Courses in London & Online

The biggest choice of adult education short courses in London and online

Looking for courses? City Lit offers thousands of courses, guided walks, expert talks, and events—more than any other college in London. Whether you’re interested in a one-off talk, a short course over a few weeks, or a year-long programme, you’ll find flexible options to suit your schedule and goals.

We offer online courses as well in-person courses from our Covent Garden campus and we offers a variety of classes 7 days a weekin order to fit into your lifestyle whether you want to learn in the daytime, evenings, or on weekends.

Looking for an online course? Browse our online courses.

Browse all Courses by Category

Use our subject categories to find the right course for you. Narrow down your selection using the filters to find your course by level, location, start date, duration, and price.

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Languages

Over 30 languages

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All our courses are taught by experts with professional industry experience. From published authors and academics to exhibited artists and performers.

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Upgrade your digital skills

Humanities

Explore History, Culture, Science & More

Choose from thousands of courses

With our daytime, evening, and weekend courses, there's course that is convenient for you.

Centre for Deaf Education

BSL & Lipreading 

Wellbeing & Massage

Gain skills in wellbeing

Speech Therapy

Manage your stammer

Performing Arts

Drama, Dance & Music

City Lit is the UK’s leading adult education provider. Over 30 000 learners choose City Lit every year to learn something new. From mastering new languages and honing creative skills to advancing your career with professional development courses. Whatever your passion or goal, our diverse curriculum has the perfect course to inspire your next step.

Taught by experts and practising professionals

All our courses are led by expert tutors including published authors, academics, practising artists, and experienced professionals; and they look forward to sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with you.

Dive into an unparalleled range of online courses with City Lit, the UK’s leading adult education provider. From mastering new languages and honing creative skills to advancing your career with professional development courses. Whatever your passion or goal, our diverse curriculum has the perfect course to inspire your next step.

Courses in London & Online

Thousands of short courses in London and online as well as longer skills-based courses and qualifications available to book online now!

Whether you want to try something new, revive your passion, or take your skills to the next level; we have a huge range of courses for you to explore. Discover Languages, Art & Design, Drama, Music & Dance, Technology & Business, Writing, British Sign Language and much more!

All our courses here at City Lit are taught by expert tutors such as published authors, academics, practising artists, and experienced professionals. Our friendly, supportive, and inspiring tutors are here to boost your confidence and motivate you at every step. We always ensure that your journey with us is enjoyable, positive, and thought-provoking.

We offer online courses and in-person courses. Our interactive online courses are taught live and in small groups. Read our guide to online learning for more information. In-person courses are delivered at our modern college campus in London near Covent Garden

Please use the filters on this page to search by subject, location/delivery mode, time of day, price and more to ensure you find the perfect course for you.

If you can't decide which subject to study, why not try some of our short taster courses?

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14 Items

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  1. Writing creative non-fiction: intensive
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 19 Feb 2025 (and 2 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Lucy Popescu
    This shorter version of our introductory creative non-writing course explores the core elements of creative non-fiction across genres such as travel writing, the personal essay and life writing.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
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  2. Ways into creative writing: intensive
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 24 Feb 2025 (and 6 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  KR Moorhead
    Not sure whether creative writing is for you? Give it a try on one of these fun and supportive short courses covering the basics of fiction and poetry. Increase your confidence and produce work through guided exercises and discussion.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
    Rating:
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  3. Ways into poetry: intensive
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 27 Feb 2025 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Billie Manning
    Are you just starting to write poetry? This shorter version of our introductory Ways into poetry course offers an opportunity to experiment with language and a variety of poetic devices. Discover the key elements of a poem in a friendly and interactive class.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
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  4. English communication skills for life and work (ESOL entry 2)
    Course start date:  Tue 14 Jan 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Can you have short conversations in English, and read and write simple emails, but want to do more? This course will help you talk, read and write about more interesting subjects and make fewer mistakes so people can understand you, you can understand them and you can read and write important messages, emails, forms and news stories. You will improve your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. By the end of this three-term programme you will able to interact confidently with English speakers in your daily life. You can join the course at any time.



    You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).



    This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here

    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £90.00
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  5. Chinese beginners: module 3
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Fei Wang
    Continue learning Mandarin Chinese on this lively live online course. You should have completed Chinese beginners: module 2 or equivalent (about 30hrs hours of learning).



