Online English Lessons: Times are changing..time for a change

Online English Lessons: Times are changing..time for a change

Times are changing..time for a change

Having worked on line for quite a few years now I feel I have experienced the full range of issues that teaching English to non native speakers involves.
I have seen some excellent success with students going abroad for study or work having passed their English language exams after studying with me.Other students have achieved their aims of getting jobs with international companies based in their own countries.And my learners who study English on line as a hobby have seen improvements in their language skills .....
The majority of my students come from Russia and other former Soviet countries.This has given me a much greater insight into life in both the past and present for the people living in these countries.My Russian students in particular have embraced the freedom to travel and enjoyed exploring various locations around the world ,a freedom that in the not too distant past was denied to them.

Now we have a changing state of play.The current economic downturn in Russia as a result of sanctions,Crimea,Ukraine and the value of oil (among other factors) has altered life for so many of my students.
The freedom to travel is still there but the value of their currency means travel costs outside their country have at least doubled.To the average Russian this does not appear to be an issue.It has been pointed out to me by more than a few students that Russia is a huge country and they are happy to holiday at home for the next few years and explore where they live.
The ability to continue studying with me on line has altered however.This is a luxury now as my lessons have almost doubled in cost ,again thanks to currency rates.I am losing students who have been working with me for a number of years but thankfully, so far ,retaining enough to continue making an ok living.
I ,like most people,have no idea what is to come next so I am casting my net further and wider in order to attract more students.So today my I shall be working on my website so that it can be live as soon as possible.In the meantime if you would like private on line lessons and require any information about costs and courses then you can contact me on Skype by requesting me as a contact 
(michelesenglish) or
 contact me via hotmail at sheridanmichele@hotmail.com

Monday.....not everyone's favourite day of the week?

Today dawned surprisingly bright,cold and sunny.A nice change.
The weekend is over and the new working week has begun.
I had a fun weekend...Saturday was spent looking at my garden and coming to the conclusion that the sheer volume of mud it contains at the moment meant any attempts at getting my vegetable beds ready for growing was pointless.So instead I simply put seeds in pots....soon the window sills of my house will be full of seedlings.

Sunday was wet and cold and windy(more weather talk!) and late afternoon we went to dinner at a friends house.It was fun ,lots of chat,good food and sadly a little too much red wine.I say sadly, as this morning I felt some what 'worse for wear'..'under the weather'....a 'bit rough'....or simply put-hungover

Tomorrow is what we in the UK call Pancake Day and marks the day before Ash Wednesday, which in itself marks the beginning of lent.Lent is a six week period of fasting before Easter.So I expect my house to stink(I don't like the smell of pancakes) or smell of(aroma for those who like it) pancake and sugar.
Its interesting to note how we eat pancakes here-generally with sweet stuff such as ice cream,sugar,honey and sometimes a little lemon for balance...

Where has the week gone...?

Its Friday already!That seems to have happened quickly..

This morning, in this part of the UK ,we had a sharp frost.Which makes a change from the incessant rain.But its still overcast....and snow is predicted for parts of the country.The weather-we love to talk about it all over the world and my students are no different.They want to learn new vocabulary to describe the weather....this little picture shows some weather conditions..

Not only do students wish to be able to describe the weather they are experiencing in their country but they also want to be able to discuss weather related topics.

For example,the topic of Global Climate Change is a common one in exams as well as in everyday conversation.The type language we use when discussing this topic is complicated at times and also sometimes difficult to explain.The vocabulary can come from science or geography,for example,and so is less commonly used among students.But if you wish to speak like a native ,a student needs to know how to use the vocabulary plus the numerous idioms,slang words/phrases and so on ,that we ,as native speakers use. 

Most students I speak with talk about how the climate in their home country is now completely unpredictable.No longer do my Russian students ,for example,expect to have sub zero temperatures for months of the year.And they have begun to notice how their changing climate is effecting the health and well being of the nation.And,in my opinion,this in turn is changing peoples attitudes to the concept and reality of Global Climate Change.

To use my lovely Russian students again as an example-when I first started to teach people from former USSR countries ,including Russia, a number of years ago ,the general attitude to how natural resources are used was one of ..'well we have a lot so we can more or less use them as we wish '

Nowadays ,it is much more common when speaking with students from this part of the world to hear statements about how 'we must start to recycle/reuse ' or 'we need to deal with the problem of industrial pollution because of its effect on our water systems'.There is a greater awareness of what we as a planet are facing from an environmental point of view and therefore more of a demand from students to be able to freely and intelligently discuss the topic.

