English by Skype: serious work part-time or temporary?

Until recently, many of us had no idea about the existence of distance learning. Today, however, thanks to the development of information technology is a kind of training for the world by leaps and bounds, gaining more and more supporters. Why not? Walk and ride will not need the lessons student agrees with the teacher himself, you can always negotiate the postponement of the lesson. During this occupation the student can stay in the comfort of your own home, in any other room or even outdoors; plus a program of studies for each student is chosen strictly individually, and have the opportunity to work out what had previously been unclear or even unknown.

I can say that most of the students belong to this type of training very seriously. But what about the teachers? Some time ago, when someone asked me about where I work, and learned that it is — the online English language school, I read in their eyes some sympathy or even irony, that, well, is it seriously (especially after working as a technical translator and lead manager of the foreign company)? I can only smile back, because I know that this is a real job, and besides, one that brings a lot of fun, can do creative work and create their lessons, based on what you want the student and at the same time manage your time yourself.

But this work, like any other, has its own specifics. I do not think that if you’re at home, you can find his pupil in a bathrobe or background kastryulek the kitchen. I was very lucky and do in our school conduct interviews with candidates for the post of teachers on Skype. Sometimes faced with a complete misunderstanding of the situation, when the background flashes some of the relatives and trying to get something out of the cupboard, or when a child asks what for dinner. There should be a clear understanding that this work — the same as working in the office, the office is just at home. The teacher should look presentable to him like «come» again and again. T-shirt with thin straps or unkempt hair will not add weight to this teacher.

It is necessary to pay special attention to the place of the lesson. I think the students agree that the room should be quiet and calm, the situation has to be careful not to abound in the sea posters or colorful carpet behind the teacher. The student «comes» to practice and should be as focused in the classroom, not on distractions.

When choosing an English teacher on Skype, I want it to be not only a true professional of the business (that goes without saying), but also a punctual person in the end. We are talking about our time. Therefore, teachers should not think that you can be late to class or even to cancel it without a good reason. Punctuality is very important in our work, because the day of the student (and we too) can be painted by the minute. And, of course, as this work is online, it is necessary to check the connection before the lesson, make sure that everything works.

I think the work of the teacher on Skype (and the teacher at all) — the work of a psychologist to some extent. There need to be able to get in touch with people of different ages, to recognize the mood of the student, relax and tune it to communicate, we all — real people, each with their own affairs, and sometimes troubles. Many are engaged after a day and come tired. And absolutely no good situation when tired or, conversely, to tune in to a lesson student will listen to the problems of his teacher. The teacher should keep their personal issues behind the camera, share knowledge and help to learn (if necessary, and to support the student in the right moment after hours).

As you can see, all of these criteria indicate that the requirements for the selection of our teachers are extremely high. Working on Skype without having stayed at the monitor of the computer, pretending to the head that something is not available. Here you are at a glance, and all that is said and done, every word and every step should be well thought out and orchestrated. Of course, someone can decide what to teach on Skype — it is talking about the weather and life, idle chatter. It’s misleading to lay. In our work, we try to be as laid-back, but clearly follow the plan, even if it seems that there are elements of the lesson itself.

Our school is an atmosphere of friendship and support among teachers, so I took the opportunity to ask the opinion of my fellow Victoria and Catherine and asked them a few questions on the subject of our work.

Victoria

Victoria, the first teacher of our school, has been teaching English for more than nine years, three of them on Skype. In addition, Peru Victoria owns more than 300 articles of our blog. Drawing on his extensive experience studying and teaching language, Victoria can give an authoritative assessment of the situation in the world of teaching English on Skype.

H: Why did you become a teacher on Skype?

Q: Teach — is not only my profession but a vocation. A small child is not always possible to realize himself fully out, so the work in the home has the perfect solution a few years ago.

H: Do you think that prestigious whether the work of the teacher on Skype?

In: Job teacher on Skype as well respected as the work of any teacher. We help people learn English, using the same methods that are available when working offline. And the inability to be with a man in the same room is not an obstacle. Many still do not understand how it is: working on Skype? Is that possible? Skeptical with respect to technology genuinely surprised when they realize that it is not only possible, but also comfortable, interesting, productive, fully and modern. I’m sure that after a few years, most of the teachers will work in that way.

H: Tell us about the benefits of your work teacher.

Q: The advantages are many:

• as the rational use of working time and personal;
• chat with people from all corners of the globe;
• the use of any Internet resources for teaching;
• the exchange of experiences among teachers from different countries;
• the use of interactive media in training.

Catherine

Catherine works not only as a teacher in our school, but also a Methodist. In addition to English, Catherine also managed to master the Italian language. She has extensive experience teaching English and Italian, and can share their attitudes towards language learning by Skype.

H: Why did you become a teacher on Skype?

E: In addition to working through Skype helped me to continue to engage in teaching after moving to another country, it also allowed me to integrate into my lessons the various authentic texts, podcasts and videos that are present on the Internet.

H: Do you think that prestigious whether the work of the teacher on Skype?

E: I think that the work of teachers on Skype or not — is, above all, great work. In terms of prestige, in my opinion, the work of Skype is different from teaching offline.

H: Tell us about the benefits of your work the teacher?

E: Teaching of Skype, in particular, makes it possible to better organize your time. Since this is completely missing the time spent on travel from home to work and back, can be devoted to work more hours than when teaching offline. In addition, the teaching of Skype much more motivated to use the resources of the Internet to enrich the materials issued to students.

So, as you can see, we can safely say that the work of the teacher on Skype — it is a very serious mission that requires high self, the deepest of professional competence, full commitment and decent moral development, as a teacher — this is the man to whom equal disciple whom he trusts. Our school selects the most demanding teachers, because it affects the quality of the knowledge that we pass on to our students. If you are a practicing teacher of English who are interested to develop a new field of online learning, we are waiting for your resume

Also, we wish all who have not yet decided to study for Skype, cast aside all fears and sign up for a free introductory lesson. Previously, you can get acquainted with our correspondence teachers, and if you can not select a suitable own, our managers will be glad to assist you. Good luck!

 

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