English Teacher Needed

[Waitinggent 2]

I live in the suburban Detroit area (specifically - Troy, Michigan). Does anyone know of a teacher in this area who would be interested in being hired to help my wife improve her English? Or if anyone can recommend a good English class, or give me a suggestion on how to find a good place for a Russian who is very serious about improving her English, that would be appreciated.

[Scott and Iryna 2]

Your best bet is to enroll her in your local ESL classes. They are free.

In addition, I would recommend a tutor. If you have Skype, she can do it over the computer.

If you have Skype, and are interested in this, I would be happy to recommend someone for you. She is very good (my Iryna says she is wonderful), and she lives in Ukraine. It's only $10 per 1-hour Skype lesson, and she accepts credit cards via PayPal.

[Lia792 5]

LOL sorry to jump on the RUB forum, but I'm familiar with that area. I think you are pretty close to OCC - Oakland Community College, and a lot of people recommend community college classes for ESL. Also, many Detroit-area Michigan cities offer classes in their continuing education programs. Troy apparently has frequent class offerings: http://niles.troy.k12.mi.us/adultenrichment.html

It says they offer ESL, and sometimes it is free. This is the winter catalogue: http://niles.troy.k12.mi.us/docs/10%20winter%20brochure.pdf

You could also check the classified onlines at mlive.com or I think I also used to check online for the Detroit News, although I haven't had much luck with that. I would go with Community College or the city program.

Good luck!

[Anh map 2,098]

A local Community College is a good place to look. Most will have ESL classes. Also, try Googling "ESL <your town>"

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I live in the suburban Detroit area (specifically - Troy, Michigan). Does anyone know of a teacher in this area who would be interested in being hired to help my wife improve her English? Or if anyone can recommend a good English class, or give me a suggestion on how to find a good place for a Russian who is very serious about improving her English, that would be appreciated.

They still speak English in Detroit? Kidding.

There should be local adult education "English as Second Language" classes available, usually free or very low cost to get her started and they are really pretty good. Alla is teaching two of the classes now as part of her "student teaching" requirement for a her teaching certificate. In our area there are several offered by local organizations, even one that has two classes per week at the library. Check with a local university linguistics department and I bet they will be aware of all the local classes.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

A local Community College is a good place to look. Most will have ESL classes. Also, try Googling "ESL <your town>"

Two of the three classes Alla student teaches are at a community college, the other is through a refugee organization. The class will be mixed with many native languges represented. Alla's classes have at least a few Russian speaking students.

[Waitinggent 2]

That sounds great. I would appreciate the recommendation. Thanks!!!

Your best bet is to enroll her in your local ESL classes. They are free.

In addition, I would recommend a tutor. If you have Skype, she can do it over the computer.

If you have Skype, and are interested in this, I would be happy to recommend someone for you. She is very good (my Iryna says she is wonderful), and she lives in Ukraine. It's only $10 per 1-hour Skype lesson, and she accepts credit cards via PayPal.

[slim 1,530]

You could also try posting an add on Craigslist.

[SuperDuper! 230]

You could also try posting an add on Craigslist.

Yes, "Wanted, English tutor for my young and beautiful Russian wife." Not those exact words, but you get my point.

We really gotta think twice when using CL and putting ourselves out there.

[Oksana81 0]

I second the suggestion about local Community college.

Also try local library to see if they offer any free ESL courses for adults.

[Darnell 8,478]

http://auburn-hills.lib.mi.us/Adult/esl.htm

Good Luck !

Edited March 21, 2010 by Darnell

[SMR 368]

I think this question really depends on level. Free ESL classes provided by the community at libraries, etc. are a good starting place. However, if someone can already converse somewhat and wants help improving grammar, writing, vocabulary, spelling, and fluency, I think you will find free ESL classes not to be the best use of time, even if they are free. That is what we found to be the case. Marina, although her English is not perfect, found that there was really little she could learn in these classes. They can be good for improving conversational skills, but for improving conversation, I would recommend seeking conversational opportunities outside of a formal class setting.

