English via Skype

Skype conferences, individual and group, are very popular today. Remote lessons are a good way to keep your English level high by talking to native speakers, and a great option for private tutoring and personal consultations.

Skype program

Advantages

• The program is free, you can buy a Premium package for more advanced features, but practice shows that the basic features are enough to get the job done.
• Skype maintains a high level of privacy and automatically encrypts data so that third parties cannot use it.
• It has all the features a teacher needs: chat for quick exchange of information, voice calls and group video conferencing.
• It is possible to create conferences for 10 people.
• You can share photos and other various files as you work.
• For successful work, you will need to register in the program, a webcam (if you plan to broadcast the lesson) and headphones with a microphone.
• Easy to use and good video and sound quality.
• Ability to schedule calls, add them to the calendar.
• Conferences can be recorded.
• During a video call, you can turn on Powerpoint and show the screen to the audience.
• Skype is applicable for Windows, Mac, Linux, and the app is available on iPhone, Android, and Phone

Flaws

• Lack of full technical support.
• Fast messaging and quality calls require a very good internet connection.
• There are advertisements.
• If the number of participants is more than 5, communication problems may occur.

Alternatives

1. Zoom
2. Google Duos
3. Viber and WhatsApp for smartphones
4. conference

In order to choose the most suitable option, we recommend testing all the services and choosing the most understandable and convenient one for you. In any case, Skype training and Zoom have a lot in common.

Why learn English on Skype?

A foreign language is an essential component of a successful career, so many parents try to introduce their child to a new subject as early as possible.

For young children, this format is useful because the lesson is held in a familiar homely atmosphere, which means they will be much calmer. A special advantage of remote learning is that the child does not waste energy on the road and does not expose himself to the danger of catching an infection in transport.

In addition, children adapt to distance education faster and further distance learning will not cause discomfort and difficulties.

The important advantages of learning English via Skype include early computer literacy, familiarity with technologies that are necessary for every person.

Benefits of learning a foreign language via Skype

Benefits for students and teachers include:

• Security - no virus is transmitted through the screen.
• Mobility - moving to a country house, to another city or even a country will not be a reason for canceling a lesson.
• Continuity - learning can be continued during holidays, quarantine and self-isolation.
• Convenience - all materials can be sent for verification directly in the program.
• Comfort - classes in a homely atmosphere will allow you to avoid stress and loss of time on the road and back.
• Flexibility - online lessons require less time, so you can arrange to study, for example, in the evening or in the morning.
• Save time and money on the road.
• If desired, you can do group lessons (Home Speaking Club) with several students to improve communication skills.
• Optimal distribution of time: the student can perform some tasks on his own, without wasting time in class, and discuss more interesting and important topics on the air.
• All learning materials are always at hand - the lesson will not fail because someone forgot the book.
• Recording a lesson can be evidence in certain conflict situations or to clarify the sequence of learning.

English via Skype with a native speaker

It is very difficult to decide which tutor to give preference to. Let's compare.

As can be seen from the table, each option contains both pluses and minuses. If you speak English confidently and are willing to pay more for high-quality pronunciation and improved conversational level, then contact a native speaker. If you are planning to learn a language from scratch, focusing on writing, grammar and the basics of speaking, then you should start with Russian-speaking teachers who, in the process, will be able to explain problematic points.

Where can I find an English tutor on Skype?

Tutoring is a promising and popular activity, so there should be no problems with the search.

You can choose a student or a person who has recently completed courses for teachers of English - in this case, the cost may be less.

You can agree with the school teacher about additional lessons.

Where else can I find a tutor for Skype lessons? Let's figure it out.

Skype gives many options, for example, you can choose a teacher by price, experience, country or specialization:

• Sites of Ukrainian tutors buki.com.ua, olx.ua, where you can find certified teachers for the TEFL/TESOL program, as well as those who have passed the IELTS, BEC, TOEFL exams.
• Sites with native speakers, as well as with tutors from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine, etc.: web.repetitors.info, preply.com, ru.verbling.com
• International sites with native tutors: noodle.com, universitytutor.com, takelessons.com, englishtutoronline.com, chegg.com, wyzant.com will allow you to find a teacher from New York, Washington, London, San Francisco.
• Social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Vkontakte will also help you find a teacher. Use the hashtags #teacheron Skype, visit groups and communities for English teachers, post an ad on your page that you are looking for a specialist.
• You can go to labor exchanges: upwork.com, weblancer.net, fl.ru, work-zilla.com, freelancehunt.com, freelancer.com and place an order or choose from those offered.

How to teach English on Skype?

Let's figure out how to learn English remotely.

