Frequently Asked Questions - Teachers

Thank you for being with us!

We listed below our most frequently asked questions. In case you need to speak to us, simply reach out: we’re always on Skype or Email.

What is inglesonline.com or inglesonline.com?

www.inglesonline.com or inglesonline.com is a growing online school based in Sao Paulo, Brazil where we have a group of private teachers teaching languages online.

 

Most of our students are from Latin America even though they might be everywhere in the world.

 

All classes are taught by private teachers and classes can be either one to one or in group.

 

We have offices in the United States and in the UK as well.

Who are our students?

Most of our students are  adults looking to learn or improve their English or Spanish for a future career promotion or gaining fluency.

 

Sometimes you’ll get students looking for specific needs: job interview, proficiency test, traveling, etc.

 

A few of our teachers are happy to teach children (6+ y.o.), if you are one of them, let us know.

 

We teach all levels of English and Spanish, to students who have never studied at all to those intending to keep their fluency.

Our 50 or 30 minute classes

The use of video (video call) during your class is very important!

 

Skype, Meet, Zoom classes are mostly about conversation – but that doesn’t mean you’ll talk about a student’s weekend during the whole class.


All the material shared with you are proven to work really well with Brazilian students and they should use their speaking skills 60% to 70% of the class. Writing exercises must be done as homework and corrected by email – if you’d like to do any writing (10% of your class’s time), then the use of googledocs as a whiteboard is recommended, or, you can always use Skype, Meet, Teams or Zoom chat.

 

You should email your student with that day’s lesson (preferably 24h in advance so that they can prepare themselves) and make them talk and express their points of view, correct them with perfect timing and teaching new words, expressions and grammar structures.

 

Sometimes students will have specific needs – then you should work on their goals (writing, listening, etc), please ask us for material if you need to.

 

In our terms and conditions we make it clear that we’re not responsible for the material provided by the teachers to students as we think each teacher has a preference on different materials. Please keep in mind that you’re not advised to send your students .pdf files with books that are not copyright-free. You’ll be provided with lots of ESL worksheets available online through subscriptions and if you need to use an extract from a copyright book, please do so by using a few pages of the book.

Classes last 30 or 50 minutes. Not more, not less than that.

 

– START WITH A WARMER (ASKING ABOUT THEIR DAY, HOW THEY ARE DOING;

– QUICK REVIEW OF YOUR PREVIOUS CLASS;

– INTRODUCE YOUR LESSON PLAN, ACTIVITIES, ETC – THE BODY OF THE LESSON;

– FINISH THE CLASS BY REVIEWING WHAT THEY LEARNED THAT DAY AND POINTING OUT WHAT THEY ACCHIEVED.

– FINAL COMMENTS AND CONFIRMATION OF THEIR NEXT CLASS DATE AND TIME.

Our cancelation or rescheduling policy

Our standard is 4 hours before each class. Note that there is a limit to that number. If a student takes 1x class per week, he/she is allowed to reschedule 1 class per month.. 4 classes per week, 4 classes per month. Of course you know your students more than we do so occasionally you will consider exceptions – please let us know when these apply, by emailing the student and one of our staff members in copy.

 

Any class canceled less than 4 hours in advance or whenever a student does not show up, teachers must let us know immediately so that we can mark that class as a no-show in your agenda. 

What should I do if my students make speaking mistakes?

You need to find the right timing to do so.

If you correct them absolutely everytime something is wrong, you’ll get in the way of their fluency, making them lose confidence.

 

When they finish exposing their opinions, go back to what was wrong and say: “you said xxxxxx but you should have said zzzzzzz, can you repeat the correct way, please?”

 

Also, sometimes you will notice they’ll make many mistakes, focus on the most important ones and remember to always push them into talking and expressing themselves.

 

But if you’re still in doubt, there’s never any harm in asking: Would you want me to correct you absolutely everytime you make a mistake? Or would you prefer me to point out the mistakes in a way your fluency is not affected?

 

As they are taking classes from  experienced tutors, they do expect you to correct them.

How do I introduce a new word or explain the meaning of something?

First you should try and explain using very simple words (Longman online dictionary does a great job) but if you think he’s still in doubt, then using Google Images is a good idea for online classes. Let’s say you’re talking about “door knob” (most students never heard of this word). Why going around? Simply Skype chat them the link to an image of a door knob and you’ll have taught them a new word.

 

This way your student won’t feel frustrated while learning a new language and will  gain more confidence eventually.

Can I use my own material?

The material suggested by us has been used for some time now and has given great results to online students. But we think teachers must believe the material they work with – so if you prefer to use your own material, it’s not a problem, as long as you have students talk around 70% of the class and still meet their needs.

How do I make my student talk around 60% to 70% of each class?

Simply by being curious.

Students won’t think you’re being nosy – so ask them questions related to the subject you proposed and you’ll have them talking and loving your classes.

Always remember that their opinions don’t matter to you personally – it’s all about their English or Spanish.

What is a trial class?

All new students will have one free trial class with one teacher to see if they like the idea of online lessons.

 

Trial classes are 30-minute long and will give your student a good idea of what a class with you will be like – generally they’ll have the trial classes with teachers who are available when they require classes and that can teach their levels/objectives.

 

We talk on Skype with every prospect student to check their Internet connection, needs and availability. Once the teacher agrees with the trial class and regular time slots, the student will receive an email confirming the trial class, with their teacher’s email and skype – they’ll add you to Skype, or send you a Zoom or Meet link, and you can start the demo class.

