Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Tips on how to build up your confidence when speaking in English

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Learning to speak English with confidence is not as easy as one might think.  Most if not ALL of the students who sign up with TalktoCanada.com have just that problem… lack of or no confidence when communicating and speaking in English.  As a teacher — no progress is really complete without building that confidence — so it is my main goal when teaching to boost up a student’s confidence as much as possible.  Students can also speed up the process by taking into account these tips (however it is understandable that they are easier said than done):

  1. MAKE MISTAKES
  2. – the only way to learn is by making mistakes — your English tutor is there to correct those mistakes and to help you understand WHY they are mistakes and what the proper form is.  If you don’t feel comfortable making mistakes with your teacher — your confidence level will take that much longer to increase.

  3. GO OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
  4. – sure its easy to stick with vocabulary that is simple — but do you really learn anything that way?  Try new words, grammar and sentence structures — increasing your vocabulary and comfort zone will give you a larger range of words to work with in a variety of situations.

  5. ASK FOR HELP
  6. – your tutor is there to help YOU learn to speak English.  Ask them questions — ask for their help if you don’t understand something.  Don’t be shy — remember that these are YOUR classes.

If you follow these basic steps during your English lessons with TalktoCanada.com not only will your confidence level increase but your knowledge, understanding and overall fluency will as well!

How TalktoCanada.com can help YOU pass the IELTS test

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

The IELTS Test is quickly becoming the English Test of choice for many students who wish to study, work or live abroad.  It is a holistic approach to assessing ones English level, and includes a listening, reading, writing and speaking component.  For those of you who don’t know what IELTS stands for, it is, International English Language Testing System.  The test managed by the University of Cambridge, IDP Education and the British Council whom we have partnered with to work on corporate English language training contracts in Saudi Arabia.

Many students who take this test need the most help with the speaking component.  Being put on the spot — even as a native speaker is sometimes scary — public speaking is not an easy thing for anyone – and especially for topics that you have only 2 minutes to prepare for — it can seem impossible.

TalktoCanada helps you with all aspects of the test — but most importantly we help you with building confidence when you speak.  The training will also help you build up your vocabulary with words that you would not normally use (simple words — for general conversation).  While also helping you think on your feet and feel confident while answering questions of any type.

TalktoCanada helps you improve your speaking by simulating the speaking section of the exam — you have the option of going through Part I, Part II and Part III of the IELTS test — with your teacher you will go over each answer afterwords while working on grammatical structure, sentence building and of course fluency.

Typically students sign up for an intensive month long course with TalktoCanada (which entails having a lesson everyday) helping to guarantee results.  We focus mostly on the speaking section, as that is the section that requires the most amount of work.  We encourage students to work on the writing exercise (we also help and correct any mistakes) and lastly, you will work on your listening and reading exercises portion of the IELTS exam.  The success rate thus far has been 100% and students have noticeably increased their confidence and their fluency…just ask to to talk to one of our students who has taken the IELTS test after training with their very own online English trainer at TalktoCanada.com.

TalktoCanada helps you achieve your goals and your dreams whether it is to move, study or work in an English speaking country — don’t limit yourself and know that with the right amount of dedication anything is possible!  Get the help you need by registering for IELTS training sessions today!

Virtual Manager MUST have Tools…

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Being a manager and a teacher who works in about 10 different time zones every week — I’ve come to realize the importance of being organized and punctual.  I’d like to share some of my tricks with you to keeping organized — especially when you have a pretty full plate.

  1. Google Calendar –  by far the BEST google application since gmail!  I’m able to organize all of my appointments, classes, and teachers.  I can invite others to join on the calendar — and it is all synced automatically.  I can even get reminder pop ups or emails before I have something scheduled.  A must have for ANYONE who has a busy schedule.
  2. Time Zone Converter – another essential tool – it lets you figure out your time zone differences.  So for example 2pm in Uruguay is 11am in Toronto and 5pm in Madrid.  I use this application all the time — to check and double check appointments — can’t be an effective manager if I’m doubled booked all the time :
  3. Sticky Notes – yep just like post its — only on your computer — I have a few going at once — they stay on my desktop even after a shutdown — great for keeping notes in a meeting, or words during a lesson — or a “TO DO” list of sorts.

With Virtual managing becoming more and more popular the need for ease and tools to make your job more efficient are a must.  I’d be interested to hear your tips to keep things in check…

A day in the life of a TalktoCanada.com Manager — Jillian Zavitz Programs Manager

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Jillian Zavitz

-Programs Manager
-Working at TTC since early 2008

What exactly is a Programs Manager?

Well the Programs Manager is someone who does a little bit of everything.  I am primarily responsible for interviewing, hiring and training new teachers.  I have a staff of over 20 regular teachers that I keep track of and am always on the look out for new teachers.  I also write blogs, teach lessons, am an emergency go to person for everything.  I am always researching on how to be better, how to train and manage people online — and most recently have been involved in many interviews about my experiences related to human resources for major news outlets.

How did you get involved in this type of online work?

By chance — google is a great tool for everything — especially finding jobs.  I started out as a teacher with just a few individual students — and then quickly moved up to Programs Manager and have been in this position ever since.  I love being involved in something that has so much potential — and seeing that what I do directly impacts the outcome — which is of course why I give it my all — all the time :)

A typical day?

Involves me looking at my google calendar — figuring my schedule for the day.  Sometimes my day starts at 1am or 3am and goes until 10pm that night — of course not continuously.  I teach on average 6hs/day (throughout the day), then do some Programs Managing (maybe 2-3hs/day).  I chat and talk with Marc the General Manager on a daily basis — figure out new information and new action plans.  It’s very busy — I don’t have a regular schedule — normal sleeping times or eating times.  But that is perfect for me — as I am more of a laissez faire type gal in all aspects of my life anyway – luckily this just fits in perfectly.

Advice for teachers who want to get into working online?

It’s hard work — not easy at all — but it’s SOOOOOO much fun! This is the best job that I’ve EVER had — and I’ve had some pretty awesome jobs before.  I get to work from home — make up my own schedule — and meet people from ALL over the world.. it’s pretty sweet if you ask me.  You have to be the right kind of person for the job, and if you have a look at some of my earlier posts you’ll see what it takes to be a “wow” online teacher.