French by Skype

One of the hardest things about living in a country and not speaking the language is ... not being able to speak the language.

You do not need to be anybody special, or specially intelligent to be able to speak French: what most people lack is having the right teacher and the right teaching.

As has been found by my hundreds of students over the years, I believe that you will find me to be right for you: I am even willing to offer a complete session free so as to prove that to you!

Ever since the age of 21 when I first went to France to live and study (I am a graduate of Strasbourg University) I have loved French and it has been - and still is - a very large part of my life.

Speaking French makes for personal contact, eases problems, and, in a word, makes for good living.
It will change your everyday life and well-being.

I do not say that it will be easy.  But -

You just need to decide that you are going to put everything into learning French: concentration and above all the determination to succeed.
The determination to speak and listen in French at every opportunity.

It all starts with you.

I teach French by ear rather than the eye.  For listening and speaking.

For language learning by ear (speaking, listening) is so much different from language learning by eye (reading, writing).

And for my teaching, I have the advantage of NOT being a native French speaker: I went through the school system, and then perfected my French for 5 years in France – total immersion.  University of Strasbourg (degree in Theology), eight years in Burkina Faso in a French missionary environment (where I learnt a local language through French) and since then I have used French in much of my everyday work life either teaching or selling books.
I also set up and ran a very successful Language Centre whilst myself teaching twenty groups of all ages and abilities.

Where I have the advantage over the native French speaker, is in that I understand very well the difficulties that someone of English expression finds in expressing and understanding the French language and culture.
I bring to my unique way of teaching French my understanding of how I personally overcame the problems which often beset the language learner: pronunciation, expression, gender, verb formation and forms, and – the elephant in the room – shyness.

My areas of expertise: Accent and pronunciation; verb formation and forms; communication skills (speaking, listening, emailing); French Church and Folk song – singing is a wonderful way of ‘fixing’ expression and vocabulary (though I will only use this if the student wishes...); vocabulary and dictionary usage; listening skills.  And of course, most importantly, encouragement and enablement.

I must also make clear that my special skill is in teaching French fluency: I do not attempt to enter the academic area at all.  I will give you the hints necessary for learning and improving your French every day.  It is you who will teach yourself French: my job is simply put you on right track and enable your learning.
 

A word about Skype learning: Apart from not having to travel, Skype has the advantage of concentration: both teacher and student being in familiar surroundings, with only having the screen and the earphone as input.
There can be an intensity of concentration on Skype that is more conducive to learning than even sitting opposite each other in a room.
I find that one full hour for input per session for most is sufficient, and I include in my teaching package and fee a period before this hour for setting up and comfort banter, and a further period for winding down, fixing work that needs to be done and arranging details for the next session.

Though I do teach input, much of the time is spent allowing the student to learn: giving time for the student to think is, I believe, essential for language learning – as is the importance of coming to terms with different ways of saying (and hearing) the same information.  As is giving you the opportunity of making mistakes: remember that many mistakes that we make are made by French children as they learn French...

For Skype, the student needs reasonable internet access, Skype address and computer/laptop.    A good laptop or PC is normally sufficient.  It really is important that we can hear and see each other well.  And of course email so that I can send you over supplementary inputs.

Sessions cannot be held on either smartphone or tablet.

I offer a free taster session of one hour in total. This allows me to assess the student’s or students'needs - and allows the student to assess how comfortable they are with me.

This taster session will allow the student to express his or her specific outcome needs.

If after the taster you wish to continue I offer the following:
 

• A block of ten sessions: £300 (discount of 25% off full price)  (Single sessions: £40). Second ten sessions: £250.  Then further sessions at £220.
   
• Supplement per lesson per extra student: £5 per session
   
• Books and other materials : between £20 and £30 per student. (But if you wish to purchase them in France for yourselves - I will give you the details - there will be nothing to pay to me for materials)
   
• If along the way you opt for a block of 45 hours tuition, I will be happy to adjust fees already paid into an invoice for £1000, which will cover 45  hours tuition and all costs of books and materials.  This block of teaching will significantly improve your French and will prove in the future to be an investment well worth making.

                       
A student will need ten sessions minimum to feel real progress and settle into this system of learning.  The scheduling of sessions will be agreed at the beginning.  For sessions with two students, it is essential that both are present on Skype.  And that each student has his or her own separate computer terminal or laptop, and headphones-cum-microphone.  I would suggest that two students should be the maximum, but am willing to try more.

The work in between sessions is vital: I arrange, in consultation with the student and according to his or her needs, tasks to be completed or learned in between lessons.
I encourage each student to have his or her personal project (which I will manage and oversee).
I ask each student to put aside time in between each session to work on matters raised in the session completed.  A little and often is best: as the French say: Petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid!

And above all, I work at your speed, not mine!
 
I will exercise reasonable flexibility towards changing appointment times previously agreed, but will unfortunately have to charge for sessions missed without prior or sufficient notification.
 
For my input and framework for my teaching I use elements appropriate to the student from the FLE programme of the University of Grenoble, as well as my own material.  For absolute beginners I use the Didier FLE programme.

