Become Your Own English Teacher – Introduction

Ready to start? All the course files are on the Become Your Own English Teacher download page. You can also download this introduction as a PDF.

English for Your Life Goals: How to Get a Job in Canada, Australia, or the U.S. with Little Money and Some Time

How This Course Can Help You

This course can help you get ready for work or study in Canada, Australia, or the U.S. Here are some important facts. Rules change often. Always check the government website of the country.

Moving to Canada or Australia: Most people need a university degree from an accredited university (a university with official approval). They also need one or two years of work in their job field. They need good English, too. The country must need your job skill. You usually need to take an English test, like IELTS or CELPIP. All of this takes a long time, so plan carefully. First, finish your degree and work in your home country. Then ask for a work visa (permission to work in the country) from Canada or Australia.
An office job: After you finish a university degree (a BA or BS) in your country, you can study online for an MBA (a business degree) at Saylor University. You can work in your country at the same time. The MBA is free. You pay only a small fee for each test.
Moving to the U.S.: It is hard to get a visa for the U.S. today. You often need a lot of money in the bank. But millions of young people already live in the U.S. and speak another language at home. Many of them want a college degree or a good job. They can get a high school diploma or a GED (it is like a high school diploma).
Then they can study at a two-year college. Some students want a four-year degree later. They must check that their two-year courses will transfer (move) to the four-year college, for their major (main subject). They can work part-time, sometimes at the college. They can also take cheap online classes. But first, they must check if these classes will transfer. Sometimes cheap classes count for a two-year degree, but not for a four-year degree!
University of the People: You do not pay for the classes. You pay a fee for each final test.
Saylor University: Many online classes are free. Many of them give you college credit (points towards a two-year or four-year degree). University of the People accepts all Saylor credits, for up to 75% of a degree. Some other colleges accept them too. But many big state universities do not.
Do you live in the U.S. and want a degree now? Choose University of the People, not Saylor University. Maybe they do not have your subject. Their general courses may still transfer to another college. Always check.
Saylor University has a license from the state of Florida. It also has international accreditation (official approval). It does not have U.S. accreditation yet. In the U.S., only people in Florida can join its master’s degrees. People outside the U.S. can join too. Each country and school decides if it accepts the degree, so always check.
Important: Before you take a class, ask your future university: “Will you accept these credits?”

Why You Need English

When you learn English by yourself, you save time and money. You can also use these skills in an English class.

To study in the U.S.: You usually need B2 English for university classes. Sometimes you need even better English for a good job.
To move to Canada or Australia: B2 English helps you a lot when you ask for a visa or a job.
Free English classes: Saylor University has five free online English classes, from A2 to C2. You need to make a free account.
This course: BOET helps you in a class or alone. It is 100% free. In Part 1, Module 2, you learn about a free English test. Some universities want a different test, like the TOEFL iBT. BOET does not help you with this test.

About This Course

BOET is a free course for adults. It uses two tools from the Council of Europe. Both are from 2001:

CEFR: the European scale of language levels, from A1 to C2.
ELP (European Language Portfolio): a record of your language goals and progress. It helps you think about your learning.

Important: This course does not teach you English. It teaches you how to learn English.

Easy to read: A2 chapters use very easy English. B1 chapters use A2 English. B2 chapters use B1 English.
Easy meanings: Some words in the chapters are new. The first time you see one, its meaning is in ( ). For example: “prompt (the message you write to AI)”. So you can start at any level.
Little data: Each chapter uses very little internet data (less than 200 KB, about the size of one photo). You can save it and read it later.

Four tiers: Every chapter has four ways to practice. We call them tiers. Choose the tier for the tools you have. Each tier adds to the tier before it.

Tier 1 — Paper and People: a notebook, books, and a partner.
Tier 2 — Phone, No Internet: any phone, even a simple phone. Use a voice recorder, audio files, the radio, and text messages. Text messages (SMS) may cost money.
Tier 3 — Limited Data: a smartphone with a little internet, light websites, and short AI messages.
Tier 4 — Good Internet: videos, all websites, and AI.

