English via Skype - my experience of learning and practicing. English via Skype - Distance learning of English

Distance learning is becoming increasingly popular, and learning foreign languages ​​via Skype has long been a rarity. There are many centers, schools, private tutors and specialists who provide this service for everyone who wants to learn Italian, German, French and other languages, but English is the most popular language among students.

Online classes allow you to learn English with a specialist from anywhere in the world. To get a lesson, there is no need to go anywhere, you just need to sit down at a computer with Internet access and turn on Skype. Of course, classes with professionals are not free, but some tutors provide the opportunity to take a free trial lesson so that the student can verify the quality of the services provided. Let's review the most popular services for learning English online.

About school:

Distance learning school in English via Skype Go-international targets different target audiences. In particular, individual language and speech training is offered in the following programs: preparation for moving abroad, increasing the level of proficiency in spoken language and English for professional activity, passing international exams (FCE, CAE, ELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, ILEC, ICFE), etc. The quality of lessons is guaranteed by teachers with extensive experience. English via Skype at Go-international Cost of education: The Go-international online school has relatively affordable prices; when paying for packages of 5 or more lessons, the cost of one lesson varies from 565 to 695 rubles, depending on the chosen program and the number of lessons in the package. Each lecture via Skype lasts 45 minutes.

Pros:

• Free materials provided
• Free demo lesson (45 min.) with a teacher
• Opportunity to get a discount on the promotion “Bring friends and get free classes!”
• Professional preparation for international exams
• Individual approach to each student
• Quality control of school teachers' work.

Minuses:

• Payment for classes is carried out only in packages (5, 10, 15 and 20 lectures)

Reviews:

On the school's website you can find many reviews from real students about highly professional teachers. Grateful students are satisfied with the preparation for international exams and the improvement of their language level after completing the course. Judging by the reviews, the narrow specialization of Go-international only benefits the school and students. The online service often recommended to friends.

« Dmitriy: Everything suits me. The coordinator responds quickly. Everything has been worked out very clearly... So far, there is nothing to say except positives.”

Contacts:

Wrabbit

Online language school Wrabbit offers individual sessions via Skype with professional Russian-speaking tutors - for beginners or native speakers - for those who already know basic vocabulary. Various corporate and group training programs are also offered. In addition to English, here you can study Spanish, German, Italian and French languages. The Wrabbit service helps students break the language barrier and improve their speaking skills.

Cost of education:

In this online school, prices for training are also quite reasonable, starting from 500 rubles per lesson. So, a lesson with a Russian-speaking teacher will cost 500-550 rubles, and with a professional native speaker - from 600 rubles per lesson. The price also depends on the duration of the lesson - 45 and 60 minutes.

Pros:

• Free trial lesson
• Large selection of native speaking tutors
• Affordable prices
• Various payment methods
• Good lesson planning system.

Minuses:

• Small selection of Russian-speaking teachers

Reviews:

Unfortunately, there are very few reviews about Wrabbit on independent resources on the Internet, but on the school’s website you can easily find many reviews from grateful students with whom you can contact and find out everything first-hand.

victoria vydrina: « When a teacher finds an individual approach to a student, this is very valuable, when he carefully creates a teaching system for him - it’s professional, and when he also has a sense of humor, it’s also easy and fun.”

Contacts:

Ninnel

Ninnel distance language school has been providing services for individual training foreign languages ​​online via Skype: English, Italian, German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. During this time, over 2,000 students successfully learned, without leaving home, languages ​​for living or conducting professional activities abroad, passed the international IELTS and TOEFL exams, and learned a foreign language for self-development. Teaching is conducted exclusively by professionals in their field, including teachers who work with children. Online school foreign languages ​​Ninnel Cost of education:

At Ninnel School, a fee starts from 1 lesson. The cost of one lesson is from 560 rubles for 1 lesson lasting 50 minutes, and from 800 rubles for a lesson lasting 80 minutes. The price also depends on the language level: beginner, intermediate, advanced or with a native speaker. A family discount of 5% is provided, and a discount for long-term studies of 3%-5%.

