Start & Run an ESL Teaching Business. T. Nicole Pankratz - Bodner

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ to practical matters, your next step is creating a schedule that shows potential customers what your programs and services are and when they are available. Because the schedule will be used for marketing purposes, the information should be clearly laid out and easy for second-language learners to understand.

      The schedule should include information on specific programs. For example, you might offer an after-school program for public school students, an academic English program for university-bound international students, or a “study buddy” conversation program where two students work with one tutor. Your schedule should also include hours of operation and fees, and any related services and activities you offer (e.g., transportation and accommodation services and extracurricular activities).

      Because tutorials are typically one-on-one sessions, a “program” can last as many weeks or months as a student wants. Programs that have more than one student in a session may have start and end dates. Smaller operations, with a varied market but limited tutor availability, may want to reserve certain parts of the workday for a specific type of customer. For example, the 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. period may be reserved for public school students.

      Normally, tutorial services are designed to accommodate any level of student. However, not all tutors are comfortable working with students at every level. To ensure a comfortable match, you may need to develop a student-assessment system that identifies a student’s strengths and weaknesses in English. Having information about a student’s language abilities can help a tutor better prepare to work with the student.

      Assessment systems can be found in textbooks and on websites. You can also create your own signature assessment system, with your own brand of coding and criteria (see the next section, “Establishing an intake and assessment system,” for more information).

      While some tutorial services have set times for specific programs (e.g., Academic Preparation in the evenings, Monday to Wednesday), many businesses keep their program times relatively flexible. What they monitor carefully, however, is their hours of operation. Smaller companies with fewer tutors available might only be open for business four or five days a week, but for 12 to 14 hours a day. For example, tutoring might be available from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Larger organizations with more staff are more likely to be open seven days a week.

      Another thing that needs to be considered is travel time during the peak hours of the day. In small towns, commuting time is rarely an issue; tutors can move from one student’s home to another’s quickly. But in large urban centers, traveling during rush hour can be a nightmare. However, if a tutorial service has a fixed location, the onus is on the students to brave the traffic and be on time.

      When developing your schedule information, ensure that your tutorial options and times are clearly coded and easy for language learners to read. Also include information about the other services you offer. For example, if you know your target market is interested in developing both language skills and social skills, you might offer a range of tutoring options, plus fun guided tours and activities that encourage communication between students and native English speakers. In addition to services designed to attract students with attendance issues and/or physical challenges, you could offer transportation and even accommodation.

      Establishing an intake and assessment system

      Once you know what programs and services you will be offering, you need to set up a method of intake and assessment that allows students to access your services and find the right tutorial match.

      In both large and small tutoring businesses, the intake procedure might consist of an interview or “consultation” that establishes a student’s level, goals, needs, preferences, availability for sessions, and budget. During the consultation, the student would be given information about tutors, programs and services, and schedules.

      In terms of tutoring, defining a student’s level is necessary for two reasons. First, some students (as well as many parents) are eager to monitor the linear progress of their language abilities. (After all, hiring a tutor can be expensive, and most customers want to see results.) Second, some tutors are uncomfortable tutoring students with certain ability levels, and a mismatch can do more harm than you might expect since unhappy students may tell other students about their experiences.

      While not always necessary, keeping records of the “start and end” levels of every student has other benefits. For instance, students who progress exceptionally well can become walking advertisements, living proof that your services have value and produce results. With this in mind, you might want to devise entrance and exit assessments that can be compared to each other. Monthly or periodic assessments are also appreciated by students who are concerned about their progress and need help identifying the areas in which they need the most help.

      Your evaluation system should be generic, meaning that it shouldn’t incorporate the program content designed for a particular student. However, the system should be designed so that it evaluates measurable skills, such as reading comprehension and speaking ability. What you’ll need to do is define each assessment level.

      Perhaps the easiest way to define the levels is to use a premade assessment “test,” such as those featured in grammar textbooks and websites. Another option is to follow a formal system that uses a videotaped interview and a writing assignment assessed according to grammar levels described in a grammar text. The results are later compared to the results from an exit assessment.

      A simpler system, ideal for smaller, less formal tutorial services, is to have a student read and answer questions about a short newspaper article (newspapers are typically written at an 8th Grade or middle-school level, and are therefore somewhat advanced for the ESL learner). A student who cannot manage the vocabulary in the heading and lead paragraph might be deemed Beginner (or Level 2, or whatever terminology you have decided to use). A student who can understand the words but not the real meaning of the article might be an Intermediate student. And a student who can understand most of the vocabulary and can talk about the subject discussed in the article might be an Advanced student. Another option would be to interview the student, listening to his or her grammar level. You can start with easy questions, such as, “Tell me about your family.”

      Whichever system you use, the important thing is to ensure that the entrance results can be fairly compared to the exit results. The other thing to keep in mind is your target market. If your target market is the academic, bookish type, they will likely appreciate the kind of assessment system that resembles their destination — college or university. If your target market is looking for an alternative to the academic setting, they will probably be more comfortable with a less intimidating, more low-pressure type of assessment system.

      As an example, suppose your mandate and target market are similar to those of 123 Tutoring Services — custom-designed ESL programs for at-risk youth and students with physical challenges. Your assessment system is likely to be relatively informal, with an emphasis on speaking and listening. The content of both your entrance and exit assessments would likely be familiar topics that are easy to discuss. You would measure oral grammar skills, keeping in mind the student’s confidence level.

      When it comes to evaluating students, be warned: Students with limited English skills are sometimes sensitive (and even defensive) about being categorized as a beginner-level student. If your target market is not academic and therefore not interested in having a score to improve upon, you might want to devise a system that de-emphasizes traditional labels. However, if your students require or request more tangible evidence of improvement, you will need a system that features terms or figures indicating progression.

      Program and Service Options

      Now СКАЧАТЬ