Those of you who have been looking for an English teacher have probably noticed a new trend: fewer teachers are doing face-to-face classes, and more are offering classes via Skype (or VOIP - voice over Internet protocol.)
Why? Well, there are several reasons.
For me, the most interesting thing about Skype classes is that I'm not losing time by being on the Metro. I like being out of the house and seeing new neighborhoods. Last year, however, I calculated that I was spending more time on public transit than I was in the classroom, which means that if you're on a bus or a train, you're not making money.
That sounds bad, I know, but think of it this way: If you do 30 hours of class in a week, which means that you have to spend 30 hours travelling around the city, that means you spend 60 hours working, not 30, and that cuts your money by 50%. That means that there are two ways you can compensate for that loss. You can start charging students more money to go to their houses (which isn't fair for a lot of people.) Or...you can eliminate the problem altogether by eliminating the transit. That's what I've done.
And what happens if you don't live in a city? What happens if you live in a very small town that doesn't have any English speakers, let alone academies or language schools? Ah. That's another huge advantage with Skype: where there's Internet, there's class! You don't need to have bricks...just clicks. So far, I've worked with students in places like Ciudad Real, Barcelona, Lleida, A Coruña and Segovia, and all of them have been pleased with the result. And at least two of them are very happy that they don't have to have the house totally clean before the teacher comes to give class!
If you're not convinced...ask me for a free class! Try before you buy! If you have Skype and would like to see what a class is like...send me an e-mail! I'm offering a free Skype class to anyone who contacts me before Monday, September 19th, 2011. (Limit of one Skype class per person.)
No comments:
Post a Comment