Frequently asked questions

Here are some of the questions we are often asked about the Hey Lady! and membership to our women-only English speaking community.

How do I find a speaking partner inside Hey Lady!?

There are many ways to find a speaking partner inside Hey Lady!

  1. The easiest way is to join any of the 'group conversation' events happening each day. These are wonderful places to get to know other members and build your network of friends around the world! Browse through our event list to find a conversation that interests you. Each event will be hosted either by someone from the Hey Lady! team or by other community members. When the event starts, they will help with the introductions and facilitate the conversation so everyone has the chance to meet and participate.
  2. Another way to find a speaking partner is to reach out directly to other members through our instant messaging feature. All members are able to update their profile to let the community know if they are open to meeting new speaking partners. You are welcome to send a message to anyone on the platform and say hello!
  3. You can also create and host your own events, choosing a pre-defined topic from our monthly conversation theme or deciding your own topic. If you see or know of another member who might be interested, you can invite them to come along.

Remember, just like any friendship, your relationships in our community will grow stronger with time and attendance. Many of our members have made life-long friendships in this community.

Why is it only for women? Why can't men join?

Hey Lady! offers a safe and supportive space to practise English for anyone identifying as a woman.

Watch this short video where Emma explains why we created Hey Lady! for women.

Speaking in a second language is challenging—for anyone. There can be all sorts of negative emotions at play: fear, anxiety, doubt, frustration, awkwardness, to name just a few. At Hey Lady! we do our best to create a space that reduces this as much as possible so that our members are not only able to participate, but thrive as they interact with others in their non-native language. We've chosen to create a women-only community for four main reasons:

  1. Women thrive together: Women tend to be natural 'cheerleaders' for their families, loved ones and, for each other. This tendency means that working through challenges and overcoming negative self-belief is best done with the love and support of friends—our very own circle of cheerleaders! It's easier to stay motivated during tough times and genuinely enjoy the experience of learning English and experiencing life, together.
  2. We can connect on a deeper level: By exploring topics that focus on womens' issues and interests, we can have deeper, more meaningful conversations about things that really matter to us.
  3. Cultural and social beliefs/norms can make it difficult for women to participate equally in mixed-gender classrooms. For some women, being in the presence of men can feel a little (or quite) intimidating. It may make it difficult to speak up or speak openly, disagree or contradict; all essential skills to building confidence as an English speaker.
  4. Study with less distraction: Despite the incredible opportunity that online learning provides, it also disproportionately exposes women to bullying and humiliation, which can ultimately silence them or inhibit their ability to participate. Hey Lady! creates a space to learn English skills and communicate confidently, in a positive, inspiring environment.

Knowing the above to be true, it's no surprise that many of the ladies in our community have been introduced to us by a kind and supportive man in their lives—a loving husband, kind father or sweet son—who want to see them succeed. Love and respect to you, from all of us x

Who can join?

Hey Lady! is a community for women only.

Firstly, you must be over 18 years of age to join—our diverse community welcomes women of all adult ages, social status, religion or culture. Expect to meet a diverse range of women inside Hey Lady! You need to come willing and open to meet people who may have had vastly different life experiences to you.

Secondly, you must be at an intermediate to advanced level of English. Everything that we do inside our community is done in English, and the Hey Lady! experience has been designed around communication skills and speaking confidence. Unsure about your English level? Complete this simple online test to find out!

Lastly, you need to be ready to practise speaking in a group environment where we have our videos turned on and be ready to encourage and support other women who are working to become confident English speakers too!

How much does it cost?

We give you two affordable options to choose from:

Monthly membership - $39/month (no lock-in contract)

Pay month-to-month with our flexible payment option! Spend as little or as much time as you like inside the community - whether it be 1 month, 3 months or 2 years. It’s entirely up to you!

Annual membership - $299/year (no lock-in contract)

Enjoy a saving 36% by committing to your English learning journey for a whole year. PLUS get our 12-week 'Fluency Foundations' course and a 45 minute call with a Hey Lady! Coach to develop your personalised 12-month English Plan.

When are the classes?

You will find live events scheduled in virtually every time zone so you can be sure to find something happening whenever you’re available! At Hey Lady!, we don’t have a fixed schedule of ‘classes’. Instead we offer both recorded and live ‘events’ to help you study and learn at your own pace, and then put what you learn into practice in real conversations. 

How long will it take to improve my English? Will it help me become fluent?

The short answer: To make the kind of improvement you can feel will take around 3 months of regular practise.

Hey Lady! has been designed to help women build confidence and improve English fluency as naturally as possible.

