Professional English at Home 2022

If you're ready to professionalize your English, you've come to the right place.

In this course, I share 8 amazing tools that will dramatically and quickly raise your English to a professional level. These are tools professional simultaneous interpreters and translators use every day to enhance their own language skills. You'll learn the underlying theory that makes each tool so powerful and how to use them correctly. I call these tools the "8 Daily Habits".

The course is equivalent to at least 3 months of classroom instruction. You'll receive guidance and all the materials you need to develop strong new Habits that will dramatically improve your English. To enable habit-building, lessons are presented in small segments, usually about 3-5 minutes long. There will be about 45-50 minutes of video instruction and/or activities for each day. You'll be expected to find moments during the day when you can get away and focus on English for a few minutes at a time.

Here's what you'll need: an Internet-connected device, headphones or earbuds, a notebook and a pen. The rest of the magic takes place right here on this site. The course provides 12 days of rich video instruction and training, followed by all the materials you'll need to develop each Habit for 21 days. They say it takes 21 days to make a Habit. Let's get started! – Thomas Norton

Here is what you can expect.

Thomas explains the specific learning outcomes you can expect from this course.

Online vs. In-Person: can this course serve as a substitute for a live course?

Thomas shares a few good reasons you should take this course BEFORE you spend on a tutor or in-person class (for high-intermediate or advanced students).

Orientation: here's what you need to know.

Learn how to navigate the site, how the course is structured, and other details you'll need to start class on the right foot. Tomorrow is Day 1.

Day 1: Foundations

Be sure to have a pen and notebook in hand before you hit Play on the first video. Remember, this is not a mere video series; it is a course, and as such, will require that you focus and be engaged for 45 minutes/day.

Day 2: Turn ON your radar

Cadence is key to building your new Habits. Remember to watch only one video at a time, then walk away from the course for at least one hour. It's best if you make 8 short bursts of concentrated effort per day.

Day 3: How to wake up ready for English

Today we move beyond the foundational concepts and begin Habit #1. By now you should be doing course activities in small segments of time rather than trying to do them all in one sitting.

Day 4: Memory vs OS

As he discusses your new experience with Habit #1, Thomas drills down on what it means to move from English that is based on memorization, to what he calls an English "operating system".

Day 5: How to turn off all “channels” except English

Now that you have a better understanding about the major transformation that will take place as you perform the 8 Daily habits, we will roll out one new Habit each day. Today, it's Habit #2.

Day 6: Read in a brand new way

This Habit will train you to see words and critical parts of speech that you may be overlooking when you read in English. What you read makes for a wonderful classroom!

Day 7: How to never forget what you read

Habit #4 is a fun and practical way to quickly grasp the meaning of anything you read. Do this Habit for 3-5 minutes, and you'll be able to teach a 1-hour seminar on whatever topic you just read.

Day 8: How to become a GREAT writer

This Habit will rock your writing skills. Write better emails, reports, presentations, or even text messages. Learn how to clear up any doubts about writing in English. It's time to make your writing GREAT!

Day 9: How to write mature sentences without breaking a sweat

In Habit #6 you'll a trick from gourmet chefs that will unfreeze your creativity the next time you're staring at a blank screen and have a short deadline. You'll never stress again about how to write a great English sentence.

Day 10: The 90-second Protocol: how to add professional words to your vocabulary

Today you'll learn how simultaneous interpreters resolve questions about words (meaning, pronunciation, use) – in less than 2 minutes . It will be a busy day in "class", but your confidence will take a quantum leap today.

Day 11: Making friends with new words

Today will again be very busy as you learn how to use a tool that will make it fun and easy to make lasting "friendships" with your rapidly-growing word list. This tool will make growing your vocabulary lots of fun.

Day 12: What comes next

In this session Thomas will share some final insights about mapping out a strategy to perform the 8 Daily Habits over the next 21 days. From here forward, your English is on you! You are now ready to take charge of your own English training. Here are the materials to get you started.

21 Days To Build a Habit

Below: you will find all the "raw materials" you need to complete the 8 Daily Habits over 21 days. Make every effort to perform the Habits at least 4 times per week. Remember: the true learning outcome of this entire course is not that you learn what the Habits are, but that you actually build the Habits into your daily routine. Performing these Habits daily (or almost daily) is the key to empowering your English.

