I conducted online English lessons to adult EFL students in South Korea and at various locations around the Northeastern United States. Some of my students were preparing for the TOEFL or IELTS examines, but most just wanted to practice their English in a safe, judgement-free environment.
I have a BA in Geography and Urban Studies, a 100 hour TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certification and am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics with a concentration in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Online English lessons I conduct are relaxed and move at a pace that is comfortable for each individual student. Sometimes we will discuss an article we both read or a video we watched, but much of the time is spent talking about whatever topic is of interest to the student. If someone wants to prepare for a job interview or exam, the lesson can be spent practicing for as long as is needed.
I enjoy talking about a huge variety of subjects, but my favorite topics are travel and culture. I absolutely love hearing all about my students’ home countries. The food, traditions, landscape, government, ect, are all fascinating to me.
All of my students differ when it comes to what they need help with. Some students have excellent vocabulary and grammar but really need to work on their pronunciation, while others need to work on all three. A large part of my Online English lessons is determining what each individual student needs, and catering lessons to fit those needs.
Take the opportunity to practice English every chance you get. Practicing (with people other than your teacher!) will build confidence in addition to fluency.
Expose yourself to as much English as possible. Read English news articles and leisure magazines (they can help develop your vocabulary and grammar), download a language app and try to practice an hour a day (I have Duolingo on my phone, and I love it), and watch English-language television and movies (and listen to podcasts!) from a variety of English-speaking countries.
Don’t be too critical of yourself. In my experience, most students are better at speaking English than they think they are. If you make the commitment to speak English as often as you can, you will be surprised how quickly you improve!
I prefer to spend as much time as possible outside. I live by the water, so when the weather is warm I enjoy boating, swimming and canoeing with my two dogs. Also, traveling is my very favorite thing. I want to go everywhere and see everything!
I like all kinds of students. The greatest part of this job is meeting and getting to know a wide variety of students, all of whom bring something different and interesting to the lessons.