..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...

What do the students get out of learning English?

People choose to study a language for a reason.Its a hobby -a way to while away some time,its a step up a career ladder for a non native speaker,a personal ambition,an interest in other cultures that can only be sated by understanding the subtle meaning in how a language is spoken.The list could go on.....
I have a large number of regular students who are learning English for many different reasons.The students range in age from 12 to about 55.These students are mainly based in countries that used to be part of the USSR.They are all private students and so pay for each lesson they have.
They want to learn.They are keen and dedicated.
Imagine being a teacher with a group of students who are like this.For me its fantastic.I get a lot from our lessons.Its worth me putting in the preparation to make a lesson individually tailored for each students needs.I love to see them become successful in their language skills and they appreciate my help ,time and teaching.

Its been interesting spending time with these people.Some students I have been teaching for 3 years now and we have become friends,swapping recipes and stories.Other students I have coached through exams in order for them to meet visa requirements so that they have the freedom to move onto a new place and experience new and exciting lives.Yet more students remain in their native cities but have progressed in their career plans because of their more advanced knowledge of the language.My younger students have developed the ability to express themselves in a foreign language ,an amazing skill and one which almost always makes for very interesting lessons.
We use the word stereotype(http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/stereotype) less often nowadays it seems to me.....but it comes up constantly as a topic or an issue .Here in the West we have so many stereotypes about people and places and my students are no different in that regard.But they have a real curiosity about life elsewhere and hearing about it firsthand rather than reading or watching something.We can have some extremely funny conversations.So this is one thing my students get from our lessons-an insight into British ,Irish ,European and Western culture alongside laughing a lot.These types of lessons are very relaxed and generally happen with my students who are simply having conversation lessons.

Before starting to teach English to non native speakers I taught Geography at high school in the UK which was,frankly,extremely hard work.I spent so much of my time preparing students for exams which were important to their future plans.These plans included University study,future travel or work.Its the same with the students I tutor for exams, of which there are many to choose from.Most popular are the http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/  such as CAE and FCE.The CPE and http://www.ielts.org/ are also much in demand .The students I teach who take these exams are a mixed bag of teenagers ,young professionals,post grad students,doctors,police personnel and teachers.On the whole these students have very definite future plans ,both professionally and personally.I have coached a student from Vladivostok who now lives in Melbourne with his family,another was from Latvia and now living in New Zealand as a student ,another is currently working as a police man in Moscow but wants to move to the US to work as a deep sea diver on oil platforms.For these students ,its a dream,aim or ambition and English is vital in their plans.
I also teach general English to students who are complete beginners right up to advanced level.We practice grammar ,increase the lexical range and practice ,practice practice.Generally these students want to be fluent.Its a personal challenge.The pressure to succeed comes from within and the pace of the lesson is dictated by the students interests.
So its a fascinating job.We use text books,both academic and general,we have the wonderful resource of the internet which we use extensively from watching links on http://www.ted.com/ to  http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts.We use music and pictures to stimulate conversation and dialogues.We learn together.  .

full on teaching

Its now november .Not only have the leaves on the trees changed colour but they have also dropped so the landscape is looking bare.The weather is damp and foggy.Low clouds.My garden is a swamp.All in all winter has arrived and it will be fairly dark most days here in Yorkshire for the next few months.Hmm.
I do enjoy winter.When it snows.Or when its icy and I don't have to drive.And our winters are becoming more snowy.That feeling you get when walking on crispy white snow (being the first to do so!) is wonderful.I love the silence that decends with snow.But I digress...
I am now teaching full time on line.My classes are a mixture of teenage geography students who attend a virtual high school ,Chinese IELTS students working hard for exams to enter Universities or gain residency somewhere and Russian students who are a mix..some business,some school children and some conversation.Its great!I am really enjoying it now and am fully in my stride..
I am using a number of excellent textbooks for the students
Compelling Conversations
New Opportunities
Market Leader
to name a few.
And today I have decided that I am now more committed to this blog and so will update it weekly from here on in.I hope to include lots of links to helpful sites for both teachers and students so if you know of any then feel free to let me know!