It is important to practice a second language regularly, or you will lose your fluency. You will forget words and phrases, and your ability to convert thought into speech will atrophy. If you want to live abroad or work for a foreign company, it is important that you be able to take part in conversations on a wide range of topics. Our program, Eikaiwa Practice, provides prompts – some silly, some mundane, some topical – for you to discuss with your tutor.
Our Eikaiwa Practice program is designed to give you the opportunity to practice your English Conversation skills. We believe the best way to do this is to actually talk to a native speaker rather than use textbooks to memorise artificial forms. Textbooks provide examples, not definitive guides, to language. That said, the tutor might choose to use excerpts from various books, depending on your level. If your tutor decides to use a text, they will email you a PDF of the text prior to the lesson. We advise printing this out if possible, as it will allow you to write answers on the page. The page will be visible via screen sharing during the class, so even if you can’t print out the text, you should still be able to see it.
Cancellation Policy
Once the time and date for the session is set, you’ll be sent a link to the Zoom meeting. You will use the same link for every session. If, for whatever reason, you cannot attend a session, please contact your tutor at least 24 hours in advance. If you do so, we can reschedule the meeting.
You need to give us a 24-hour notice before canceling a session; otherwise, you’ll lose it with no refund or chance to reschedule.
If our tutor needs to cancel the session, we will let you know as soon as we become aware of this issue and will reschedule the meeting.
Video Call
We recommend using Zoom for your session. It is free to download and works on all phones, tablets, and computers. What sets it apart is that it has a feature that allows you to record your meetings. We highly recommend doing this, as it will allow you to rewatch the meeting whenever you want and get even more use out of your investment.
Though we recommend Zoom, we are able to use Google meetings, Skype, or Line if you request that from your tutor.
Note: The content of these sessions is not to be shared in any way, nor posted online, by either party without their recorded permission.
Structure & Flow
Step 1: Start Here
Read all the rest of these steps before clicking on the ‘Apply Here’ link below. Especially pay attention to the Cancellation Policy and note on Video Calls. That way you’ll know what to expect and the limits of the project.
Step 2: Apply
The link at the bottom of the page will take you to a form. You’ll need to fill it out with some mildly personal information – name, email, the name of this program. It will also have a space for you to leave any notes you think are relevant. Once you’ve filled in all the information, press the ‘Apply’ button and, if the cyber gods are kind, that information will make its way to us.
Step 3: First Contact
When we get that information, we’ll send you an email. That email will contain a polite greeting, a link back to this page, and an invitation to a quick video meeting. Along with this will be a short list of questions that your tutor will ask during the trial meeting. We include these here just so that you can think about the answers before the trial meeting.
Step 4: Trial Meeting
The meeting with your tutor will be quick, taking approximately 15 minutes, and they will discuss your program goals with you.
The purpose of this meeting is for you and your tutor to get to know each other a little, to see if you can work together. If you have questions about your tutor or the program, this meeting is your chance to ask them before any time or financial commitments have been made.
Step 5: Upfront Payment
If step four goes well, we’ll send you an invoice for the first four sessions. Once we have confirmation that payment has been made, we will send you a link to a form so that you can schedule your first Eikaiwa Practice session.
Step 6: Eikaiwa Sessions
The Eikaiwa Sessions will take place via video call on a schedule decided by you and your tutor.
