Internet based EFL questions

[DirtGuy]

I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, I'd sure appreciate some info on where to get my questions answered.

I have just moved from sunny CA to rural Ohio. Bought a mobile home community and am taking a year off to fix it up. No ESL instruction is needed out here but I have found a number of sites where you can get paid to teach English over the Internet. This sounds perfect as I have my evenings free and I do not watch TV. Sure beats working at the WalMart SuperCenter down the road.

I am supposed to have a high speed connection (yes), a PC (no, but I'll break down and buy one), and a Skype connection (will also get).

Has anyone ever done this type of teaching?

Is it legit and do you get paid?

What countries would I likely get students from given that I want to work from 5:00 PM to midnight Eastern time?

Do you work with adults or children?

Thanks for any help you can give me and I'll probably have more questions to ask in the future.

Rolf
(stuck temporarily in NE Ohio but making the best of it)

[BradC]

You might want to try a site located in and/or catering to Asian students in order to cope with the time zone differences. Here's one:

http://www.teacherjames.com/

[Sheila Collins]

I am teaching ESL over the Internet, to children in China. My employer (who is just starting this business) is quite reasonable about having everything legitimate, and is researching the other Internet ESL companies to make sure we are on an even keel with them: I would assume there are a few legitimate companies out there.

My employer lives in the next city, and I met with him, in person, several times before I agreed to do this. It might be wise to meet with company personnel rather than risking your income to some ethereal web-being. :)

As I am working with children, I work in the mornings (China is 12 hours off), so the class is between the end-of-homework hour, and bedtime.

[Eric18]

You might check out www.compellingconversations.com . I have posted four chapters there with questions and quotations for in-depth conversations.

Are you looking for a quality conversation book?

Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.

That's the motto of my new ESL book called Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics – An Engaging Textbook for Advanced ESL Learners. You can download free chapters and lessons at
www.compellingconversations.com today. Naturally, I hope you like the material.

Compelling Conversations:
-includes 45 thematic chapters on a wide variety of conversation topics
-asks over 1350 questions encouraging students to reflect and share
-features over 500 memorable quotations from ancient sages to modern writers
-introduces over 200 proverbs from around the world
-highlights 450 practical vocabulary words
-provides enough material for an estimated 180 hours of class time
-ends each chapter with an “on your own” exercise
-allows students to develop authentic, meaningful conversations in English
-deepens critical thinking skills
-encourages students to share experiences and insights
-engages students in authentic, meaningful discussions
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-reduces teacher stress by providing complete, ready-to-use quality lessons.

You can also buy it as a PDF and make copies for your students. Or you can buy it from Amazon, ALTA catalog, or purchase class sets from the publisher. Check it out. See if you like the material.

Please visit and enjoy the free lessons.