TEFL Wolf Lake Minnesota

Recent advancements in technology have allowed students who aren't able to afford or attend regular classes (in a language school) to learn english through the use of VOIPs, such as Skype. Using this setup, students can choose the tutor they want to book, when they want to take the lesson, and the specific area or skill they want to focus on. The classes usually consist of one-to-one thirty minute sessions which the student may extend by booking another thirty-minute slot. The student can choose to stay with the same tutor for all his lessons or book a new one each time, until his/her lesson credits run out. Most online language schools target business people who don't have the time to attend an actual class because of work, but every now and then, you get a few young learners who take online classes to supplement their english lessons from school. Online english tutors can be home, or office-based; they may have a fixed or flexible schedule depending on their agreement with the company, and when their shift starts depends on where their clients are located. In my case, I work from home and get to set my hours. I am allowed to open a maximum of 5 hours (10 slots) each day from 6 PM- 12 MN, and most of my students are japanese business people who want to take standardized tests like TOEIC, or want to explore career opportunities abroad. The students may book me as early as three days in advance, or as late as 5 minutes before the next vacant slot closes. Each lesson can last for 25, 50, or 75 minutes, with a 5-15 minute break before the next lesson starts, and I am required to fill out an assessment form after each lesson for the next tutor to use. Having worked in an online esl teaching company previously as a materials designer, and now as a tutor (for a different company), has given me a pretty clear idea of the advantages, the disadvantages and the issues of working with this kind of setup. Let me first start with the advantages: First, would be the convenience of not having to go to another country (or in my case, leaving my house) to work. Information is also readily available online, which makes it pretty handy if a student has questions on vocabulary or grammar which you can't immediately explain, or can't be found in the prescribed material being used. The internet also makes a good source for alternative materials, (both authentic and created) in case the prescribed material doesn't cover the particular topic or problem that needs to be addressed. Having a one-to-one setup makes it easier to establish rapport with the student, and there is no need to worry about the usual problems that come with having to manage a class. Online english teaching can also make for a decent source of living if the tutors are well-compensated. The downside to having this kind of setup, however, is that some of your skills as a teacher suffer, and since it is a one-to-one class, the student misses out on opportunities to interact with other students. There is no way to accurately gauge a student's progress unless the company incorporates reliable diagnostic tests when they create materials. The continuity of lessons is not always guaranteed, since you aren't sure if you will be handling the same student for the next lesson and your assessment of the student may be different from another tutor's. Having only 5 minutes between each lesson without knowing who your next student may be and what his/her level is, leaves no room for lesson planning, which is why most online tutors depend heavily on the materials provided by the company and the notes left by previous tutors to get an idea of what the students' level may be and what he/she wants to learn. Since a lesson only lasts for 25 minutes, the tutors are encouraged to maximize the student-talk time, which means that there's hardly any room to develop the student's writing skills.