How long it truly takes and how quickly you improve depends on a few different factors:

  • your current level of English
  • your experience speaking in English
  • the languages you already speak
  • how actively you study and practise English
  • your English goals (being 'fluent' can mean different things to different people!)

There's a lot of research that suggests that an intermediate English learner needs approximately 500 hours of conversation practice to achieve fluency.

We provide a range of tools and opportunities to practise, along with a community of motivated, inspiring women to cheer you on! Hey Lady! has been designed to help you build confidence and improve English fluency as naturally as possible. We strive to ensure that the time you spend in the community is effective and maximises your progress—even when you don't have a lot of time.

How much time do I need to spend practising each week?

Hey Lady! allows you to study and practise as much as you can, it's a flexible learning experience. If you have 2 hours per week, we'll help you make the most of it. If you have 8 hours per week, we'll help you develop skills quickly. We have recommended study/training schedules for members with limited or extensive time, tailored to different learning goals.

As an example, Faridah, has a busy work schedule. Her priority is to spend two hours per week speaking with her speaking partners or study group. If she has extra time, she downloads the workbooks to study and review vocabulary. When Faridah is on holiday (and away from her regular routine), she sets herself a challenge to join one conversation every day so she can join more events and meet other ladies.

What does it include?

Your membership includes:

  • Access to our online platform and global network of English-speaking women
  • Introductions to other members at our community events
  • Structured lesson content that explores different conversation topics over 12 weeks
  • Unlimited speaking practice opportunities; one-to one or in small groups via built-in video chat
  • Creating and hosting your own one-to-one calls with other members
  • Live events with our expert English language coaches such as guided conversations, grammar lessons and 'office hours' to ask your questions
  • Live events hosted by our Community Success Team and other Hey Lady! community members

This will give you plenty of things to do with your new English-speaking friends.

Over time you will soon learn we offer other experiences as well. These include:

  • Advanced conversation training with our coaches
  • 'Deep dive' functional language activities
  • Creative writing workshops
  • Training on how to create and host your own group conversations with other members
  • The chance to create or join 'study groups'
  • Additional conversation themes with new and engaging topics

How long does it take to complete?

As Hey Lady! is not a course, there is no start or end date. You can join and stay for three months or stay for three years! (In fact, many ladies in our community have stayed for years, continually improving their speaking skills and making new friends around the world!)

By staying active, building consistent speaking habits and creating a strong network of English-speaking friends, you will transform your English conversations before you even realise it. Most of our active members genuinely felt positive changes after 3 months and reach a level of fluency or personal transformation at around 12 months.

Are there native English speakers in Hey Lady!?

Fantastic question! Many English learners are convinced that the only way to become fluent is to practise with native English speakers. This simply isn't true.

At Hey Lady! we offer a unique and proven approach to helping you become fluent. We provide structured learning materials so you have all the 'tools' you need for interesting conversations and then offer unlimited opportunities to practise having those conversations with others!

Our English language coaches are native English speakers. They create our lesson content, host group conversations and run extra training workshops. Like the whole Hey Lady! team they're also part of our community so you're likely to find them attending the member-hosted events that interest them and joining in your conversations there.

Our community members are non-native English speakers but they range in proficiency from intermediate all the way to fluent. You can be sure that a diverse community like ours makes for a very realistic experience of English. When you consider that more than 75% of the people who speak English in the world today are not native speakers, being able to understand and communicate with people who have different accents, cultural expressions and mannerisms is a definite advantage.

Can I get personal help or feedback on my speaking or pronunciation?

Yes! There are two ways this happens; through our coaches and through other members of our community—your friends!

Our language coaches are here to support and guide you on your English journey; our philosophy is not to "teach" as in a traditional classroom, but to empower you to take your journey into your own hands. They provide lessons, tools and experiences designed to develop your English language skills and accuracy. In group conversations, they're on-hand to offer support and provide whole-of-group feedback.

However it's not only our coaches who are here to help, at Hey Lady! we thrive on helping each other!

In our community you'll be surrounded by non-native English speakers of all different levels, some of whom have academic English or are studying to teach English themselves. Your speaking partners will give you feedback, ask for clarification and, over time, help you to relax your accent and speak clearly.

Meeting and practising your speaking skills with non-native English speakers is a wonderful opportunity for you to identify errors and self correct—the ultimate tool that you can develop to empower yourself as an English learner.

Please note that if you are looking for a private tutor or personal language coach, Hey Lady! may not be the right place for you.

What happens after I sign up?

