Why Business English Is Not ESL — and Why It Matters
Most ESL platforms teach you to speak English. Preply connects you with tutors who improve your grammar. Cambly provides native speakers for conversation practice. italki gives you a marketplace of teachers at various price points. These platforms serve a real purpose — but not for an executive who needs to close a $10M deal, present to a board of directors, or negotiate a partnership with a Fortune 500 company.
Business English at the executive level is a distinct discipline. It requires vocabulary that signals authority. Sentence structures that convey confidence under pressure. The ability to redirect a negotiation in real time. The presence to command a boardroom in a language that is not your mother tongue.
This is what Kerr University teaches. And it is coached by a Wharton-educated CEO who has actually been in those rooms.
The Fast-Track Fluency Method™
The Fast-Track Fluency Method™ is Digby R. Kerr's proprietary coaching framework for executive English. It is built around one principle: executives do not have time to learn language in the abstract. Every session is anchored in your actual business context.
You bring your next presentation, your upcoming negotiation, your board meeting agenda. Digby coaches you on the exact language you need — and the delivery, the framing, and the authority that makes it land. Progress is measured in business outcomes, not grammar scores.
What the Fast-Track Fluency Method™ Covers
- Boardroom English: Presenting to boards, investors, and senior leadership with authority and precision
- Negotiation language: The exact phrases, pivots, and closes that work in English-language high-stakes negotiations
- Executive presence: How to command a room when English is not your first language — and outperform native speakers on substance
- Investor communication: Pitch decks, Q&A sessions, term sheet discussions in English
- Cross-cultural communication: US, UK, and global English for executives working across cultures
- Email and written executive communication: How senior leaders write — and how to stop sounding like a non-native speaker in writing
- Leadership messaging: Internal communications, all-hands presentations, team leadership in English
Who Is This For?
Kerr University Business English is designed for executives where English is not a first language — and where the stakes of that gap are real and costly.
- Founders in Brazil, Colombia, and Latin America raising capital from US investors
- Executives in Europe and Asia leading English-language teams or entering US and UK markets
- VPs and Directors in the Middle East presenting to global headquarters or international boards
- C-suite leaders in Russia and Eastern Europe navigating English-language M&A, JVs, and partnerships
- Any executive who knows their ideas are stronger than their current ability to express them in English
Why Preply, Cambly, and italki Are Not Executive English
Preply charges $10-40/hr for tutors who specialize in general English instruction. Cambly offers native speakers for casual conversation practice at any hour. italki provides a global marketplace of teachers at varying quality and price points. These are all excellent platforms for learners building foundational English skills.
They are not designed for an executive who needs to close deals, command boards, and lead organizations in English. The curriculum is wrong. The instructor caliber is mismatched. And the context — casual conversation vs. boardroom execution — is entirely different.
Kerr University Business English starts from a different premise: you are already an accomplished executive. The goal is not to teach you English. The goal is to give you the specific executive English capabilities that your current role demands — and your current platform cannot provide.
Program Structure
- 1 live 60-minute session per week via Zoom or WhatsApp video
- 4 sessions per month — consistent, high-frequency practice anchored in your business context
- Custom session prep: Digby reviews your actual materials — decks, emails, negotiation scenarios — before each session
- Between-session support: WhatsApp access for quick language questions as they arise in real time
- Progress tracking: Measured against your specific business communication goals, not generic language benchmarks
Pricing: ESL & Business English Training
- Monthly: $125/mo — 4 live sessions (1 per week)
- 6-month package: $600 (save $150)
- Annual package: $999 (save $501)
- 7-day money-back guarantee on all plans
- Cancel anytime. No contracts. No lock-in.
Client Result: Brazilian Founder Goes IPO-Ready in 6 Months
A Brazilian tech founder with strong business skills and limited executive English came to Kerr University after struggling to convey his company's value to US investors in English. Six months of weekly Business English coaching transformed his investor narrative, his pitch delivery, and his one-on-one communication in English. He closed his Series A and is now on an IPO track. The ROI on six months of coaching at $600 was measured in millions.
"I had tried Preply and Cambly before. Neither prepared me for real boardroom English. Digby's approach is completely different. Strategic, executive-level, and focused on results."
Global Business English Coaching
Kerr University serves executives globally. Sessions are scheduled across time zones for executives in Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and beyond. The language of international business is English. The language of executive leadership is a specific, learnable, coachable skillset — and it is what Kerr University teaches.