You do not need AI. You can do every chapter without it. Everyone can use this course.

The Parts of the Course

Part 1: the CEFR, the ELP, and how to learn on your own. It has four modules (short lessons).
Part 2: 21 chapters at A2, B1, and B2. They cover seven skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The chapters also show you how to use AI.
Part 3: the Resource Library (a list of free websites and tools).

The author: John Kirk wrote this course. He made the JBK Independent Learning Cycle. It has seven steps:

Assess → Plan → Choose → Practice → Evaluate → Reflect → Improve

Note: The ELP gave the author the idea for this cycle. But the cycle is not an official ELP or Council of Europe tool.

Time: about 10 hours. You can use more or less time. It is your choice.
Your level: you can start with activities just below the A2 English level. Then slowly move up to A2. As an example, this introduction is written at the A2 level.

Using the Chapters for Work

The 21 chapters teach general English. Every chapter has four layers (parts):

Layer 1 — The Learning Goal
Layer 2 — The Learning Method
Layer 3 — The Learning Tools
Layer 4 — Reflection and Growth

Each chapter also has Workplace Application boxes. They show how to use English at work. You can skip them.

Do you use AI? Copy a chapter into the AI chat. Then ask AI to write Workplace Application examples for your own job, like the examples in the chapters.

Your Learning Notebook

Keep a Learning Notebook. It helps you see your progress. It also helps you find the best ways for you to learn. Use your notebook in your own way. You can write:

your self-assessments (checking your own progress);
your strategy records (the ways to learn that you try);
your weekly practice;
your learning records;
notes about your progress; and
more.

You can also write useful things from websites. Keep your best English work in your notebook, too. Later, you can use it when you apply for a job or a school.

The Resource Library

The Resource Library is a list of very good websites. We chose them for learners who study on their own.

Most websites are free. A few have things you must pay for. The Master Index shows this in the column “Free / Paid Status.”
It is not a list of every website. It is a short list of good places to start. It covers the seven skills at your level.

Do you pay for internet data on your phone? Start with the Low-Data Edition of the Resource Library. It has websites that use little data.

Course Goals

At the end of this course, you can:

find CEFR goals for everyday English and work English at your level;
set small goals and big goals;
choose good ways to learn each skill;
use AI to help you study, if you have good internet;
find good, free websites and check them;
make a study plan and follow it;
use this way of learning with a teacher, a textbook, or job training;
use English with confidence in class and outside class;
check your own progress; and
keep learning English after the course ends.

Note: For tests like TOEFL, IELTS, or TOEIC, you may need special test books and more practice.

Course Contents

Each part of the course is a separate file. Download only the files you need. Most learners choose one level. Then they study the skills they need at that level.

Introduction

This introduction: BOET_Introduction.pdf

Part 1 — Learning How to Learn (four modules)

Module 1: Understanding the CEFR and Becoming an Independent Language Learner — BOET_Part1_Module1.pdf
Module 2: Knowing Your Starting Point — BOET_Part1_Module2.pdf
Module 3: Learning with the ELP: Processes, Strategies, and Study Skills — BOET_Part1_Module3.pdf
Module 4: Beginning Your JBK Personal Learning Program — BOET_Part1_Module4.pdf

References

These are the main books and websites that this course is based on.

Council of Europe. (n.d.). European Language Portfolio (ELP). Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://www.coe.int/en/web/portfolio

Council of Europe. (2001). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press.

Council of Europe. (2020). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing. https://www.coe.int/lang-cefr

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Books.

Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Newbury House.

Pauk, W. (1962). How to study in college. Houghton Mifflin.

Robinson, F. P. (1946). Effective study. Harper & Brothers.

Saylor University. (n.d.). Degree programs FAQ. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://support.saylor.org/hc/en-us/articles/47417792894100-Degree-Programs-FAQ

University of the People. (n.d.). University of the People. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://www.uopeople.edu

© 2026 John B. Kirk, AOK Basic Skills Project. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). You may copy and share it for non-commercial use, with credit to the author. For other uses, contact: aokbasicskills.gratis/contact/