Here are some quotes on climate change...

'There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it'.

David Attenborough

'As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you and climate change is one of those exceptions'.

Al Gore

..to continue the conversation....

So in 'conversation ' English lessons we speak.Or rather the student speaks and I prompt him/her through questions.I normally have a format to these types of lessons.
Usually we start with a 'warm up' activity ,maybe an anagram of the conversation topic.I would normally provide a student with a list of between 10-15 words and check that he/she has a good understanding of the language we will be aiming to use.The lessons then involve a dialogue with the onus being on the student to do the speaking.I take note of errors and we look at them at intervals in the lesson.Sometimes I use appropriate quotes or idioms in the conversation.Most non native speakers really enjoy 'getting to grips with' idiomatic speech.

For the more advanced students I run my lessons a little differently.I would normally send a link to a talk/pod cast or piece of academic style writing in advance of our lesson.The student knows that this will be our topic.I expect the student to be able to express an opinion on the chosen subject and also be able to ask questions.Most advanced students will also write their opinion about the topic and we will spend some time looking at their writing skills-where the strengths and weaknesses are.
Conversation lessons can be hard work for me as a teacher.Keeping track of what we have already discussed means I need to be fairly organised and a good record keeper.Some students are very definite about what they will and won't speak about.Some students struggle to get past a simple 'yes' or 'no' response to questions and it takes skill and patience to draw them out so that they can expend their speaking.
On the whole I enjoy conversation lessons.They are no easier to do than an exam preparation  lesson -just different.

What do English conversation lessons involve?

As mentioned in previous posts,I teach English to a variety of students.They all have different reasons for learning or improving their English.
In the beginning a good percentage of my students wanted 'conversation' English .They were generally intermediate level or above and so had a good selection of vocabulary(but didn't always know how to use it) and a fair grasp of grammar.Most of these students and students that I now teach conversation English to, want to be able to have a dialogue on any subject.They want to understand how native speakers speak.They want to use slang,idiomatic phrases,old sayings and so on....

absobloodylutely

Adv. Absolutely

action man

Noun. A man who participates in macho activities.

airhead

Noun. A stupid person.

all mod cons	Noun. All the fixtures and fittings necessary and expected - an abb. of all modern conveniences. {Informal}
all mouth and (no) trousers	Phrs. Boastful and without just reason. E.g."You shouldn't pay any attention to him, he's all mouth and no trousers."

A number of native English speaking friends have suggested that this is easy work for me to do!And to some extent it is-I am well read,like to informed about up to date issues and have a broad range of interests.So topics to speak about are always easy to find.However,its not as simple or easy as it sounds.There are elements of our conversation to keep in mind-culture/religion/politics and nationality all play a part in what can and can't be discussed.As does the individual student and his/her interests.So choosing the correct topic for individual students is always the first task.
Topics range from..
'Getting to know you...'
'Annoying things...'
'Eating out....'
'Living in Russia,Ukraine,Latvia ....'
'Gardening...'
'Beauty....'
'Work....'
'Culture...'
'Anti social behaviour/social/unspoken rules...'
the list is endless in fact.

Friday

Its the end of the working week for many people today and depending on your time zone you are already into your weekend or anticipating it...

Most of the time I don't work at the weekend and so I look forward to those two clear days off.I tend to actually spend my time 'off' cleaning the house,baking and cooking and generally catching up on all the jobs I didn't have time to do during the week.I also occasionally socialise-usually go to a friends house and share some food and chat (maybe drink a little rum from time to time).I try to save Sunday afternoon for relaxing,maybe reading a book or doing things in my garden.

In the UK people use their weekends in a variety of ways.A lot of people like to play or watch sport.Some of the younger generation are keen on pubs,bars and clubs.Other people enjoy visiting the cinema or theatre.On top of these things the weekend is also a time to pursue hobbies,visit certain clubs for activities such as Art/sewing/knitting/languages and so on...but a lot of people just like to relax with family.We live busy lives,trying to make ends meet and meeting the needs of those who we hold dear.

Thursdays....

