Monday, 7 December 2009

teaching with skype

Well I have been teaching using Skype for a little while now and its going well.I have been paid which is a big relief to me as you can never be completely sure about who is employing you when its via the net even if you do checks..anyone can build a convincing website after all.
So I have been mainly teaching people living in Moscow.Most of my students work for big international companies and have a lot of colleagues who are native English speakers and so there is a pressure on them to have 'good' English.The students that I have in Russia are all very highly educated with a wide variety of experiences.I am learning so much about current Russian culture which is an eye opener and at times surprising to me.But the professions range from former space station workers to web designers...nearly all are involved in work that involves modern computer technology.
The bulk of my lessons with these students are conversational based as most of them have a fair knowledge of English.I can understand them ,mostly ,and they mainly need help with grammar or perhaps an increase in Lexis.So we discuss world issues ,regional stuff pertinent to their lives or general chat about films or books.Its an enjoyable way to teach and feels quite equal.They are paying for me to provide this service and are on the whole very articulate in terms of their needs where the English language is concerned.I have had to invest in a decent notebook so that I can keep track of who I have spoke with and what we spoke about as I can have 6 students a day ...

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