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Meet your Teacher

Thomas Norton is a professional interpreter and translator. For the past 20 years he has been delivering simultaneous interpretation in English, Spanish, and Portuguese during meetings, conferences, and speeches that address a wide range of topics. He has interpreted for heads of state, business leaders, and high-level professionals in almost every field imaginable.

Thomas has written two screenplays, Fidel Before The Beard and Billy Bob Buttons, translated two best-selling books written by the Brazilian sailor, Amyr Klink, and The Single Federal Tax, by renowned Brazilian economist, Marcos Cintra.

Along the way, Tom has met thousands of highly talented professionals from all over the world whose careers demand professional-level English skills, but who lack the confidence or agility they need to perform their best in professional settings. About 15 years ago, Thomas began brainstorming an idea that he began prototyping and testing in 2011. The idea was to develop an English training method based on a simultaneous interpreter’s approach to language. Since early 2016, when he founded the startup, English Trainer for Pros, more than 2,500 professionals have taken the live seminar of his flagship course: Your English A-Game: the only Advanced English course you’ll ever need.

What students are saying

The comments below are among hundreds Thomas has received from evaluations of his live seminar, which he presents several times a year at Ohio University and University of Akron. While past performance (in a live setting) does not guarantee a similar experience in an online format, it is Thomas's earnest desire to deliver the same level of quality, with this big difference: the live seminar is only 6 hours long. You'll be in class with Thomas for 12 days, plus he will accompany you during your 21 days of Habit-building.

"I would like to thank you for the most amazing class that I have ever had in my life! You were a life changing for me! Thank you very much for being so human and understanding exactly what we go through as foreigners speaking English! "

"Your teachings were excellent and I will be part of my career upgrade."

"The best professor. The best didactics. Incredible."

"He was the best professor, and I think I will really improve my English because of this class."

"Mr. Norton has the capability to engage and inspire with his communication in a way that I've never seen. The 8 habits will be key for my development. Simply the BEST English class I've ever had."

"I have no words to thank and describe! I just loved Tom's class, it made all the difference in my life."

What colleagues are saying

"I had the opportunity to share several high-level interpreting assignments with Tom, from Davos to Washington, D.C. to Geneva. He always impresses me with his poise and his impeccable command of English, Spanish and Portuguese. He is now revealing the secret behind his unusual language genius through a few daily habits to help professionals perfect their English once and for all. You may have stumbled upon the easiest, most effective way to polish up your English. I suggest you hop on it!"

Ewandro Magalhaes – Conference Interpreter, former Chief Interpreter in the United Nations system, TED Speaker, author and trainer.

What others are saying

"Tom has worked with Ohio University for over 13 years as both an interpreter and English teacher in the College of Business Latin American programs. I’ve had the privilege of working with him for most of that time. He consistently receives excellent student evaluations for his English classes. He demonstrates a true passion for teaching and provides a truly differentiated approach that is on the cutting edge of language instruction. Tom has tremendous empathy that enables him to connect with his audience like few other educators. One of the few teachers that gets standing ovations after his class.

Scott Wright – Former Director Latin American Executive Education

“If you’re not excelling and living your best life in English, then this is the program you have been missing. Tom Norton has discovered a unique gap in professional English language development that will transform the way a non-native English speaker from any country will learn, improve, and engage in professional environments, most which require those next-level engagement skills not taught anywhere else. As a professional educator, I’ve worked with Tom for nearly a decade and have witnessed transformation in how people learn, lead and grow using his learning system.Tom hits the ‘nail on the head’ with his professional English programs, and if you don’t know what that means, you really need to begin his course now!"

Kevin Smith – Director, Institute for Leadership Advancement, The University of Akron

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a conversational English course?