 

Please, spend around 3 – 4 minutes introducing yourselves and be curious about your student. Then work on the material you prepared for them based on all the information you had previously received from us. When this class is finished, email us and we’ll contact the student and organize the future lessons.

 

Please note trial classes are free of charge – teachers are not paid for them.

 

How will I know my student signed up for classes?

We’ll always communicate with you by email when a new student has paid for their classes.

 

Existing students will have their names in your teacher’s portal with an OK next to their names once they paid for their classes.

Has my student renewed? Am I ok to teach them?

You’ve received a link with your teacher’s area containing all your students names. Next to it, as soon as they make a payment, we’ll put an OK for their classes.

 

Students who don’t have an OK should not have classes. If you do teach him/ her still, be advised that you won’t be paid until the students pay for that class.

 

Students who pay on a monthly basis must do their classes in the same month. Classes are not rolled over to the next month.

 

Brazilian students tend to pay last minute, but you’re free to make plans in case you don’t see an OK up to 12h before the class.

 

Please note that even if you see your student’s name on your calendar without an OK on your spreadsheet, it means they haven’t paid yet.

 

Students who buy packages with an X number of classes will have an expiry date.

 

If your student doesn’t have all the classes within the period set by us, the amount he paid for the classes will be donated as per our terms and conditions (all students automatically agree to our terms and conditions when they take a free trial class).

 

Package of classes are numbered on your calendar. If Maria bought 10 classes you’ll see them as 1/10, 2/10, 10/10 and so on.

 

Always check your teacher’s portal.

My student is late, what should I do?

If your class is scheduled for 8pm and your student is not online:

 

  • in the first 5 minutes, send them an email to remind them of the class
  • wait for about 25 more minutes and then email him saying: “Dear xxxxxx, I waited for you to have our class today but I don’t see you online. I hope all is well with you and see you next class”.

Sometimes they will try and find an excuse to ask for a make-up class – you give an inch, they’ll want a mile!

If they do show up while you’re waiting, you must finish your class at the previously arranged time: class from 8pm to 8:50pm – student shows up at 8h20 – you must finish at 8:50pm (so they’ll have a 30 min class and you’ll be paid normally for the whole lesson). This will avoid future delays, for sure.

It's time for my class, how should I contact my student?

At the time of your class, send your student a message first, asking them if you can start your class. It’s a little ‘annoying’ when someone starts calling without asking first, it’s like entering a room without knocking at the door.

 

Be punctual even if your student is not. If they call you a couple of minutes before your class, tell them you’re getting ready and will be with them at the scheduled time.

What if my class takes a bit longer?

You should NEVER finish a class later than arranged especially if you have a student right after that waiting for you.

 

1 or 2 minutes before the end of your class, start asking about their plans for the week or day and finish on time to start the next class.

My student is not very talkative, what should I do?

Sometimes that happens – you prepare the same lesson for 2 different students. One will finish that lesson in 3 classes whereas the other could finish it in half an hour.

 

Always have something prepared for that (esl questions websites and compelling conversations book is always a good help).

Payment to teachers

Native teachers: You’ll be paid every Monday as agreed.

You must email Claudia your weekly report right after your last class of the week.

 

Brazilian teachers: Every last day of the month via bank transfer.

I will need to cancel my classes for the day, what should I do?

If something came up and you’re not going to teach your students, let us know immediately. We’ll do our best to find someone to cover you.

 

We never cancel a class with a student for a few reasons:

– they most likely struggle to add their classes to their busy schedule;

– if you cancel or reschedule a class with them, they’ll for sure feel like they have the same right – they’ll expect you to agree with an attempt to reschedule a class a few minutes before.

– students tend to ask for new teachers when they feel like the current one is not committed.

 

As soon as you find out you won’t be able to teach any classes, please email us with as much information about the students as you can: level, when they should learn, likes and dislikes. This will help the substitute teacher prepare something interesting for your student.

Can I send my student an online version of a book?

No, unless you have copyrights for that book or they are photocopiable free. inglesonline.com or www.inglesonline.com are not responsible for any material sent through to your students, but we highly recommend you to follow this advice.

 

I am having Internet issues

During the class: use audio only if you think the video is getting in the way of your class.

 

After the class: If you know in advance your connection is not good, please teach your student from a cyber café or a friend’s house. If you can’t do that, find a way to let us know and we’ll do our best to find a teacher to cover your classes.

 

Never cancel a class with a student before talking to us.

My student is having internet issues.

All online students must have a good internet connection, but sometimes it could fail. Deactivate video for this class.

 

Very rarely will they lose their connection at the same time of a class but if it happens once, it’s up to you if you’ll make that up or not. If it happens more than once, let us know and we’ll contact the student to discuss that and find the best solution.

I was notified less than 4 hours before the class that my student won't make it.

That happens a LOT!

Most schools work with a 24h cancelation policy, we offer 4 hours and we are not flexible about that.

 

If that happens, simply reply saying there are rules and therefore you can’t reschedule that class. If you feel uncomfortable doing so, let us know and we will deal with that.

My student is asking me admin questions

If a student ever asks you anything not related to your teaching, please ask them to contact us directly. Teachers are not allowed to share any internal information with any students.

I don't think I can teach a specific student.

That’s normal. Students have the right to choose their teachers and vice versa.

 

If that happens, please let us know as soon as possible and we’ll arrange the necessary changes in order to keep the student learning from a different teacher, as well as fill in that slot of yours.

My student is asking me personal questions.

You’ll notice that mainly Brazilians will be more friendly than students from other nationalities and if you think it’s getting too personal, don’t be rude – try to change the subject and if you feel the need to, let us know and we’ll find the student a different teacher.