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General information As far as English courses for companies are concerned, everything is tailored to the needs of each individual or group, whether for support staff who might only need to answer some basic phone calls from time to time, or a director who has to chair a meeting in London or New York. Before starting a course, all students have to take a test to find out their level of written and spoken English. This enables me to put each student into the most appropriate group with others of the same level and helps me select suitable materials for each group. During the course I follow the progress of each student. There is continuous assessment and an optional exam at the end of each term, or at the end of the course, according to the number of classes. Topics and content The topics and content of each course vary according to the students' needs and level of English. It's easy to say that all you need is enough to attend a meeting or make a phone call. However, communication has to be between at least two people, and you never know what the other person might say or how you should respond. Therefore a certain amount of grammar is important to enable you to make the sentences you need to communicate and to connect all the vocabulary you've learnt. Speaking functions are also very important in English - asking permission, for example, or offering to do something - especially because there's only one word to express the Spanish tú and usted and vosotr@s and ustedes. You have to know how to use words, but you also have to know how and when to say them. And everyone who's learnt English will know that the way words are written has little to do with the way they're pronounced. Good pronunciation is therefore vital for communication. This is why the courses include a lot of activities based on real situations, when you need to choose the right phrase according to the people around you, and activities to practise pronunciation. Courses can be based on general English or on specific subjects such as accounting and finance, or on situations such as meetings, phone calls, presentations or negotiating. Back-up and practice by email I provide this service more than anything for students who aren't sure about specific areas and want to practise. It's also very useful in urgent situations, for example when a document has to be translated urgently or if you have an unexpected meeting. I can solve problems and offer immediate help. And Messenger services provide an opportunity for instant communication between teacher and student. A chat can be opened in order to practise written English with instant corrections and all the help you need to learn. Telephone classes This is a system where most of the contact between us takes place in a series of English classes of about 20-30 minutes each, given over the phone. It's an alternative to more traditional methods but, depending on your level of English, it can't substitute them completely - I only offer phone classes to students I'm already teaching. There are a number of advantages:
Before starting the course I'll talk to you about your priorities and aims and assess your level of English (which needs to be at least intermediate). At a later date I'll email instructions along with the material the classes will be based on. Short courses Lots of people already have a fairly good level of English, but they still find themselves in difficult situations because they don't know the right phrases. The language they need can often be covered in a short time. Speaking on the phone, for example, is usually a nightmare. 'What shall I do if I don't understand what they're saying?' 'What shall I do if they don't understand me?' Even 'what do I say at the start of the call?'. The Spanish word pasar can't be literally translated into English, and the preposition con isn't used with it either. And how many Spanish people know how to say their email address in English? This is why I offer the chance of learning what you need most without you having to do a whole course. After all, teachers are here to teach what students need. A few examples of what you can learn and practise in the space of a few hours:
Get in touch with me if you need a topic that isn't on the list. And of course these short courses are only for those who already know a fair amount of English. Classes without a fixed timetable For most people it isn't easy to attend classes at the same time every week. There are always business trips or urgent meetings that take priority. And that's without thinking about all the work waiting on your desk. And it's clearly not an attractive idea to go to classes in an academy after a day at work either. That's why I offer a fairly flexible timetable. There's always the possibility of cancelling classes and rescheduling them for a later date. And assuming that I don't have any other classes timetabled, we can do extra hours over a certain period according to your work or study needs. Prices and availability English classes:
Short courses, telephone classes and email back-up:
I also offer an ongoing consultory service for people who need to practise their English for meetings, presentations, conferences and so on. The cost of this will also depend on the requirements of each situation. Contact me for more information.
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