Language courses in Birmingham: Brasshouse, WMCA funding and ESOL

How public language classes work in Birmingham

Adult education in Birmingham is funded through the West Midlands Combined Authority, not directly by the Department for Education. The WMCA’s Adult Skills Fund rules for 2025 to 2026 raised the earnings threshold to £34,194: learners who are employed or self-employed and earn below that can be fully funded for courses up to and including level 2 and the level 3 offers. Providers must see evidence, such as a wage slip or Universal Credit statement from the last three months or a current employment contract.

That threshold is noticeably higher than England’s national figure (£26,800 for 2026 to 2027) and London’s (the London Living Wage, £28,860). If you live in Birmingham and earn, say, £30,000, you may qualify for a funded place here when you would not in London.

The council’s own provider is Birmingham Adult Education Service (BAES). Its specialist language centre, Brasshouse Languages, is on the first floor of the Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square, and BAES also runs community centres such as Sparkhill, Aston, Erdington, Northfield and Saltley. Brasshouse’s course listings show a full fee and a discount fee for each course, and it asks for documentary evidence at enrolment if you claim the discount.

A note on current fees: when we checked in September 2026, the Brasshouse course and fee pages were returning errors, so we cannot show a current fee table for Birmingham. Call the centre or check its website before you book.

University courses: mostly for students

Birmingham’s best-known university language programme, the University of Birmingham’s Languages for All, offers free language courses to its own full-time undergraduates, extended to campus-based postgraduates and staff where there is space. It is not a public evening programme, so for most adults the council, colleges and private schools are the realistic options. If you want a university-accredited course, the London, Manchester and Glasgow guides list public-access university programmes.

ESOL in Birmingham

The Birmingham ESOL Hub is a free service that lets you take an online English assessment, then matches you with ESOL providers based on your level, location and preferences, and shares your results with the provider so they can contact you. Providers in the city include BAES, BMet’s Language Centre in Conybere Street, South & City College and Fircroft College in Selly Oak. For the national rules, see free ESOL classes in England.

Libraries and free resources

Birmingham Libraries membership is free, and you do not need to live in Birmingham to join. To use the eLibrary of eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines you must be a member and live in Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull or Walsall. Members can use Go Citizen from home for help with the Life in the UK and citizenship tests. The library’s list of subscription websites does not currently include a language course, so pair a library card with free resources such as those in our British Council resources guide.

Private lessons and schools: typical prices

We have not found a reliable Birmingham-only price survey for private tutors, so use the national ranges in our UK language course costs guide: private tutors average £14–£22 an hour on one tutoring marketplace (Findtutors) and £35–£50 in an agency guide (TutorCruncher).

How to choose a language course in Birmingham

• Level and outcome. Ask which CEFR level the course starts and finishes at, and how many teaching hours that takes. Our guide to CEFR levels from A1 to C2 explains what each level means.
• Price per hour, not per course. Courses run for anything from 5 to 30 weeks and from 1 to 3 hours a class, so divide the fee by the teaching hours before comparing.
• What is extra. Coursebooks, registration fees and exam fees are often charged separately.
• Concessions and evidence. Publicly funded providers usually need proof of benefits, income or residency at enrolment, so ask what to bring.
• Refunds and cancellation. Ask for the refund policy in writing. If you book online or by phone, you may have a 14-day cancellation right: see cancelling a language course.

For a funded place, ask the provider whether it applies the WMCA earnings threshold and what proof it needs. Brasshouse, for example, asks new learners to contact it before enrolling and to take an initial assessment with a specialist tutor to find the right level.

Language course providers in Birmingham

These providers appear in public business and education listings for Birmingham. We have not checked their teaching, prices or accreditation, and they have not paid to appear.

You can also compare course types, read our guide on how to choose a language course, see UK course costs or tell us what you need.

Sources

• Adult Skills Funding Programme Rules 2025/26 (wmca.org.uk)
• Adult skills fund: funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 (gov.uk)
• Brasshouse Languages: how to enrol and course pages (brasshouse.ac.uk), unavailable when checked in September 2026
• Free language courses; Languages for All (birmingham.ac.uk)
• Learn English in Birmingham (birmingham.esolhub.co.uk)
• Library membership; Websites for library members (birmingham.gov.uk)
• Average rates (findtutors.co.uk)
• Average Tutoring Rates UK: 2026 (tutorcruncher.com)

Last checked: September 2026. Funding rules change each academic year, so confirm eligibility when you enrol.

Compare Language Courses is a comparison and referral service, not a language school. We do not teach courses, and a listing here is not a recommendation.