I like Thursdays.Mainly because the next day is a Friday .......
This morning, in the part of the UK in which I live,its windy,dark,cold and wet.Nothing unusual really for this time of year but a little depressing none the less.In Russia,where most of my students live, the weather is not great also.Unusually for Russia at this time of year,its not what Russians would consider cold .Its wet and dark and most of my students don't like it.They would much prefer it was minus 10 or colder and snowing.This is what February is normally like for them....

Here are some quotes about Thursdays.

"And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light, but the Electricity Board said He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected" Spike Milligan 

“'This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.'” Douglas Adams

I work Mondays to Fridays but a number of my students continue to work until Saturday afternoon (both school children and paid workers).Also ,a number of students then spend Saturday afternoons and Sundays studying.English ,of course,is a popular choice for study at weekends as are dance,art,music and other cultural pursuits.

Here in the UK, we generally use our weekends to do as little as possible(unless a person is 'into' sports ,in which case they spend the weekend playing or watching sport)and just use the time to relax.My weekends usually consist of a later than usual 'getting up' time,cleaning the house and doing other household tasks,baking ,walking the dogs ,occasional socialising and then finally throwing myself on the sofa with a good book-usually late on a Sunday...how do you spend your weekend?

How to teach English on line?

A common question I am asked when I tell someone that I work as an on line English language teacher with non native speakers is....
"do you speak Russian/Chinese/Ukrainian/and so forth?"
The answer is a resounding NO (I do now know some Russian but certainly couldn't claim to be able to speak it).But I don't need to know my students languages.I need to teach English and so this is the language we communicate in during lessons.Sometimes we find we share similar words with similar meanings and pronunciation and these words  may have their origin in my students language(for example,balaclava,cosmonaut,vodka,pavlova -all Russian words commonly used in the English language)

Another question I get asked is..

 "how do people become ESL on line teachers?" ....                         

There is no clear cut answer to this.It depends on how much you want to earn,what your own level of education is,how easy it is for you to link up with agents based in other countries or finding a company on line in some sort of speculative way.A number of on line companies are actually pretty rubbish(I tried a few and it was very disheartening to begin with)but at the same time ,working with these companies meant I gained experience in on line teaching but just as importantly ,I made some good connections with agents at a time when it would have been very difficult for me to find private students.

Generally/broadly speaking if you have a decent degree level education and a post graduate qualification in teaching and at the very least a CELTA you can earn an ok living from on line teaching.Some people manage it without a degree/PG cert .The CELTA course (if done in one go)lasts about 4-5 weeks and is extremely demanding(that's how I found it anyway)plus it costs over £1,000 to complete and is full time so a potential teacher cannot work while doing the course.There are simply not enough hours in the day.And this is only the beginning of your teaching English career.The knowledge you need to teach the language well on top of knowing how to make lessons individualised takes time to develop.

Another question is "how much does it pay?"..

My answer would be "how long is a piece of string?"

As with most things in life ,its variable.It can be fairly low paid when you first start out as an on line teacher or you could get lucky and find a decent agent who you can  negotiate with in terms of what is an acceptable minimum amount of money for you to charge per lesson.Then we have different types of lessons.For example I teach simple conversation English,Business English,Exam English and General English.These lessons all attract different fee's.And different levels of preparation for me as the teacher.

the final question is usually along the lines of..

"but how do you actually teach...is it via Skype?"

Generally I teach most of my students via Skype.I have also used some specific teaching platforms with interactive whiteboards and chat facilities but I find that I can do most things I need or want to do on Skype plus its simple to use and accessible to almost everyone who has a computer and internet.Some teaching platforms require subscriptions which I want to avoid.Through Skype I can send links,documents,pictures and so on.I can type corrections and vocabulary.The student (if he/she has a camera) can experience real live face to face English language communication and support.Its an excellent medium for this type of work.

So if you are thinking about becoming an ESL teacher,particularly an on line one, then I wish you well.Be prepared to struggle at the start and to not earn much to begin with.Be wary of on line companies(I know one or two to avoid full stop but better not to name them here!),try to find out some information about them.There are some good one's but you have to root them out and this is time consuming plus there is always the possibility that you do lessons for which you receive no pay.So be careful.

On a more positive note,if you enjoy meeting new people,gaining insights into how other cultures live AND you enjoy teaching but want to work from home or anywhere else in the world then this is one of the better jobs to aim for.

In my humble opinion...