• Proper timing. Remote classes should be devoted only to the most complex and interesting topics. The teacher can pre-send material with grammar rules for review, and then discuss incomprehensible points and devote the remaining time to practice speaking, pronunciation, a new topic.
• Systematization of the material. For convenience and consistency in learning, create folders with the name of each student or group number to keep track of what you have completed, what homework the student has not yet completed. Google Drive cloud storage, where you can correct mistakes in written assignments, leave comments, and share learning materials.
• Prepare a special document for each lesson. A folder or Word with a lesson plan, vocabulary, links to the necessary materials on the Internet should be at hand so that during the lesson you can quickly and easily send text, words, links.
• Break up the groups into subgroups. If you are forced to conduct a lesson not with one person, but with the whole class at once, then it is much easier to divide the class into several groups. With this approach, the quality of the lesson will be higher.
• Technical point. It is very important that there are no failures on the part of the equipment, so check the Internet connection, the operation of the headphones and microphone in advance. We recommend using a headset - it's much more efficient. Write down your account passwords in a notepad so you don't lose them.
• Test different types of activity. Until you determine the most effective format for interacting with this group or me.
• Maintain feedback. It is very important that all students are in the subject and express their wishes.

How to conduct an English lesson on Skype?

It is advisable for the teacher to turn on Skype in advance in order to make the necessary settings. All materials must be in the correct format and accessible. A beginner in online teaching should practice working with Google Drive and Skype on the eve of the lesson and check all the links that he plans to give in class.

If this is the first lesson, then you can write a lesson plan and place it in your field of vision so as not to worry and strictly follow the schedule.

The lesson should be planned taking into account the following factors:

• If the lesson is not held at home, but, for example, in the nearest coffee shop, then it is worth being there 15 minutes before the lesson to set everything up.
• Video conference at home should take place in a clean room, where there are no distracting objects, animals, the teacher should also be neat.
• For the duration of the lesson, it is better to turn off notifications on the phone and on the computer so that when the screen is shared, they are not visible to the students, and also do not distract the teacher.
• Be sure to take into account the level of knowledge of students and conduct the first classes at an easier level so that people get used to it and do not experience difficulties that discourage learning.

So, the lesson consists, as a rule, of several stages. Let's look at a standard lesson of 45 minutes.

• 15 minutes before or the night before class, send the student the data and links you will be working on.
• 5 minutes before the start, check the connection, appearance and order in the room.
• After connecting, it may take several minutes to eliminate the rustle and set up communication. If this is a group conference, this may take up to 5 minutes.
• Devote a few minutes to a friendly greeting, ask about the mood and readiness for the lesson.
• Check homework if it involved reciting or reading. Written homework is best checked outside of class. Depending on the number of people, this may take up to 20 minutes.
• Tell us what the lesson will be about, tell us about the purpose of the materials you sent and explain the most important rules.
• Spend the rest of the time assessing the work and asking questions from students.

A good solution would be to create a group chat with each group or student, where people can help each other. Chat is also a great way to practice listening to English - you can send a voice message as an answer to a question.

Checklist for the first lesson in Skype

1. Sign up for Skype.
2. Check if the student is enrolled in this program.
3. Discuss an alternative messenger with video calling that you can use.
4. Before the lesson, discuss payment: card, e-wallet, etc.
5. Find out which tutorial you will be using and in which version.
6. Check if the time is the same in your countries.
7. Submit the lesson plan and necessary preparation materials and links.
8. Use the "background blur" function in the Menu if you haven't had time to put things in order.
9. Use the "Use computer sound" button that appears in the same menu where we open the screen in Skype in order for the students to hear the included video or audio.
10. If you need to explain something, use the screen sharing function.
11. Study the prices per hour among competitors and form your own pricing policy.

Skype lessons for schoolchildren

Skype lessons for kids

Skype lessons for adults

Methods of teaching English via Skype

Skype provides many opportunities to improve learning. You can arrange special classes when you just talk about a certain topic. You can choose different places to practice if your phone or laptop allows it. Thus, you can conduct a lesson from the park, coffee house, museum.

How to conduct English classes on Skype?

Let's take a closer look at the options.

• Live communication in real time - Skype is ideal for this. Experienced teachers study vocabulary and conduct lessons entirely in English. Over time, the student gets used to and demonstrates progress in oral speech. The best option is a lesson with 90% communication in English.
• Speaking can be practiced as a dialogue, monologue, polylogue on given topics or impromptu in each lesson.
• Audio comprehension or listening is best practiced outside of class with videos, voice messages, songs, or movies, so that you can discuss unclear phrases and grammatical aspects later. At home, the student will be able to listen to the recording as many times as he needs, in the classroom this can be problematic.
• Reading can be combined. The student can either read the work at home and discuss only the most difficult passages with the teacher, or read it in class while correcting intonation and pronunciation.
• letter at home, however, to test knowledge, you can check it using Skype chat messages if it is a dictation, or by e-mail if it is an essay.
• Grammar rules can be given at home with simple exercises, but if the topic is complex, then it is worth explaining it during the broadcast.

