The following interview is part of an interview series in which we feature education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century.
1. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO IN EDUCATION?
My name is Elliott Giles, I run an online tutoring business called ETJ English. Here, I teach people from all over the world through Skype.
I teach my students how to become a confident speaker through my tailor made lessons. We discuss exactly what they want out of their lessons and the reason why they want to improve. I examine their levels of English before then making detailed lesson plans for our Skype chats.
The main aspect of my English lessons is that I act as a friend to my students as well as a teacher; once they have decided to take part in lessons with me, I provide them with 24 hour support, just in case they find themselves in an awkward situation and they need the answer as soon as possible.
2. DESCRIBE A TYPICAL WORK DAY IN YOUR LIFE!
A typical work day life consists of updating my website, whether it be adding more to my blog or making new educational videos. I also spend a great deal of my time networking with other teachers and students through social media and forums. Here I discuss lesson plan ideas or any ways which I can improve the traffic to my website so I can help more people in the long run.
And of course, I spend a lot of my time teaching too! Whether it be a free trial lesson or one of my frequent returning students; I’m always busy helping someone.
Days can be stressful at times but it’s a great lifestyle. Especially when you can spend the majority of your day in pyjamas with as much coffee as you want!
3. IN WHAT WAY HAS TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL AND THE NET IN PARTICULAR CHANGED YOUR WORK?
In terms of technology in general, it plays a big part in my life, I am sure that most people agree. I rely on my phone for emails, twitter and everything involving my business to make sure I am able to keep up to date with everything that is going on. Some people say it is sad that this is what the world has come to but I believe you just need to use it in the right way and not let it take over your life.
Furthermore, the opportunity to work online has created an amazing lifestyle for me. I am able to teach on the go (which is ideal because I love to travel and live in different countries). I recently spent a year in Australia where I travelled around and also worked in a suit shop. Whilst doing this, I set up my online teaching company in the desperate attempt to find a way to be able to travel and work at the same time so I can see the world and do something I enjoy at the same time.
4. WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE FOR EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE?
The main problem I find is that there are too many students learning from teachers who are not native speakers. This is why people reach out to us online native teachers; because they aren’t learning the correct pronunciation or simple rules.
The good thing is that there is a massive growth in demand for online English tutors and we want what is best for our students. There are so many of us to choose from and we all know that any student is in safe hands when they decide to learn online. It’s a great time to be a learner AND and English teacher right now.
5. WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
You can find me on www.etjenglish.com
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