Posts Tagged ‘english as a second language’

Getting to Know TalktoCanada.com – Corporate Language Training

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Corporate English language training is a topic that most companies both large and small who operate international have talked about at one point or another.  There are so many different variables for each company that it’s hard to talk about a one size fits all approach when discussing training with a new corporate client.

Every company is different in it’s needs, some need to train very large amounts of workers while some only need to train a few.  Sometimes the training is very specific, such as, English telephone etiquette or very broad such as general intermediate business English conversation.  On an operational level, TalktoCanada.com can work with very large amounts of students to a small number of students.  Before  you consider enrolling your company in any type of English language services, I recommend you answer as many questions of the following as you can.  By being clear and having a focus to your training at your company, you will be better able to find the right solution and even more importantly the correct company.

  • How many of your staff need to be trained?
  • Are they all the same level of English or very different?
  • Will they all be learning the same content or does there need to be some variety?
  • Are you looking for a mass-market cheap solution with a high student to teacher ratio or are you looking for something more, where students are able to talk to the teacher in a low student to teacher ratio such as at TalktoCanada.com?
  • What is the time commitment you expect your workers to give to an English training program?
  • Most importantly of all, what are your expectations.  Always discuss your expectations with your training provider so that there is no confusion.

time money quality

Corporations interested in English language training should always take the time to learn a little more about the details.  Without knowing all the details yourself, you may find yourself in a situation of not getting the results that you are expecting.  When it comes to training, it’s all about the results and comes down to, and whether or not all of my staff can speak English fluently as expected or not.

Working online – a new era of trust – trust 2.0

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

In this day and age, the Internet and working online – actually doing EVERYTHING online is becoming more and more common place.  People tend to rely on the Internet for much more than just finding information.  People are developing friendships, relationships, breaking down barriers and borders, experiencing new things that only 5 years ago were impossible to experience.  Yes the Internet has changed our lives and there is no looking back.

Working online is no exception.  Online work or as I like to call it ‘e-jobs’ is fast becoming more and more popular and can actually replace traditional “office” work — and is a viable option for many people.  But – with this – comes a new era of trust. Ironically enough – we are limiting ourselves and our opportunities by setting up boundaries and always thinking the worst without any concrete reason why.

Online companies have been painted with red — for those few that have taken advantage of people in the beginning — it has stuck and has caused people to be extremely cautious in all dealings online.  Online companies have to work twice if not three times as hard to prove themselves — and even then – people are skeptical.

is no exception — we are an online company – but we are also a very REAL company. I have many people ask me to validate our credibility — and on one had yes I understand why they are asking — but on the other hand I wonder what it is that they are looking for that they cannot find on the website.

When comparing sketchy online English language providers (yes there are a bazillion out there) the first red flag that should come up would be in the name (personally non-biased opinion here – TalktoCanada.com rocks as a name – and does not have anything sketchy about it at all).  After that – content, web page presentation, and access to information usually will either encourage you to sign up or apply for a job — depending on the sketchy factor.

After that – it’s up to you to put your trust in someone that you’ll meet via Skype or WebEx or the telephone.  And that is a new kind of trust.  The new era of trust 2.0 as I like to call it.  I’m not going to lie, I too was skeptical at first — not really understanding this wonderful online working world — but being open to trying it out.  2 and a half years later — I trust my little working world at TalktoCanada.com more so than I would a traditional company.

I trust as I never have before — and it goes both ways.  In these 2.5 years I have yet to “meet” any of my co-workers – but despite that I’ve been able to trust them and them me through this crazy invention called the Internet.  We share stories, experiences, and plans for the future.  We put our livelihood in the hands of someone  that although we talk with everyday and have “thousands” of emails from — have yet to meet.  It’s surprising — but it’s new — and it’s the direction in which thing are headed.  You can either jump on or jump off — there is no half way – - But I recommend taking that plunge and trying it out.

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!

Top 3 Tips on How to Improve your Spoken English

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Below you will find the top 3 tips on how to improve your spoken English skills.

  1. Speak daily or at least a few times a week with a native English speaker.  If you speak with an English as a second language speaker, you can definitely improve but you will find that over time, you will just start repeating the same mistakes as the other person.
  2. Purchase a software application such as Rosetta Stone which will help you practice your speaking and intonation at your own pace.
  3. If you want to learn business English for example, listen to online programs dealing with this subject matter such as the business news network, age of persuasion by the CBC (for intermediate/advanced students) or allbusiness.com.  Note – If you can’t access the links above, it may be due to country restrictions on content.

Wishing you all the success in your spoken English studies!