Pros:

• Possibility of lesson payment - from 1 lesson
• Free demo lesson
• Affordable prices
• Opportunity for children to learn languages
• You can get your money back if the result is not achieved
• Classes with Russian-speaking tutors and native speakers.

Minuses:

• Small selection of native teachers
• There is no certificate issued upon completion of the course.

Reviews:

On the Internet you can easily find a lot of independent resources positive feedback about the Ninnel school, however, on the school’s website not only text messages from grateful students are available, but also video reviews, as well detailed description how it all began and what the result was achieved.

Irina“I am studying German with Elena Otsareva, I am very pleased with the results, after the 9th lesson (2 times a week) I can already carry on a conversation on some topics, I understand questions and answers by ear.”

Contacts:

The language center for learning foreign languages ​​via Skype Melene specializes in individual online training with professional tutors in 5 main areas: English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French. Teaching is possible at any time convenient for the student. The teaching staff, in addition to Russian-speaking specialists, also includes native speaker tutors. Training is provided at all levels, from beginner to the highest, and also prepares for the international exams IELTS, ILEC and TOEFL, Start Deutsch Levels 1 and 2, TestDaF, DELF and DALF, DELE, CILS.
Melene School of Foreign Languages ​​via Skype Cost of education:

The price for one 45-minute entry-level lesson is from 530 rubles. For a 60-minute lesson you will have to pay 630 rubles if you pay for a package of 10 lessons, and for intermediate and advanced levels - already 730 rubles. A 90-minute lesson will cost less than two 45-minute sessions.

Pros:

• Possibility of lesson payment - from 1 lesson
• Paid lessons do not expire over time
• Preparation for different language levels and international exams
• Huge selection of teachers - about 50 tutors
• Convenient payment system.

Minuses:

• No group classes
• High cost of classes with native speakers.

Reviews:

This is the only language center that does not have negative reviews in the Internet. All students are satisfied with the results and do not regret the money spent. Judging by the reviews, all stated conditions are strictly met. Great school, with which you should start learning English or other languages.

Andrey:“It’s great that I study at your school! The payment system is convenient and well thought out. I don’t need to buy packages.”

Anastasia:“Natalia is a wonderful English teacher who knows how to approach her students and make classes not only interesting, but also effective. In 2.5 months she prepared me for IELTS, which I successfully passed with a 7. Thank you!”

The company website offers " General course English". Sometimes it is called "General English", and you have probably heard the name of the course as General English. Our specialization is modern English online, which involves the use modern technologies, i.e. learning English via Skype. The General English course is the development of all aspects of the language: listening comprehension, speaking (development of verbal skills), reading and writing. The course "General English from Skype-Language" is compiled individually, taking into account the interests, needs and learning goals of each student. You can choose the English for beginners program or practical English online with either a Russian-speaking teacher or a native speaker. the main task The course is a quick and correct mastery of the English language or the correction of a previously incorrectly laid foundation. One of the most common situations...

Today there are such a huge number of different schools that provide the opportunity to teach English via Skype, what to do right choice becomes almost impossible. Some institutions have a reputation and a more extensive training system, but the cost of their services cannot be called affordable. For others, the price for studying is much lower, but there is a risk of receiving low quality services. Therefore, in order to eliminate possible risks for you, as well as save time, the portal site presents the first objective rating of the best online English language courses.

Learning English via Skype: pros and cons

Today, Skype as a means of communication is no longer something exotic. Like any other method, learning English via Skype has its pros and cons. But since this method quickly turned from unusual to quite common, most people find themselves at a crossroads, choosing between online and offline classes. In order to help you make a final decision, we will consider all the advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits of online learning

1. Saving time and money- the quality of teaching depends entirely on the teacher. But renting a space more than doubles the cost of classes. This also includes the purchase of books, printing of handouts, expenses for transportation, lunch and other household items. Training via Skype, with electronic educational materials, removes all these costs, as well as travel time.


