Here are answers to some questions that are asked by and of interest to our customers. You can also read our article about choosing teachers who tutor English language, especially for individual and corporate training.
How does «English-by-Phone» differ from other English language courses?
The speed of the typical English language courses is characteristically unacceptable for most people with a tight schedule. Their main drawback is that the class always keeps to the pace of the underachieving student. Also, in such courses you can easily become "infected" by other people's mistakes. In addition, on average 1-1.5 hours of precious time is spent on the road travelling to the place where the course is held, and vice versa. We offer private lessons, with professional tutors, from the comfort of your own home or business, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How does «English-by-Phone» differ from personal lessons with an English tutor?
«English-by-Phone» - is also a private lesson with a tutor, but one that is conducted over the phone. The average cost of 1 academic hour (45 minutes) with a native English speaking teacher in major city is 25-40 dollars. As a rule, most teachers set the duration of training at 2 academic hours (50-80 dollars) because they spend a lot of time on the road. For the same reason, there was no market offering 25-minute sessions. Meanwhile, it is known that the crucial question is not the duration, but the frequency of sessions. Thus, 5 classes per week for 25 minutes is about 35-55% more efficient than 3 lessons of 45 minutes or 2 lessons of 60 minutes. The fact that visual and tactile stimuli are excluded when communicating by telephone allows students to develop foreign language speaking skills more quickly, is also a plus. Most importantly, you save time with "English-by-Phone" and it is extremely convenient. You do not need to go anywhere, and inviting a stranger into your house is not required.
I'm not sure that I know the language sufficiently in order to take private lessons in English with a tutor on the phone...
Free testing is conducted either by native speakers or a professional language teacher who speaks your language. So do not hesitate to just try it. In many cases, we recommend you order an introductory course lesson with a teacher who speaks your language (we hire native speaking tutors to work only with students who have good English). The teacher will help you overcome the language barrier easily and comfortably. We have a special course for beginners. Having completed that, you can then switch to the optimal format for our service, which are classes with native speakers.
It is known that some sounds are distorted on the phone. Does not that affect the effectiveness of training?
Yes, some sounds, especially the hissing and the interdental sounds on the phone (this applies mainly to analog, not digital communication) are perceived to be inferior to personal conversation. This is one of the main reasons why many people (see the article with the results of studies on the main page) fear and avoid telephone communication in English. However, in practice this does not become an obstacle to effectively overcome the language barrier for customers who have at least a minimal knowledge of English.
Can I use "English-by-Phone" to just practice my English?
Of course. If you, for example, finished high school language or have been trained in an English-speaking country, you could take just one lesson a week, so as not to lose the acquired skills. We'll find you a good match among our teachers.
How can I cancel the lesson?
The description of each class package contains information regarding how much training you can reschedule without losing dates. To transfer to another class time you should tell your teacher or our Secretary at least 1 day before it is supposed to take place. If excessive absenteeism occurs, which is set in the contract, you will unfortunately lose your dates.
What if the teacher does not get through to me?
Typically, if your phone is not disabled and not busy because of the teacher calling, there is a very small probability of failure, particularly in the international context which cannot be discounted. If the teacher is unable to reach you on your normal number after a period of 10 minutes, they will attempt to call you at the alternative number you have provided (e.g., mobile phone, etc.). If you actually are available and the teacher does not call within 5 minutes of the scheduled time, immediately contact the manager. In this case, the lesson will be missed due to our fault, and will be rescheduled without any additional cost to you. If the phone you specified for the session was busy or disconnected, and you fail to contact the manager in a timely fashion, unfortunately, this lesson will be missed due to the fault of the client.
How quickly can I start the course?
Usually, you can start on the same or next day. If you would like to take your lessons during the "prime time" period, from 18.00 to 22.00, you might have to wait at least 24 hours.
Can I change my teacher?
Sure! The more agreeable you find the teacher, the better your learning will be. You can easily change the teacher at any time, often without the need to adjust your schedule of classes. Please notify the manager of your desire to change teachers. Perhaps it will come as a surprise to you, but we often suggest changing tutors from time to time because it allows you to successfully adapt to different voices and manners of speech.
Where my teacher is physically located?
Subscriber Center «English by Phone» is located in United-States. In Nevada, at 1802 N Carson St, Suite 108 -3761 Carson City NV 89701. The registered name of the company is ESL Teacher Online LLC which is the operator of the service. Here is where we and some of our English-speaking teachers are working. However, in most cases, your teacher will call you at your home or office from their home in the United States, Britain or Canada.
Do I pay for the connection?
This a list of countries which do not pay any extra fees for calls to a landline phone: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia (Moscow-St-Petersburg), Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA, UK, Venezuela. If you live in another different country, you will have to pay an extra fee for the calls, but in any case, it is a prepayment which is included in the final cost of the training. Your telephone company won’t charge you extra for receiving our calls. If you don’t want to pay any extra, you can study by Skype. This is the same computer programme your teacher uses to call you. Instead of calling you on your phone, you will need to be online, ready for the class and he will contact you through that programme. You can download and use Skype for free, but you will have to buy a headset which costs about $15-40.
Is it possible to achieve digital quality sound with an international context?
Is it possible to engage in a videoconference?
If you are connected to a high-speed Internet line and are ready to have classes sitting at your computer, you can improve the quality of international connection. You can purchase simple ear-phones and a microphone for your computer and download the programme of the Internet telephone system, Skype free of charge (for that you can use the link. Tell your teacher your name in Skype - and he will conduct lessons by means of this service. Regardless of their location, clients do not have to pay any extra for lessons using Skype. This allows people living in other countries than mentioned above to save a lot of money. With high-speed Internet connection the sound quality is so high that it creates the illusion of the teacher’s presence in the next room. Besides, if you install a web-camera, with some teachers you can have lessons in a videoconference mode.
Can you call me on my cell phone?
Yes. However, we have been forced to charge a toll for this service. The cost of lessons with calls to mobile phones increases by up to 30% depending on the country you are living in. Due to the fact that the lesson lasts 25 minutes, we recommend using a hands-free headset as well. For your safety, you are strongly encouraged not to study English while driving, except (again, using the headset or speakerphone) when you completely stop the car.
How do you bill?
Payment can be made through Visa, MasterCard, Paypal, Moneybooker and Wire transfer.
Still have questions?
Just call, we are happy to answer them - around the clock!
Comparing the price of classes, english by Phone worked out the most reasonable for individual lessons. i have one to one lessons with my own personal teacher; I never thought that I could afford this kind of intensive traing.
I have had different teachers with English by Phone and every one of them has been completely professional and knowledgeable. Changing teachers also has helped me with understanding the different accents that native English speakers sometimes have.
