Online Arabic Lessons at Medina Camps – How Everything Works, from Sign-Up to Your First Class

Many people ask: what does online Arabic learning at Medina Camps actually look like in practice? What happens after you sign up? Who contacts whom, where do the lessons take place, and how do you keep track of everything?

These are fair questions. And because a structured course only works when the framework is clear, here is the complete process – from your first message to your first lesson and beyond.

Step 1: Sign Up via WhatsApp

Getting started is deliberately simple. You send us a short message on WhatsApp – sign up here – and tell us which programme you are interested in:

• Arabic for all levels (speaking, reading, writing, listening)
• Grammar, Morphology & Rhetoric (Nahw, Sarf, Balagha – for advanced learners)

You tell us how many hours per week you would like to study, and we take care of the rest.

Step 2: The Free Placement Session

Before the real lessons begin, there is a free first session – not a trial lesson in the usual sense, but a placement session.

In this session:

• you and the teacher get to know each other
• your current level is assessed: reading ability, writing, comprehension, and active speaking
• fixed lesson times are arranged to suit both you and the teacher
• you get a feel for how lessons at Medina Camps work

This session is free of charge. It ensures that lessons are tailored to your level from day one – no guesswork, no wasted time.

Step 3: Your Monthly Hour Budget

After the placement session, you book your first monthly hour budget. Here is how it works:

You decide how many hours per week you want to study – for example, 2 hours per week. That gives you your monthly volume (roughly 8–9 hours). This budget is booked and paid in advance – €9 per hour.

The teacher then arranges appointments with you step by step until your monthly budget is fully used. You know from the start what you are investing – and in return you get reliable, structured learning time.

What if things change?

• You have more time than expected one month? No problem – the budget can be topped up at any time.
• Next month is busier? You simply adjust the volume.
• You want to take a break or stop after the current month? That is always possible – no minimum commitment, no hidden clauses.

The commitment applies only to the month you have booked.

Step 4: The Medina Camps School Portal

Once you are registered, you get access to the Medina Camps school portal. Through this portal you always have full oversight:

• When are your next lessons?
• Which sessions have already taken place, and how many hours remain in the budget?
• Has the teacher cancelled or rescheduled a session?
• Can't make a session? You notify the teacher directly through the system – they receive an automatic notification.

The aim is to keep everything in one place with no back-and-forth messages for organisational matters.

We continuously develop the portal with tools that actively support learning: vocabulary aids, flashcards, quizzes matched to the lesson content. One example is the Quran Vocabulary Trainer – free, runs in the browser, with the 100 most frequent words in the Quran.

Step 5: Telegram – Learning Materials and Quick Communication

For lesson materials and day-to-day communication, we use Telegram. You are added to a private group with you, the teacher, and the Medina Camps management.

Via Telegram:

• the teacher shares materials, exercises, and assignments
• you can ask questions between sessions
• you receive feedback on your work

The portal handles the organisation. Telegram handles the connection.

What Happens During the Lessons

The lessons themselves take place via video call – with a teacher who has spent over 10 years teaching Arabic to non-Arabs and knows exactly where learners typically run into difficulties.

Depending on your programme and level, we work with proven textbooks:

• Complete beginner (no Arabic at all – cannot yet read or write): alphabet, pronunciation, first sounds and letters – everything is explained from the ground up, step by step.
• Can read and write, but little language yet (Level 1): vocabulary, simple sentences, first speaking exercises – the script is there, now the language begins.
• Intermediate: building all four skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening), text comprehension, everyday language and grammar.
• Advanced: deepening grammar (Nahw), morphology (Sarf), rhetoric (Balagha) – the foundation for understanding classical texts and the Quran at a real level.

Established works like العربية بين يديك (al-ʿArabiyya bayna yadayk) or the Medina Book are used – the same books found in Islamic institutes worldwide. If you already work with a particular textbook or have a preference: no problem. We adapt to you.

Online Lessons as Preparation for Medina

Many students use the online lessons specifically to prepare for the in-person courses in Madinah – arriving at a higher level than would be possible without preparation. Those who already have a foundation learn faster on-site and get far more out of the immersion experience.

If you decide to come to Madinah after a period of online study, there is an on-site placement test – so you start exactly where you are and do not spend time revisiting content you already know.

Find out more about the in-person programme in the course overview or in the FAQ.

In Summary

• Sign up via WhatsApp – no forms, no complications
• First session free – placement, getting to know each other, scheduling
• Monthly hour budget – booked in advance, can be topped up or reduced anytime
• School portal for schedule overview, cancellations, and learning tools
• Telegram group for learning materials and quick questions
• Video lessons with an experienced teacher – from the alphabet to Arabic rhetoric
• Flexible: increase, reduce, or pause after the month – always possible
• €9 per hour – no subscription, no minimum commitment beyond the booked month

→ Sign up for online lessons or send us a WhatsApp message