TEACHER CASE STUDIES

Listen & Learn: Hello, Alena. Thank you for agreeing to this interview! Why don’t you start telling us about the language you teach and why you chose a career in teaching?
Alena: I chose a career teaching Russian because I like to share my country’s culture and, of course, I want to help my students get to know Russia and its people. In my classes, I don’t present learning Russian as a challenge because of the difficulty of the language, but rather as a journey into Russia.

Listen & Learn: That sounds so interesting! Learning with you must be lots of fun. What about your experience prior to working with us? How did you start your career?
Alena: I started my career in Brazil and have been a personal tutor for Brazilians who want to learn the Russian language. Later, I worked as an editor of a Russian travel book for those who were planning to go to Russia for the World Cup. This helped me find a group of students who wanted to be ready to talk in Russian during their trip and to know more about Russian traditions and history. So, I created my own exercise book to make learning Russian more effective based on my teaching experience with foreigners.

Listen & Learn: Wow, that’s a great achievement! You should be proud of yourself. And what attracted you to teach with Listen & Learn?
Alena: Listen & Learn is present in many countries across the globe, which means I can teach students from everywhere and meet more interesting people from different countries. Also, Listen & Learn has worked with many renowned companies, which makes it more attractive for students.

Listen & Learn: And what is your favorite thing about working with Listen & Learn?
Alena: I like to organize my own schedule, so the best thing for me is the flexibility that the company offers. I can choose the most convenient time for me, and students can pick the best time for them. Also, the course manager has always given me great feedback about my work and the team gives me support if I have anything which comes up. I also appreciate the opportunity to create my own program to teach my students. Payments always come on time and I can choose the payment method that works best for me, like bank transfers or PayPal. Plus, I don’t need to waste my time and energy looking for new students. Listen & Learn promotes my services, so I can spend more time improving my teaching skills and preparing great classes for my students.

Listen & Learn: It’s great to know that working with us has been going so well for you. And when it comes to the actual class, what do you expect from your students?
Alena: I look for students with motivation. I want them to know clearly why they choose to learn Russian and what their goal is. Without a clear understanding of why you’re learning, it’s easy to become demotivated as the topics become more challenging.

Listen & Learn: We definitely agree on that. It’s almost impossible to learn a new language without motivation. What do you do to keep your students engaged? What should students expect from you as their teacher?
Alena: Students should expect me to always be on time and to prepare interactive classes where they can develop all 4 skills: reading, speaking, writing and listening. I always bring modern materials such as news, songs, videos and games. And of course, they can expect to gain real experience by practicing using the language with a native speaker. This is the best way to improve pronunciation. Students should also bear in mind that they need to expect homework if they really want to understand the new material and improve their vocabulary.

Listen & Learn: Why do you think students should enroll in a language course with Listen & Learn?
Alena: The main reason is to save time. They won’t have to spend time and money traveling to meet their teacher. They can study from the comfort of their home. Also, they put you in contact with native-speaking teachers, which is a great opportunity to learn not only language and its pronunciation but also interesting facts about the daily life and culture of the country. Plus, they can share their main goal with their teacher, and the tutors will help them learn what they really need to achieve that goal.

Listen & Learn: Thank you for your time, Alena! Before we finish, could you share with us your favorite expression in Russian?
Alena: «Поеxaли», which means “let’s go”. We always start our classes with this phrase. It became famous because these were the first words that the first Russian who went into space used as he got into the space shuttle.