Meet English Language Tutor Alison

Tell us about your past experiences working as an English Language Tutor

I have worked for more than 3 years teaching English online on different video based platforms including SKYPE and taught students from Brazil, China, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia and Spain. I have also worked as an English Language tutor for a national English language school in Vietnam where I taught a large variety of students with regard to their ages (2 years to adults) and levels (beginner to upper intermediate) including IELTS exam preparation. With these varied experiences, I consider myself as a very versatile English language tutor.

Tell us about your education

I have my English degree from Washington State University. During college, I also worked as an English language tutor for a local English conversation club where I helped international students and new immigrants to the area learn English. Also, I studied abroad for a semester in Florence, Italy where I tutored a few students.

What do you think is the secret to becoming fluent in English for an English leaner

To be good at English, you need to know more than English grammar and vocabulary. You need to be able to speak English with confidence.  Hence my approach to lessons is 100% conversational.

I believe the most important area of teaching English to EFL students is speech/conversation. I ensure students become actively involved in speaking from day one. I inspire and motivate students by discussing topics of interest. I explain to them, the more they involve themselves with a native English speaker the more proficient and confident they will become. Having travelled to most countries of the world I am able to discuss cultures, cuisines and areas of interest.

In every lesson, I will identify a few areas students can improve. For beginner level students this could mean improving basic vocabulary. For intermediate students it could be learning proper enunciation and getting to the point where they can easily be understood from an accent standpoint. For more advanced English learners I might work more on advanced vocabulary, using idioms and slangs etc. I give structured corrections and feedback in every lesson.

There is always room for improvement. As an English language tutor my job is to take the student to the next level of fluency 🙂

What are some conversation topics you use in classes?

Anything, including politics, law and the U.S. criminal justice system, social media venues, how to select careers, taxes, business development, creative ideas for complex solutions,; you name it

I’m very open to students selecting topics they want to practice.

3 tips you would give you English language leaners

Speaking English or any other language fluently is not easy as adult but if you focus a lot on speaking, you will see great progress. Practicing speaking English all the time will absolutely improve communication skills.

Don’t get too caught up in the rules. There are exceptions to rules and idiosyncrasies that even native English speakers usually can’t explain

Finally, try to immerse yourself into English speaking, be it study groups, TV, cinema, etc.

October 8, 2016