This is a self-guided interactive course designed for High-Intermediate and Advanced non-native English speakers. In this curriculum Thomas Norton delivers his hugely successful 6-hour seminar in short videos (most are 4-7 minutes long), providing in-depth explanations of the theoretical and practical value of each Habit and how each Habit should be performed. But, as Tom likes to say, "Your English... is on you!" The real transformation begins only when you actually perform the Habits day after day. The first 21 days are critical in forming any Habit, and Tom has designed this course with materials and guidance that will ensure you develop the 8 Daily Habits that will dramatically and quickly improve your English skills in speaking, reading comprehension, writing, and growing a robust professional vocabulary.

How long does it take to complete the course?

You should treat this course as a substitute for 2 months of classroom instruction. It is possible to take the course in 33 days – if you never take a day off. Realistically, you'll probably stretch the course out over two months. The course is organized by "Days". Each "Day" consists of 8-10 activity segments (videos, quizzes, etc.). Each activity segment takes about 3-5 minutes to complete. During the first 12 "Days" students will focus on video instruction, quizzes, and other offline activities that thoroughly prepare them to get the maximum benefit from the 8 Daily Habits. On Days #3–12 Thomas Norton unveils the Habits (usually one Habit per day) and provides training in how to correctly perform each Habit. As students add new Daily Habits, the number of video instruction segments decreases until, finally, students are fully engaged in the Habits. At that point, no further instruction is needed, though Thomas will accompany you throughout the Habit-building phase. The Habit-building phase is the most critical (Days #13-33). This is the period in which you will transition from being dependent on a teacher to being completely autonomous in your English training. To support you, the course provides an additional 21 days of materials for you to use as you firmly establish the Habits. The Habit-building phase seeks to fulfill the saying: "It takes 21 days to build a habit".

When does the course begin?

Immediately upon enrollment you will be taken to a series of orientation videos, where you will learn about how the course is structured and administered, and what is expected from you if you want to extract the maximum benefit from all that Thomas Norton offers you. Day 1 of your course material will be made available the day after you enroll and complete the orientation videos, you will be provided all the materials you need to complete Day 1's tasks. After completing Day 1's tasks, you will be given the videos and materials for Day 2's tasks, and so on until you finish the course. This is a language course, so your methodical completion of each Day's assigned tasks is essential to your success.

How can I know if I'll like this course?

Please take whatever time you need before enrolling to watch videos on the English Trainer for Pros YouTube channel. Those videos, along with the three videos on this page (Here's the Story, What you can expect, and Online vs In-person courses, should give you a clear idea of Thomas Norton's teaching style and of the value of his content. You will also be able to gauge your own level of English. You can also visit Thomas's YouTube channel to see more videos. If you can follow and understand the videos, you can be confident that the course will be a great investment for you. If you have further questions, please contact English Trainer for Pros at [email protected].

How long will it take me to improve my English?

It takes a long time to truly master a second language, but in this course you will experience noticeable improvement in several different areas. If you perform the 8 Daily Habits in the way I teach them, your English will be much stronger by the time you finish the course than it is today. That is, within 30 days you will notice significant improvement in your speaking, pronunciation, reading comprehension, writing skills, and vocabulary. Of course, Thomas teaches the Habits because he hopes you'll use them forever, as a part of your daily routine. If you can see significant improvement in 30 days, just imagine how good your English will be in 90 days, or 180 days, or even in one year?

But don't I need a personal tutor or teacher to improve my English?

I believe in live teachers, language schools, and tutors; after all, I am one myself. But your experience with a live teacher will be much more valuable after you have taken this course. This course will challenge you to explore every corner of your English skills. It will help you diagnose your weaknesses and your strengths. It will also show you how to teach yourself, correct your own errors, and improve your own pronunciation and writing skills and much more – with total confidence. Many of your weaknesses don't need a teacher; they need Habits that teach. Taking this course (and taking it seriously) will give you a clear, factual picture of how good your English really is – and what kind of teacher you need, if any. Many high-intermediate and advanced speakers who take my course determine that they don't need a live teacher at all, because this course teaches them how to work on their own weaknesses, evaluate improvement, and tweak the areas that need greater attention (that's the whole point of the course). NOTE: intermediate students (and lower levels) definitely need a live teacher, a classroom setting, and good curriculum to learn the foundations of English. This course is for high-intermediate and advanced speakers who want to raise the level of their English to "professional" level.