Online tutoring may be the best solution for you if you want to learn English as a second language or improve your language skills. But finding the best online language tutor can be a challenge as there are thousands of online platforms and millions of online tutors.
Knowing the benefits of online language learning, where to find a professional tutor, and the characteristics of quality tutors will help you make the right decision.
5 steps to find the best online English tutor
Here’s how to find the perfect online language tutor for your language needs:
Step 1: Learn the benefits of learning English online
Online English tutoring is not only the modern way to learn a foreign language, but it is also incredibly beneficial. The most important benefits include:
- It is not necessary to reside in an English-speaking country.
- You can pay less than in-person private lessons.
- You don’t have to travel or the teacher, which will save you time and money.
- You have the option to choose video-based or audio-only calls, depending on how beginner or advanced you feel.
- You can use different online tools such as translators or dictionaries while chatting.
Now that you know why it is a good idea to have an online language teacher, let’s find the one that best suits your needs.
Step 2: Look in the right places
Just because there are many online language learning platforms today does not mean that they all have excellent language tutors. That’s why it’s essential to know where to look for the perfect online English tutor.
Some of the best language tutoring websites are LiveXP, Preply, and Italki. These platforms are known as the best of their kind because they have excellent teachers who can help you learn English and any other language effectively and quickly.
Step 3: Traits of great online language teachers
A good teacher is aware of the brain’s learning process. It means that they will use the right techniques, give you valuable advice, and expect realistic results from your language learning process.
- They know that learning all new vocabulary is impossible and they won’t make you feel bad about it.
- They connect with you to discover which learning method is best for you.
- They know that learning through associations, jokes, mnemonics, and patterns is effective.
- They reduce the amount of tasks if they notice that you are exhausted and even encourage you to rest, as that is important for effective language learning.
- They really love the language they teach. They demonstrate this by talking about comedians, musicians, poets or authors and they know a wide range of idioms and sayings.
- They are enthusiastic about teaching the language and are eager to share their knowledge with you.
Step 4 – Factors to consider
When choosing a tutor to help you learn English online, be sure to take the following factors into account:
- If you want to learn American English, choose an American tutor, not Australian or British.
- If you feel more comfortable talking to a man or a woman, choose a tutor of your preferred gender.
- Calculate how much you want to spend on a tutor and find out how much they charge
- Make sure they have sufficient experience and/or relevant education and certifications.
- Read their reviews to know if they are effective.
- See if they offer sample classes, as that can help you determine if they are a good fit.
Step 5 – Questions to ask
Once you find a potential teacher, ask them the following questions to see if you like their teaching style:
What is your typical tutoring lesson like?
Ideally, you’ll want a tutor who focuses on pronunciation and speaking, with things like reading aloud, pronunciation exercises, and asking you to do prepared or unexpected monologues.
Are you going to give me homework and when will you correct it?
Grammar and writing should also be included in your learning process, but preferably outside of your tutoring time. Your online English teacher should mark your homework before the lesson begins and review it within the first five minutes.
Will you explain grammatical concepts?
The best online language tutor can explain any grammatical concept to you so that you can understand it easily. It means that you shouldn’t book a lesson with the first native English speaker you find on a language learning platform. However, it may not be so crucial if you just want to practice the conversation.
Read more Author: Zayn Tindall Zayn is currently working as an English professor at one of the renowned universities in New York. He has even worked as a career coach for the past 5 years. Zayn loves to spend his free time reading educational books and novels and writing educational blogs and articles.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn