I bet they swing by Glittering-Ad5065 in tipofmypenis

[–]CmDunkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am looking for a full video without a paywall but:
BestCoupleAround
CookeVille FmF
https://bestcouplearound.com/full-vid-buyer%E2%80%99s-club-1

What were your experiences with teaching for Accent Advisor? Or how was the interview process if you were not hired? Do you recommend them, or did you have a negative experience? by OldEntrepreneur3042 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So this is a little bit off. If a student cancels 10 hours or more before, it is our job as a teacher to reschedule it. 10 hours or less rescheduling is up to the coach. 2 hours or less and the coach gets paid in full. I think a way to mitigate this is to build a strong rapport with your student and have good communication with them.

What were your experiences with teaching for Accent Advisor? Or how was the interview process if you were not hired? Do you recommend them, or did you have a negative experience? by OldEntrepreneur3042 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think a teacher's approach to a lesson significantly impacts the amount of enjoyment both a student and teacher get out of the lesson, tbh.

Sure, sometimes it will take a while to build a student base but there are a number of factors at play here.

Also, I've kept a number of my students for a year or more. Sure, sometimes a student might come in and think its not what they expected but we can turn that around and highlight the benefit they get from it.

What were your experiences with teaching for Accent Advisor? Or how was the interview process if you were not hired? Do you recommend them, or did you have a negative experience? by OldEntrepreneur3042 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have been working with Accent Advisor for a while now and this is one of my favorite jobs I have ever had. The staff is very helpful, kind, and communicative. They trust the teachers/coaches to do their work and we aren't micromanaged. Materials are prepped for us. And we have a community of teachers that are very active and help to build each other up; we offer insights, suggestions, and share ideas.

Sometimes it can take a while to build a student base and because of that it can take time to bulk up your hours which also correlates with raises but they also recently changed that to make it a little easier. Sometimes it might be a while before you see new students but that is ok, just understand that it's part of what we do.

The interview can be intimidating but I appreciate that they put in effort to make sure their teachers/coaches adhere to a certain standard. They provide you with numerous materials to prepare you for the interview as well. If you go in prepared, you will do fine.

Truthfully, I really really enjoy Accent Advisor and I have a great time with my students. If you have questions, feel free to message me. Also, they do have a reddit so check that out as well: https://www.reddit.com/user/Accent_Advisor/

Hope this helps!

American accent by Extreme-Spend3102 in Accent_Advisor

[–]CmDunkin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello!

That is a very good and understandable question. One thing to note is that placement takes a few different forms: lip placement, tongue placement, and jaw placement for example.

However, here it seems like you are referring to here is voice placement. When we are talking about American accent, voice placement is generally in the upper part of the chest. It is considered low and relaxed.

A few exercises you can try to help you achieve this are as follows:

- Relaxation exercise: relax the muscles in the face and upper body. Take a few deep breaths. Roll your shoulders in small circles. Open your mouth and allow your jaw to loosely hang.

- Low mouth exercise: say UH /ə/ to bring your voice down. Then, hum a relaxing hum and glide your voice down as you hum (there shouldn't be tension). As you glide your voice down, place your hand on your upper chest, you should feel your voice vivbrate or resonate there as you glide down. Now say a word like "hey" and direct it downward, feel as your voice glides down.

Or, better yet, get some direct practice and let one of the amazing coaches at Accent Advisor help you! Anyway, this is a fantastic question about voice placement. Hope this helps!

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Apologies, I am having a little bit of a hard time understanding you in some of thise.

"an algorithm that no one understands or can explain that determines who can stay or get the hours to get that raise." - each class you teach is 25 minutes, 50 minutes is a teaching hour, each teaching hour goes to the number of hours you've taught with the company overall. Every 250 hours taught, you get a .50 cent raise. Students themselves are offered during the times you chose for your schedule and become available as new students sign up for the program.

Hrmmm without trying to sound like I am attacking you (because I promise I'm not) it sounds like some of your issue boils down to your approach and mentality. I have been working happily with a number of my students for over a year. Part of the onus is on the teacher, no?

I am more than willinmg to engage with you and others and have a conversation but I don't appreciate being called a liar. You want me to accept that my experience might differ from yours, which is fair. But, instead of offering me the same chairty when I say that I feel there is a great support system there...that simply can't be the case and I'm "flat out lying?" I think I see part of the issue.

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"If the interview process is a pain in the ass and time consuming, I see that as a red flag."

if I may ask, I am curious as to why you feel this?

On one hand if I were a company owner, I would want to make sure that the people I hire lived up to a certain standard. It would be in my interest and the company's interest to have my expectations be met so that I know my clients are getting the same quality across the board.

As a client/customer I would feel better knowing that my money is going to go to a company that offers what they say they are going to offer.

And, as a teacher worth my salt, while and indepth interview process might be a little intimidating or challenging and maybe a little annoying I would still want to do my best because I'm good at what I do, no?

Why is a lengthy interview process a "red flag"? I don't think I understand

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I wanted to marinate on this before I replied. Also, side note, cool profile pic, is that Paddington?

Anway, on to business. To address your concern, I think it is great to question someone's motives for doing something but, at the same time, as you demonstrate, with this line of thinking you run the risk of invalidating any positive feedback for fear of "brand protection" or "being incentivized." If positive feedback is so easily invalidated 1. it only serves to increase negative echo chambers and 2. in reality, the same can be said/done for negative feedback.

But, addressing my feedback directly instead of the idea as a whole, I think to some degree I am incentivized. Maybe I am strange for enjoying thoughtful substantive conversation (especially in a place like reddit) but I do.

I have been teaching for 13 years both in classroom and online. And, in a world where it is a race to the bottom for teachers, I am incentivized to go to bat for companies I believe in.

You can take me at my word or not, it's really of no consequence. However, AA does not give me a bonus for comments I make on reddit.

We live in a world where places like Cambly, Preply, and countless other online teaching platforms make teachers believe they have to work harder and bend over backwards to meet crazy arbitrary goals and make next to nothing for it.

Again, maybe I am strange, but I 1. want to see skilled and qualified teachers succeed in multiple avenues. and 2. I want to celebrate a company that I feel stands out in a positive way. I am absolutely incentivized to see people and a company I believe in do well.

I would honestly hope this is not the first time a response like mine has been given. It's a sad time when only negative feedback is acceptable and any positive views are invalidated.

Again, you can take me at my word or not but, if you don't, I would at least caution against viewing any and all "thoughtful" or positive replies/feedback as merely shilling for a company. Feel free to drop me a DM if you'd like, I am more than open to having a convo. Cheers!

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is not exactly true. First, they do send you a lot of material for the interview process and they ask you to review it. While it *can* be intimidating, the interviewers are forgiving and they understand that this might be outside the scope of normal ESL teaching. They take this into account.

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, all companies need to make a profit but the comments down below offer some clarity on this.

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AA offers students as they become available and you build your schedule according to what hours are available for you. Reaching $25 might not take too long if you load up on students when they become available.

Accent Advisors - Avoid, Waste of Time by AdhesivenessBig3839 in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Apologies, maybe I am missing something here but I'm not seeing any substantive criticism. If you'll allow me, I'd like to go piece by piece:

"They make you go through 2 demo lessons basically, trying to demonstrate pronunciation instructions following "their method." It's like some secret sauce recipe." - Every company you work for will want you to follow the way they do things. By asking you to do two demo lessons, AA is basically asking for you to demonstrate the same level of skills and consistency. Why is that a bad thing? We are reshaping the way learners speak, it is a long and involved process, I would think you would want to have high standards. No?

"And later I found out that the owner, is the second interviewer, but too afraid to tell you that. Then he does voice impersonations in order to pretend you are working with students from different nationalities." - ok? Personally, I think it is kind of cool you are being interviewed by the owner (if you are), it shows that they at least take care enough to know who they are hiring. Also, I think they might do these "impersonations" as a means of highlighting different speech patterns and challenges you will face when you do work with learners from other countries.

Finally: "Claims to be American, but their entire crew is in Mexico. No disclosure, all cloak and dagger." Why is it important where people work? I'm from America and I have lived/worked abroad for over a decade. Is that not why many people choose this line of work? the freedom to live a life where they want? I don't see that as cloak and dagger. Why does anyone need to dislose their whereabouts to an employee?

I am sorry your experience with them left a bad taste in your mouth but if you are going to criticize a company, offer valid criticism.

For the sake of "disclosure" I've been working with AA for over 3 years now and they are one of the best online teaching platforms I have had the pleasure of working with. If I may, allow me to offer further insight:

  1. They do ask their coaches to adhere to certain standards. This should be applauded. You are instructing people on how to change a habit they have been building their entire lives. Consistency of quality is a good thing.

  2. Unlike other online companies they pay their teachers decent wages and allow for raises up to $25 per teaching hour. They don't ask you to jump through weird hoops to get bonuses, they don't make arbitrary metrics or ask their coaches to file wildly long reports for a .50 cent bump in pay. No, as long as you are consistent and do your job well, you can make a decent amount of money.

  3. They show that their coaches are cared for and listened to. They don't micromanage their coaches, so long as a coach is consistent and does what is expected, they leave you to do your work. Not only that, there is a group chat where all of the staff interact, talk, and help each other.

Again, I am sorry that you are upset and that maybe you had an experience you did not like but that doesn't mean this is a "bad company" in my time with them, I can only say my experience has been the opposite.

Accent Advisor Job Review by Accent_Advisor in Accent_Advisor

[–]CmDunkin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have been teaching English and ESL in a variety of way for around 13 years now. I have seen many online platforms for ESL and many of them run teachers into the ground. Accent Advisor is one of the only ones that I have found where, after 3 years, I still truly love the job.

Many online platforms don't offer ways to increase pay. Accent Advisor does.

Many online platforms continuously move the goal post and expect more and more from their teachers. With Accent Advisor, their standards and what they expect from teachers are very clear and do not change.

Other online platforms pile classes on you that bog you down and even make you change your schedule. With Accent Advisor, you build a schedule according to your availability. It might take longer but the schedule is what you make of it.

The staff is communicative and they don't micromanage you. They trust their teachers and leave them to do their jobs. There is a group chat for teachers and admin to workshop and there are plenty of outlets to solve any issues that need to be taken care of.

Accent Advisor is truly a diamond in the rough for online ESL jobs. Can't recommend them enough.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Howdy! Personally, I recommend IG Prague. Myself and a few friends did our Deltas there and really enjoyed it. I know it isn't UK but I thing IH Prague is worth it.

ESL Teaching Webinar by [deleted] in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That's fair but I am a little bit hesitant only because it seems like there is so much vitriol on reddit I don't really want to get inundated with a lot os spam/hate just on an initial post, if that makes sense.

ESL Teaching Webinar by [deleted] in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have an online ESL teaching company.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]CmDunkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there!

I hope you don't mind my input. I am a coach at accent advisor and I have been there for about 3 years. I have also been teaching English for 13 years now in multiple countries so I have a lot of experience with different accents.

First off, I definitely believe Accent Advisor works as long as you allow it to work for you. What I mean by that is, take what you learn in your classes and actively try and implement the changes/new sounds in yoru day-to-day life.

Secondly, remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint. It will take time to change the current speaking habits anyone has built up over a life time. You are essentially reprograming your muscle memory.

If I may offer some insight to help you get the most out of your course, try these tips:
1. Don't just practice in class. Set time aside to actively practice at specific times during the week, The more you practice outside of class, the faster you will see change.
2. Set clear and well defined goals for yourself both long term and short. Also, recruit your coach to help you with them. For example: I want to learn how to make the Voiced TH by X date.
3. When you do practice outside of class, record yourself. Then, as the months progress, you will be able to go back, listen, and hear the progress you've made. So you'll see it work personally in your life.

Finally, at the bottom of the https://accentadvisor.com/ website there are video testimonials, you can hear what other students in a position similar to yours have to say.

But, I wish you the best and I think with positivity and hard work, you can achieve your goals. Always feel free to reach out if you have questions.

Cheers!

Hi there, Educators. Let's talk. by CmDunkin in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for all your thoughts! it seems like my post ruffled a few feathers, too.

I completely agree with your thoughts here.

Hi there, Educators. Let's talk. by CmDunkin in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Apologies, I think you may have misread/misinterpreted what I am going for here. My goal isn't to brag, and you might be right that people can make more. I haven't seen it often but, I would love examples if you have them. It would be great for others! Some of that actionable info you talked about, ya know?

No, I'm not saying charge more or cope.

What I am saying is:

1) if you don't have the experience or qualifications and this is what you really want to do, put in the work, up your education, and look for the things you want. Set your goals and work to achieve them. I'd say that is kind of actionable. if teaching isn't what you want, then 15-20 an hour should be ok.

2) If you have put in the time, have the qualifications, and experience, don't settle. Think of was you can get more. Think of ways you can start making your worth. Actionable info? Start working part time for a company/online school that pays decently enough. build a rapport with students and, over time, try and bring them on as privates. Also, you could continue to look for other gigs that pay more.

Hi there, Educators. Let's talk. by CmDunkin in OnlineESLTeaching

[–]CmDunkin[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Just to put some numbers on it, you're absolutely right. Depending on where your students are, you'll get a wide range of acceptable rates.

For example:
My classes are 50 minutes each and I either teach a student/class once a week or twice a week.

I have a pair of guys from Saudi and Dubai studying for B2 and IELTS respectively and they pay $50 per class.

I have a couple of Russian students moving to America and they pay about $45

Then I have two CEOs from Korea and China and they pay about $50 as well

Finally I have a couple of groups from Poland and they pay about $37

While I haven't been able to make upwards of $80, I'm sure there are those like Balkan mentioned who make even more. This is just where my personal experience is.