We ended up enrolling her in a formal ESL class for credit at the local community college. It does cost some money, but it really gets the job done a lot better than anything we were able to find for free. On the other hand, the teacher is on the level of an American public school teacher, and I'm occasionally surprised at some of the mistakes Marina reports and the erroneous corrections she makes to some of Marina's essays. ("Everyone could meet his or her parents." in Marina's essay was corrected to "Everybody could meet their parents.")

The Skype offer sounds like a fine idea.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I think this question really depends on level. Free ESL classes provided by the community at libraries, etc. are a good starting place. However, if someone can already converse somewhat and wants help improving grammar, writing, vocabulary, spelling, and fluency, I think you will find free ESL classes not to be the best use of time, even if they are free. That is what we found to be the case. Marina, although her English is not perfect, found that there was really little she could learn in these classes. They can be good for improving conversational skills, but for improving conversation, I would recommend seeking conversational opportunities outside of a formal class setting.

We ended up enrolling her in a formal ESL class for credit at the local community college. It does cost some money, but it really gets the job done a lot better than anything we were able to find for free. On the other hand, the teacher is on the level of an American public school teacher, and I'm occasionally surprised at some of the mistakes Marina reports and the erroneous corrections she makes to some of Marina's essays. ("Everyone could meet his or her parents." in Marina's essay was corrected to "Everybody could meet their parents.")

The Skype offer sounds like a fine idea.

What you say is true to a point. I guess you could say "it depends". Our local ESL (free) classes offer 5 levels, the 5th level being fairly advanced. If you can get passed the 5th level of our local ESL then you can pass the TOEFL exam and don't need ESL classes at all. Just go on to regular English 101 at the college level. Our local community college offers some more advanced TOEFL preparation course which are free except for book fees, so it will depend somewhat on the courses offered locally.

If her level is above the usual ESL classes offered then they should consider more advanced classes. Usually the ESL classes offer assessment exams. Alla is currently teaching 3 levels of ESL. Level one is alphabet, "my name is", and very basic English. Level 3 is conversational but not too conversational and level 5 is actually pretty darn good, functional English. Not technical level but definitely normal life function level.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I think this question really depends on level. Free ESL classes provided by the community at libraries, etc. are a good starting place. However, if someone can already converse somewhat and wants help improving grammar, writing, vocabulary, spelling, and fluency, I think you will find free ESL classes not to be the best use of time, even if they are free. That is what we found to be the case. Marina, although her English is not perfect, found that there was really little she could learn in these classes. They can be good for improving conversational skills, but for improving conversation, I would recommend seeking conversational opportunities outside of a formal class setting.

We ended up enrolling her in a formal ESL class for credit at the local community college. It does cost some money, but it really gets the job done a lot better than anything we were able to find for free. On the other hand, the teacher is on the level of an American public school teacher, and I'm occasionally surprised at some of the mistakes Marina reports and the erroneous corrections she makes to some of Marina's essays. ("Everyone could meet his or her parents." in Marina's essay was corrected to "Everybody could meet their parents.")

The Skype offer sounds like a fine idea.

Another thing Alla did right away was to volunteer for a local hospital thrift shop. This gave her practical experience in dealing with the public, conversational opportunities, etc. She does not need a green card or EAD to volunteer and even with limited English, these kinds of places NEED volunteers, they don't turn people away usually. She also, alter, took a "small job" working in a women's clothing store at the mall for the same reason. As her class schedule became more intense she quit working a regular job, but it was good experience.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I agree with Gary. I your SO tries the free ESL classes then find out if she is learning anything or is just bored. The classes you pay for are more advanced and likely to give a much better level of English learning. The lower level ESL classes are designed for those with no English ability or little classroom experiences. If your lady is looking just to improve her conversational ability, then keep her surrounded by your English only speaking friends and ask for their help in improving her pronunciation and understanding. But by far the best is the highest level ESL until she/he is able to enter a regular English grammar class. My Lena took the top two levels after her arrival and was disappointed that the classes didn't progress much during the semester. She actually learned more from me but I don't try to talk down to her. I speak just as I would to business associates but with a more calm method so that she will understand and learn.