situation for the whole conversation.
Can I also practise the local language, not just English?
Yes. SpeakBase conversations work in 14 languages, including German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, with explanations in your own language. If you are moving to Berlin, Paris or Madrid you can add a few basic conversations in the local language.
Does this replace a teacher?
No, and it is not meant to. A teacher gives structure, feedback and accountability. An AI tutor gives you many minutes of speaking at any hour, on your exact situations. Many people combine the two: lessons with a teacher, and short daily practice between them.
How much does it cost?
The first conversation, about five minutes, is free with no card. Premium includes 150 minutes of conversation a month: $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year outside Israel, and ₪39 a month or ₪390 a year in Israel (VAT included).
Start rehearsing your first monthFirst conversation free · no credit card · corrections as you speak