Once you sign up you'll receive an email to set your password. Using this password you can login to our platform and take a look around your new home!

The first live event that all our new members attend will be hosted by our friendly Community Success team or one of our 'Big Sisters' (community volunteers).

You will meet and be introduced to your newest English-speaking friends right away! We also use these fun meetups as a little security check to confirm everyone's identity (safety first!) before allowing new members to attend other events or contact other members; so make sure your webcam and microphone are connected and ready.

During the meetup, we'll also introduce you to our current conversation topic for the fortnight and show you the basics of how to register for events and reach out to other members. After you've attended your first event, you'll be free to explore all the other events and join as many as you like!

We will also 'unlock' the ability to create and host your own events for other members to join. This is a great way to meet like-minded people and talk about the things that are important to you.

Very soon, you'll discover the 'magic' of our community as you have the opportunity to meet and learn with women from different cultures, countries and careers.

How can I pay?

There are three (3) ways to pay: 

1. We accept credit card payments through our secure online payment system (Stripe). Please note that all payments are calculated in US Dollars and will convert to your local currency at the time of each transaction.

2. We accept payment via PayPal. With a PayPal account (check if your country is eligible here) you can connect your bank account to Paypal. This means you do not need a credit card to pay.

3. We can arrange for payment in advance by bank transfer. To pay by international bank transfer you will need to pay upfront for a minimum of 3 months membership to Hey Lady! please contact hello@heylady.io if you wish to use this option.

Sign up today and start your membership!

Can I pause my membership?

Great question! As much as you want to commit to regular English practice, we understand how important it is to be flexible when you need it to be!

You will be able to pause your membership for 2 weeks, up to two times per year.

What is Hey Lady!? How does it work?

Hey Lady! is a social learning platform that helps women who are learning English to meet, make friends and practise speaking together.

This might be a completely different approach to improving your English than you have ever experienced. No exams, no certificates.. and we like it that way, it removes the pressure of wanting to be 'perfect' before you try something new.

Everything we do begins with the connection between two people. Our online platform and the events we host are designed to encourage our members to meet and get to know each other so they have English-speaking friends to practise with, whenever they like!

Our system for learning is 'member-led' and 'teacher supported'. We believe that with the right connections, conversation tools and a safe, supportive space to practise in, you can progress at your own pace and achieve your English goals!

How it works

Hey Lady! helps you stay motivated, feel inspired and enjoy your English journey! When you join Hey Lady! you will answer some simple questions about your interests and the times you're available to practise English. Each time you log in we'll show you the events that align with your availability and interests. All you need to do is click "I will attend" on the events that interest you, show up at the listed time and get talking! It's really that simple!

Each event happens online via video and will be hosted either by one of our coaches, our community success team or other community members. They will help you to participate in the conversation whether you’re feeling shy and need help taking the first steps, or are ready and looking for a challenge.

Most of our events are organised around the conversation "theme" that we're exploring that month. It might be Travel, Family & Relationships, Personal Development or something else. You can prepare for your conversation by checking out the "Conversation Packs" that our coaches create for each theme. These include videos and workbooks that include new vocabulary, practical expressions and grammar related to those topics so you will know what to talk about on the call.

By joining the community and attending events regularly, you will be developing your skills and improving your English fluency naturally. You'll soon discover just how kind, welcoming and supportive our community members are and learn to have fun in each conversation.

If I'm not satisfied, can I get a refund?

We offer a 7-day Money Back Guarantee. This means that if you feel Hey Lady! is not right for you, you can cancel your membership within 7 days of sign-up and receive a full refund.

What is the age range of Hey Lady! members?

We have members from all age groups, the minimum required age is 18 and there is no upper limit - it’s never too late to improve your English!

I don't have a credit card and PayPal is not available in my country. What can I do?

The Monthly Plan is not available without a credit card or PayPal account. However, if you’d like to sign up for a Quarterly or Yearly Plan, we can arrange payment by bank transfer. Please contact us via the contact form at the end of the page or email hello@heylady.io and our team will be glad to assist you.

How will I get feedback about my English? What if I make mistakes?

Making mistakes is natural and not something you should be ashamed of. Some conversations in Hey Lady! focus on fluency - being able to communicate what you want to say and being understood even if you weren't accurate. Other conversations focus on accuracy - correct pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. You will receive feedback differently in each case, either from more experienced members of our community or a Hey Lady! Coach.

How many hours per week does it take to get results?

The number of hours really depends on your goals and how quickly you want to reach them. Our research shows that members who commit to 3-4 hours per week can achieve excellent results in just 3 months of regular English speaking practice!

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