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00
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  6. German beginners: module 1
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 28 Apr 2025 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Friederike Schroeder
    The emphasis is on the practical use of German and the development of your speaking and listening skills. Based on chapters 1-4 of Willkommen (Hodder Arnold). 1.5 hours per week over 7 weeks.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00
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  7. Japanese beginners: short introduction
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 6 May 2025 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Noriko Inagaki
    Get a short introduction to the Japanese language and discover aspects of Japanese language culture in these online communicative classes. Suitable for complete beginners.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
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  8. Getting ready for essential digital skills for work (Level 1)
    Course start date:  Tue 13 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Do you have some digital skills but lack confidence to use them? Would you like to gain the most essential digital skills needed for today's workplace? If so, and you need to develop the foundational digital skills for today's job market, this is the course for you. The course will give you the confidence to use different digital devices and tools to collaborate and communicate efficiently with work colleagues, to create and edit documents and presentations, and make simple spreadsheets. You will learn about different types of digital communication as well as how to use online resources for finding and using information and completing transactions. You will learn the transferable digital skills you need to progress, participate and express yourself in the workplace and gain a qualification. 53% of UK employees do not have the digital skills needed for work. You don't need to be one of them.



    Please note: you MUST pass the first part of the course, attend every class and do the necessary homework. If you do not, you will not be able to continue the course.



    You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name.



    This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here

    Full fee £89.00
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  9. ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 2 (Writing)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 20 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    This is the Writing unit of the ESOL course to give you confidence in writing and producing text independently for personal and academic writing, and for formal and informal texts. You will be taught how to generate creative and critical ideas using correct grammar, appropriate tenses, key linguistic features such as discourse markers, clauses, paragraphs, and you will become aware of the standard written features of English. You will focus on proof-reading, self-correction strategies and structuring your writing with correct conventions. You will also be taught how to organise, structure and extend your writing for academic, fiction, non-fiction and more complex text types or genres to suit purpose and audience.



    This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here

    Full fee £129.00
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  10. Essential digital skills for work (Level 1)
    Course start date:  Wed 12 Feb 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Do you have some digital skills but lack confidence to use them? Would you like to gain the most essential digital skills needed for today's workplace? If so, and you need to develop the foundational digital skills for today's job market, this is the course for you. The course will give you the confidence to use different digital devices and tools to collaborate and communicate efficiently with work colleagues, to create and edit documents and presentations, and make simple spreadsheets. You will learn about different types of digital communication as well as how to use online resources for finding and using information and completing transactions. You will learn the transferable digital skills you need to progress, participate and express yourself in the workplace and gain a qualification. 53% of UK employees do not have the digital skills needed for work. You don't need to be one of them.



    Please note: you MUST pass the first part of the course, attend every class and do the necessary homework. If you do not, you will not be able to continue the course.



    You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name.



    This course is free for learners who have digital skills assessed as below level 1. For more information Click here

    Full fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
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  11. Chinese 2: revision
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 8 Jul 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ting Poon
    Consolidate your elementary knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) in this lively and intensive course in central London. Suitable if you have studied Chinese (Mandarin) for a year or have an equivalent level.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
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  12. Piano/keyboards: revision for levels 1 and 2
    Course start date:  Tue 22 Jul 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ana Claudia Magalhaes
    Study pieces from the ABRSM 2019 & 2020 Grade 2 piano syllabus. Learn the required scales and try some aural tests. An ideal way to boost your learning over the summer. Tutor: Ana Claudia Magalhaes.
    Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £76.00
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  13. Piano/keyboards: revision for levels 3 and 4
    Course start date:  Tue 22 Jul 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Ana Claudia Magalhaes
    Study pieces from the ABRSM 2019 & 2020 Grade 1 piano syllabus. Learn the required scales and try some aural tests. An ideal way to boost your learning over the summer. Tutor: Ana Claudia Magalhaes.
    Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £76.00
    Add to Compare
  14. Acting: Foundation (Certificate Level 2)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 17 Oct 2024 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vernon Thompson
    Do you want to be an actor but find it hard to fit the training around your other commitments? This intensive and practical accredited course, running two weekday evenings each week, provides classes in the core disciplines of acting, voice and movement, and culminates in a showing of contemporary scenework to an invited audience. Successful candidates achieve the Level 2 Certificate in Performing Arts awarded by OCN London.
    Full fee £1,349.00 Senior fee £1,349.00 Concession £1,349.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
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