Why I tried NativeCamp's 'Native Unlimited' plan and stopped. And why I still want to go back.
I have been doing online English conversation for six years. My total study time has exceeded 600 hours, and I have now made English learning a habit with one lesson every weekday and multiple lessons on weekends.
I had been curious about NativeCamp's 'Native Unlimited Option' for a long time.
Although I was a bit hesitant, wondering if it was 'too early for me,' I decided to give it a try. In this article, I will talk honestly about the results I felt from actually taking the lessons, the 'financial circumstances' that led me to return to the regular plan, and my future outlook.
The 'two certain changes' I felt after actually trying the Native Unlimited plan
In conclusion, I am really glad I took it.
Although I can handle daily conversation without any problems, my expressions had become somewhat monotonous, and lessons with native instructors were a series of fresh stimuli. I felt particularly significant improvement in the following two points.
1. Absorbing living vocabulary and idioms that aren't in textbooks
In lessons with non-native teachers, conversations often proceed as long as I use grammatically correct expressions.However, native teachers effortlessly teach more natural collocations (word combinations) and polished expressions.It was a major gain to be able to update 'words I know' to 'expressions that natives use in daily life'.2. Real changes in linking and pronunciationBy being exposed every day to the natural speed unique to natives, as well as sound reductions and linking, my ears were trained overwhelmingly.Because I could also get corrections on my own pronunciation, I feel that the reproducibility of my pronunciation and the accuracy of my listening have gone up a level.
The reason I still returned to the 'regular plan'
Although I clearly felt the results, I ultimately decided to return to the regular premium plan (basic fee only) for the time being.
The reason is simple: 'the issue of money (fixed costs).'
Adding the Native Unlimited option costs an extra 9,800 yen per month. When combined with the 6,480 yen for the premium plan with the annual discount applied and the cost of reserved lessons, the monthly English conversation cost comes to about 20,000 to 23,000 yen.Considering that my family uses it and the general market price for schools, I understand in my head that it is 'overwhelmingly cheap for the content,' but honestly, I felt that having about 23,000 yen go out as a monthly fixed cost was a bit heavy for our household budget.After thinking, 'My English ability will improve, but is it realistic for me to continue this expense every month right now?', I decided to calm down and return to the basic premium plan.
My current style and what comes next
I have now returned to the regular plan and am taking lessons every day with non-native teachers who are good at teaching.
Precisely because I have a foundation built up over 600 hours, I am able to maintain a high volume of speech and a high-quality learning habit even with the regular plan.
However, I have not decided that I will 'never do Native Unlimited again'.
The 'feeling of my expressions being sharpened' and the 'fun of keeping up with native speed' that I experienced during that one month are definitely my current motivation.
In the future, when the time comes to aim for the next step in my career or when I want to intensively improve my conversation skills, I definitely intend to return to the 'Native Unlimited plan' again.
In closing
'Native Unlimited' is by no means a cheap option.
But precisely because of that, it was a good experience to be able to test for myself whether it was 'worth paying for'.
Securing the amount of input and output steadily with the regular plan for now
Investing in Native Unlimited again when I want to shift gears
I feel that being able to flexibly move between plans according to my life stage and financial situation is also a good thing about NativeCamp.
I hope this is helpful for those who are wondering, 'I'm interested in the Native plan, but it's expensive...'