2. Convenience and practicality- studying via Skype is especially suitable for people who do not like to leave home or are extremely busy with business, as well as those who do not live according to standard schedules. Now there is no need to stand in traffic jams, jostle in public transport, overcome snow piles or wild heat. In the office, at home, in the country and in any other place, in your own way own schedule, you can conduct classes with the teacher you like. Even night owls who lead a nocturnal lifestyle can find a teacher or native speaker on another continent, with a time zone suitable for learning.


3. Extensive learning opportunities- unlike in the classroom, during training via Skype you personally choose your teacher. You can also learn from a person with a pronunciation that interests you, common, for example, in a certain region of the UK or a specific state in America.
   Well, the conversational form of learning itself, used via Skype, is much more effective for mastering the language than classical memorization of the rules.

Disadvantages of Skype Training

1. Only high-speed Internet is required
2. Minimal knowledge of using a computer
3. No possibility of personal contact
4. When teaching children online, the teacher will not always be able to control their perseverance.

Where to start online learning English

Are you interested in learning English online? Then let's look at where to start learning. The portal's rating indicates best schools, which were selected according to certain indicators. But in order not to waste a lot of time on choosing, you should initially look at the indicated cost of training and the programs offered. Having chosen the option you are interested in, it makes sense to visit the website of the school itself.

Video communication has long ceased to be a curiosity, and now it has become commonplace to study English not only in courses, but also via Skype. I have great experience in learning English using Skype. Moreover, it was when I started practicing English on Skype that I managed to move from the dead point where I was stuck at that moment. The reason was, of course, not some magic of the Skype program, but the conversational practice that I lacked. Well, I was lucky with the teacher. Later I no longer studied with the teacher, but simply practiced colloquial speech, and also taught lessons himself several times.

In this post, I will talk about online learning English, speaking practice on Skype, and how an English teacher conducted a Skype experiment on me.

My first English lesson on Skype

Note: I write “Skype” with a small letter, meaning any program similar to Skype: with the ability to make free audio and video calls over the Internet.

Classes with an emphasis on speaking practice

The second class format is suitable for students who generally do not need to learn under the guidance of a teacher, but do need help with developing speaking skills, pronunciation and general fluency. They already know at least the basics of grammar, lexicon sufficient for the lesson to be taught entirely in English, but they speak with long pauses, frequent mistakes, and have difficulty constructing phrases.

The teacher refers less to the textbook, classes take place with the student actively involved in the conversation. My first lesson on Skype, described above, took place in exactly this format. We never looked at the textbook, but the benefit from just one lesson was enormous.

In this case, it is better to study with a native speaker. The active, conversational format of lessons is the “strong point” of a popular language site all over the world, designed to find teachers of foreign languages ​​(not only English) and partners for practice. On Italki, teachers are divided into two categories:

• Professional teachers– these are certified specialists with extensive experience in offline and online language teaching. You can study with them both in a conversational format and in a strict academic format. The latter is familiar to them well: many of them are university teachers.
• Tutors– amateur teachers without a linguistic diploma (usually) who will help you talk, point out mistakes, and help improve your speaking skills.

As a rule, “tutors” have lower prices. Despite the lack of a specialized diploma, they are sometimes more experienced and simply more interesting than their certified colleagues. Unlike many online English schools, italki allows you to pay for lessons one at a time rather than in packages. The calculation is carried out in a special currency of the ITC website (italki credits), 100 ITC are equal to 10 dollars.

Pros and cons of learning English on Skype with a teacher

Advantages:

• There is no need to go anywhere or travel. Classes right at home at a convenient time. In conditions big city it sometimes means saving several hours in a day.
• As a rule, reasonable prices with good qualifications and experience of the teacher.
• In small towns it is often difficult to find any tutor at all, but via Skype you can take lessons from an experienced and qualified teacher.
• The opportunity to learn from native speakers is problematic offline, even in big cities.
• Opportunity to find a teacher of a “rare” language. While English teachers can be found almost everywhere, there are problems with slightly less popular languages, such as French, Spanish, and Japanese, in many cities. Many online schools specialize in English, but teachers (and just communication partners) in many languages ​​can be found on.

