What is an HBOET?
HBOET stands for Home-Based Online English Teacher.
Are you an independent HBOET?
No, I am not. I am connected with an online school, which is based in Kobe, Japan. They have a branch here in the Philippines.
What is the name of your online school?
I'd like to disclose the name of my online school to protect its privacy and reputation.
Are all your students Japanese?
Most of them are Japanese. We also have other Asian students who live in Japan and study English in our online school.
How many minutes or hours does a student spend in studying English in your online school?
Each lesson only runs for 25 minutes. A student can reserve as many lesson as he or she wants even for the same teacher. My longest lesson with one student was 75minutes. That is equivalent to 3 lessons.
Is your online-school open 24/7?
Our online school is only open from 900 Japan time until 2500 Japan time. So in Philippine time, we are open from 8:00 am to 12mn. A student can choose as many lessons as he/she wants as long as it is between those times. The same goes for teachers. A teacher can choose which time slots he or she will teach and how many lessons he or she can and will teach. In my case, I only teach from 1500 JPT to 2100 JPT on Tuesdays until Sunday. Monday is my holiday.
What do you exactly teach?
Basically, it depends on the student. If he or she wants to learn about grammar, spelling, speaking, or enhance his or her listening skills, we can provide any material for the specific need. If the student only wants to brush his or her English by free-talking, that is no problem also. as an HBOET, we correct mistakes and guide students to improve their English skills. All of these will be within the lesson period of the student.
How do you teach?
We have a lesson flow effective and suitable for 25 minutes. A lesson can also depend on the student's level, interest, and enthusiasm.HBOETs can know about a student's information on his or her Karte. Every teacher checks the Karte at least 30 minutes before the lesson in order to address the student's needs properly.
What is a Karte?
A Karte is the student's record. I'm not sure if that is Japanese or not.
How old are your students?
We can teach on any age range and with different levels. In my personal experience, the student I had was five years old with an upper beginner English level. The oldest was 80 years old with an upper beginner English level also. My teaching level is for Intermediate and Advanced students. But I also have students who are super beginners!
Do you speak Japanese?
No but I studied Basic Japanese. So, I only know a few such as "Hajimemashite" (^__^)
If you can't speak Japanese, how do you teach English to Super Beginners?
Teaching super beginners and beginners are a nightmare for me! Like what I have mentioned earlier, I chek the student's records to give me an idea on how to attack the lesson.
There are super beginners and beginners who are very loquacious despite the difficulty. It's easier to teach those kinds because they are not afraid to commit mistakes and be corrected.
The silent super beginners and beginners are hard to handle. Especially if they just look at you through the video camera and don't say anything or even a reaction. They are the kinds that are scared to commit mistakes and it's hard to encourage them to talk.
I'm always praying not to handle these kinds, especially the latter ones. But as an HBOET, I cannot choose my students. It's the other way around. Students choose who will be their teacher for each of their lessons. It's always a challenge to have them but I guess, that's part of the fun of it.
Do you use videos in the lesson?
Yes, we do. It's important for the teacher to turn hi/her own video even if the student will not turn his/ her video. But if the connection is slow or if there is any technical problem that may hamper the quality of the call, a teacher can ask permission to the student to turn off his/ her video to avoid being disconnected.
What happens if there are natural disasters that would affect the call, would a teacher be responsible for that?
I think these matters are mentioned in the rules and regulations of the company. Maybe you can apply in our company to find out. Just give me a private message and I'll get to you back as soon as possible! (^___^)
