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 Jess! I’m an online English language coach, with a background in art and design. I help artists and designers to write and speak about their work in English with confidence. I write a daily blog where I model good critique skills, share tips on how to give a good talk or interview, analyze artist statements or about pages, and discuss good vocabulary and phrases to describe art and design work. I work with people in advertising, animation, architecture, dance, fashion design, fine art, game development, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, interior design, jewelry design, film/tv/acting, music, photography, theater, and web design. I’m happy to work with beginner-advanced level English learners from any language background.

2. Describe a typical work day in your life!

First, I get up and brush my cats, make breakfast, and enjoy a cup of tea. Then, I jump online for a few hours. I spend my work time in online coaching sessions with students, writing posts and making videos for my blog, working on marketing for my business, doing research, and creating new coaching materials. I usually take a walk in the afternoon to get some exercise and have a break from my computer. Then I come back and finish working before I make dinner for my fiancé. In the evening, we usually read or watch tv.

3. In what way has technology in general and the net in particular changed your work?

The internet allows me to work from anywhere in the world, and to work with students anywhere in the world. It’s very exciting to have the chance to meet so many different people and to have the freedom to travel. It’s also a great way for artists and designers to share their work, so it allows me to experience more art and design work too. I like the freedom of being my own boss, but it’s been a challenge to learn everything I need to know about business and marketing.

4. What challenges do you see for education in the future?

I think the flexibility of online teaching is wonderful, and there are so many great options for students and teachers to connect. The problem is that since there are so many choices, it can take some time to find the best fit. I think another challenge is the lack of community. The bond that students form in a classroom is harder to create online. I think it’s important for both students and teachers to try to create a good community for learning. Also, I think online courses require students to be more motivated and able to meet their deadlines on their own. This can be an additional challenge for people that have trouble managing their time.

5. Where can we find you online?

The best place to find me is my website: artglish.com

I’m also on social media:

Facebook: @artglish

Instagram: @artglish

Twitter: @artglish

YouTube: @artglish

Google+: @artglish

LinkedIn: @artglish

Pinterest: @artglish

Check out my site and say hi! I’d love to meet you!

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