Flaws:

• An inexperienced teacher may have a lot of problems with how to show something in a textbook or give an exercise to a student. When I tried to teach lessons via Skype, I had exactly these difficulties. More experienced teachers can easily cope with this difficulty with the help of pre-prepared materials. At school, this problem has been solved with the help of a convenient virtual classroom.
• If you have a very unstable slow connection, bad microphone, computer glitches, part of the lesson will be spent on “can you hear/see me?”
• If you are not comfortable with a computer, have never used Skype and do not know, for example, how to send a file, how to move a file from one folder to another, how to answer an incoming call, what a “login” and “password” are, then you will have to learn this on the go, again wasting lesson time. Instead of English lessons, there will be computer literacy lessons. Skype lessons require that you have at least basic computer skills.

Method 2: Conversation practice

If in “Method 1” the teacher teaches the student, then practice is no longer study. This is the living use of language, in fact, what we teach it for.

It's simple. We go to some language social network, find people who want to communicate in English, exchange contacts and chat! For example, partners for practice can be found in the already mentioned. The mechanism is simple: the more we speak English, the better it gets. Eaning and mooing during pauses will gradually be replaced by speed and ease of speech, especially if learning is not limited only to speaking practice, but is supported by reading, listening and, very preferably, writing in English.

Pros and cons of free conversation practice.

Advantages:

• Opportunity to practice English with native speakers for free.
• Conversation skills develop very well because you speak a lot and with enthusiasm.
• And all this without leaving home, at any convenient time.

Flaws:

• This is not a lesson, but a conversation. A simple guy from Texas or Delhi is unlikely to want to explain to you the difference between and, and if he wants to, he won’t always be able to. Likewise, you are unlikely to immediately be able to explain in detail how “to drive” differs from “to go” or why a firm sign is needed.
• It’s not easy to find native English speakers on language social networks. They are in great demand. They are sorted out very quickly, and they simply physically cannot communicate with everyone.
• There are some inappropriate people, be careful when communicating with strangers via the Internet.

Is it necessary to talk to native speakers?

But if you need to improve, rock it speaking skills, that is, learn to speak fluently, without pausing or choosing words, without thinking about it, without turning it over in your mind, then it makes no difference who you talk to, as long as the interlocutor has good enough English. It’s very cool, by the way, to practice with your compatriots - it’s easier to find mutual language, topics for conversation. True, there is a risk of adopting the mistakes of the interlocutor, for example in the construction of phrases.

Personally, I spoke with everyone on Skype: with a student from Puerto Rico who suddenly fell in love with the Russian language, with a polyglot from Hungary who spoke five languages, with pensioners from the USA, students from Brazil and Bangladesh, but most of all I spoke in English with Russian student Svetlana, who studied in Germany and needed to practice English. Her German was fine, but her English was forgotten due to lack of use. An important factor played a role: it was interesting for me to talk with her. When you speak English with interest, forgetting that you have switched to another language, your skill grows by leaps and bounds (the same goes for reading, listening, writing).

With native speakers, you will develop not only speaking skills, but also listening comprehension of English. Of course, there is a difference between native and native, some cannot connect two words, but if the interlocutor speaks competently native language, you will better understand living, real English speech, with all its linguistic and cultural subtleties. In most cases, the difference between the speech of a native speaker (literate) and a foreigner is very strong.

Conclusion

1. Study remotely with a teacher without leaving your home. There is no need to follow the convoy to the capital in search of knowledge.
2. To practice oral speech with other language learners - no matter how far apart you live.
3. Communicate in English with British, Americans, Canadians and other native English speakers.

All these three possibilities just 20 years ago were simply didn't exist. We live in the golden era of language learning, when literature, audio and video materials and even communication in foreign languages. Take advantage of this and good luck in learning the language!