You may have several teacher profiles open and still find it hard to choose. Would more experience help? Would an outgoing personality put you at ease? Will you find their pronunciation easy to follow? A photo and a short introduction cannot tell you exactly what a lesson will feel like.
If you have never taken a lesson with a Filipino teacher, you may wonder about an unfamiliar accent or way of explaining things. You do not need to dismiss those questions. But instead of deciding on nationality alone, check whether you can understand and take part in the lesson.
Write down your goal before comparing profiles
Finding the right teacher starts with the help you need. Someone practising for travel, someone preparing a presentation at work and someone forming their first English sentences may need different lessons.
Before a consultation or your first lesson, note these three things.
- The situations where you need English
- The points where you often get stuck in conversation
- The kind of feedback you would like
You might start with “I want to improve my conversation skills” and add “I can describe an experience, but I get stuck when I try to add a reason.” This gives the teacher a clearer starting point for discussing how they can help.
If pronunciation worries you, listen for yourself
It is easier to judge whether an accent feels familiar and an explanation makes sense when you actually hear them. If there is an introduction video, listen to the pace, the clarity of the speech and any parts you find hard to follow.
During a lesson, you can check something else: does the teacher slow down or explain things differently when you do not understand? Try to distinguish between needing time to adjust to a new accent and repeatedly asking for help without the explanation becoming clearer.
If your goal involves a particular pronunciation or presentation style, mention that in advance too. The value of hearing different kinds of English should not be a reason to set aside your own goals.
A person's nationality does not tell you how well they explain things or how well you will work together. Choose using the things you can check directly.
Does the lesson give you enough time to speak?
Even when a teacher speaks to you in a friendly way, you may not have enough time to speak yourself. After the lesson, think about which ideas you expressed yourself.
Were the questions appropriate for your level? Did you have time to think? When you gave a short answer, did the teacher help you explain a little more?
Students do not have to speak for the same proportion of every lesson. New expressions may need explanation, and pronunciation practice may involve listening several times. What matters is whether that time serves your goal.
A teacher is an “English parent”, someone who helps a student's English grow. Even when your sentences are imperfect, they listen first to what you want to say, help you find the expressions you need and support you as you gradually learn to say more.
Do they remember an expression you struggled with last time? Ask questions about your interests? Notice when you speak at greater length than before? These small moments reveal the role of a teacher who understands you and shares in your progress.
Does the feedback give you something to practise next?
If an explanation sounded helpful but you still do not know what to practise, ask for more specific feedback.
For example, you could ask, “Could you give me one sentence from today to practise again?” Check that you understand how the corrected expression connects to what you meant, and whether you can use it in another situation.
Lots of praise does not mean a lesson is unhelpful, and lots of corrections do not automatically make it good. A more useful question is what you can do next with the feedback.
Meet different teachers and discover who suits you
It becomes a little clearer whether a teacher suits you when you actually talk together. Conversation may flow with someone in a way their introduction video did not reveal. With another teacher, you may feel comfortable answering even the same question.
If you and your current teacher do not quite click, try meeting different teachers to find someone who suits you. It is a way to discover for yourself whose explanations make sense and who makes you want to say more.
Plazma English's Single Lesson can help you make these connections too. Have one lesson with a teacher who interests you and see whether their approach suits you. You do not have to spend a long time trying to choose one person at the outset. You can discover what matters to you through experience.
After the lesson, ask yourself, “What else did I feel like saying today?” Someone who listens to your stories and gradually helps you express more in English could become your “English parent”, supporting the growth of your English.