Skype training only seems less effective at first, because it is unusual. In fact, many distance learning courses for educators have long included modules on distance learning for children, adults, and adolescents. It can take a long time to wait for the situation with the pandemic to change, so it’s worth spending this time usefully.

How to teach English to children via Skype?

Those who want to become an English teacher , probably at the beginning of their career, were offered more than once to practice teaching skills on children. But someone who has been teaching children a foreign language for a long time will say that this is not an easy task and requires a certain approach.

Teaching children via Skype is difficult because children are mobile and active. It can be impossible for them to endure a whole hour of study. Therefore, the most important recommendations are:

• A convenient schedule of classes, when the child ate, rested, played and is ready to work out.
• Short lessons of maximum 30 minutes.

It is better to have 4 lessons per week of 20-30 minutes than 2 lessons of 60 minutes. Be sure to discuss this with your parents and explain that it will be much better this way.

It is important to prepare for the lesson. Parents should prepare all the necessary materials: paper, pencils, felt-tip pens, plasticine if necessary. Teaching children is usually creative, so this is an important point.

Be sure to ask the child what he is interested in, so that the lesson materials captivate the baby. Discuss with your parents whether it is acceptable to watch a cartoon in class to learn new words. It is also worth mentioning that you will from time to time assign work in a notebook, and parents will have to remind the child of this.

The fundamental elements of the method of learning a language with children remotely include:

• Obligatory physical education for a minute so that the child does not get tired.
• The optimal duration of the lesson (no more than 30 minutes for preschoolers).
• Fascinating topics that will strengthen the interest of the child.
• Various activities: cartoons, drawing, writing, speaking.
• Some lessons can be held outdoors so that the child can match the studied vocabulary and objects (for example, the topic "At the playground", "Autumn in the city", "Meet people").
• Lack of strict rules: if the child is comfortable playing with his favorite toy, then why not?

In order not to make the child wait - consider an alternative if Skype freezes - it could be Zoom, WhatsApp, Google Duo.

Children feel the mood, so try to lead the lesson on a positive note and relaxed, then the child will be drawn into the process with pleasure.

Teaching English for schoolchildren via Skype

A large load of school subjects, which the child also studies remotely, can complicate the effectiveness of classes. A tired student will not be able to perceive information. Therefore, classes with schoolchildren are best done on weekends or in the evenings, when the child has time to relax.

The main recommendations for those who study at school are:

• You should engage in different activities in an English remote lesson. A large number of lessons, as well as free time spent on gadgets, can seriously impair vision. Therefore, sometimes you can turn off the screen, close your eyes and go through listening exercises.
• Mandatory physical education every 15 minutes.
• Reduce the load during the period of adaptation to a new type of extra classes. You can leave only the preparation of homework in English, given at school.
• Integration with other topics and subjects that the child is studying in other lessons will give him more motivation to learn.
• Arrange fasting days when you just chat or draw.

As a rule, school-age children adapt much faster to new technologies, so at the end of each lesson you can discuss how you could simplify learning English, how you can improve the process, which learning technology seems interesting to the student.

Getting feedback is very important in distance learning. It may happen that a person does not perceive information well by ear, is embarrassed to say and does not understand half of the information you have said, so regularly arrange mini tests on the material covered, find out what you liked the most in the classes, encourage open expression of your opinion.

If a student wants to study with you using another program, do not rush to refuse. Perhaps experimentation will also benefit you, because in this way you get acquainted with new trends in education.

How to find a teaching job on Skype?

Teaching English online is not an easy task, which makes it difficult to find a job.

You can use the classic methods:

• Announcements in their social networks with hashtags #I am looking for a job as an online teacher #vacanciesremote tutor #I am looking for students remotely.
• Acquaintances and friends who have long wanted to learn English.
• Ordering advertising from a blogger-mom of schoolchildren with a positive recommendation.
• Creation of group chats in Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram with the announcement that you are recruiting students and providing a bonus for each person you bring.
• Passing special TEFL/TESOL, after which the one who successfully passed the exam gets lifetime access to the database of vacancies from 36,000 vacancies around the world and online.

English teacher certification courses are a great opportunity

1. upgrade your skills
2. learn how to successfully teach others a language, including remotely,
3. learn how to organize a remote work process,
4. get a document confirming knowledge and skills, which is quoted all over the world,
5. along with the certificate, get a chance to get a work visa to many countries of the world and the opportunity to receive from $2,500 per month teaching others English!

We wish you productive studies!