Teaching and input, as far as possible, depending on the student’s ability, is done in French.
Less in French for those who are beginners, and more for those who already have some skills and knowledge in French.

I am happy to work with students of any level of French.  If there is to be more than one student for the sessions, they both need to  at a fairly similar level of French.  (They do not need to live in the same house or even town or department: remember the magic of Skype!)

I do not form part of a ‘consortium’ of tutors.  If you engage to be taught by me – you will be taught by me. 

Since my time for teaching is finite, please do book your place while I have capacity. 
 

Final word
 

Probably the hardest part of it all will be to decide to take me up on the free taster.  I can assure you that if you do this, that you will be starting on the most fascinating journey of your life.

I await your email or your call!

Damian Duggan       January 2020

Many of you will know me for my foreign language book provision through LBOL and now Language Books.
I work directly with the publishers and distributors in France either by email or by phone.  I have always conducted all communications in French with them all and continue to do so every day. 

Last year I returned to a special area of personal expertise: French tutoring.
French, in which I am fluent, is for me a second language, and this gives me the advantage over the native French speaker: I understand very well the difficulties that someone of English expression finds in expressing and understanding the French language and culture.
I bring to my unique way of teaching French how to overcome the problems which often beset the language learner: pronunciation, expression, gender, verb formation and forms, and – the elephant in the room – shyness.
I am very effective in enabling the hesitant French learner to manage oral and aural French: I teach from the ear rather than the eye.

And Skype is a terrific medium for doing this.

Apart from not having to travel, Skype has the advantage of concentration: both teacher and student being in familiar surroundings, with only having the screen and the earphone as input, there can be an intensity of concentration on Skype that is more conducive to learning than even sitting opposite each other in a room.

I find that one full hour for input per session for most is sufficient, as this medium for learning is intense. 

I include in my teaching package and fee a period before this hour for setting up and comfort banter, and a further period for winding down, fixing work that needs to be done and arranging details for the next session.

As a tutor, I do teach input, but much of the time is spent allowing the student to learn: giving time for the student to think is, I believe, essential for language learning – as is the importance of coming to terms with different ways of saying (and hearing) the same information.  As is allowing the opportunity to make mistakes: many mistakes that we make are made by French children as they learn French.

My areas of expertise: Accent and pronunciation; verb formation and forms; communication skills (speaking, listening, emailing); French Church and Folk song – singing is a wonderful way of ‘fixing’ expression and vocabulary (though I will only use this is the student wishes!); vocabulary and dictionary usage; listening skills.

(I must mention also my areas of non-expertise: French literature, support in essay writing (though some of my emails could be said to fall under this category!).  Though perfectly capable of these, I prefer to use my skills of oral and aural communication: as I say, I teach rather by the ear, than the eye.


Fees:

I offer a free taster session of one hour in total (which allows me to assess the student’s needs and allows the student to assess how comfortable they are with me!).
This taster session will allow the student to express his or her specific outcome needs.

If the student is from an educational establishment and the contract is being taken out by the school, payment on invoice raised against a school purchase order (21 days).


•    I offer a block of ten sessions for £300 (discount of 25% off full price)
•    I offer a block of five sessions for £175 (discount of 12.5% off full price)
•    Single sessions: £40
•    If any student or their mentor is dissatisfied with progress, I will refund in entirety the
      remaining full session/s fees.
•    I will exercise reasonable flexibility towards changing appointment times previously
     agreed, but will unfortunately have to charge for sessions missed without prior notification.

Books (required for 6 sessions or more): £40  (refunded when 20 sessions have been purchased)

A student will need ten to twenty sessions to feel real progress.

I propose one session per week (minimum) or two sessions per week for a more concentrated input.
Much depends on the needs and the learning ability of the student.
It is possible to have more sessions than this per week, but for better absorption and progress, and because of the necessary in-between course work (I will ask each student to put aside at least twenty minutes per day to work on matters raised in the session completed) I would not suggest more than two sessions per week.

The work in between sessions is vital, and I arrange, in consultation with the student and according to his or her needs, tasks to be completed or learnt in between lessons. 
And I encourage each student to have his or her personal project (which I will manage and oversee).

As the sessions use the medium of Skype, the student will need reasonable internet access, Skype address and computer/laptop, and – for clarity – a headphone with microphone. Suitable ones can be purchased for around £20. (I use a set from HP which I purchased on the internet for £20)

Sessions cannot be held on either smartphone or tablet.

What matters is that we can hear and see each other well.  And that each is disengaged from daily distractions and alone: TVs, smartphones switched off …  
 
Sessions can be held in a school or a home environment.
 

Who am I?  I went through the school system, and then perfected my French for 5 years total immersion in France in a college where only French was spoken.  University of Strasbourg (degree in Theology), eight years in Burkina Faso in a French missionary environment (where I learnt the local language through French) and since then I have used French in much of my everyday work life either teaching or selling books.
I also set up and ran a very successful Language Centre whilst myself teaching twenty groups of all ages and abilities.

For my input and framework for my teaching I use elements appropriate to the student from the FLE programme of the University of Grenoble, plus my own materials.

Teaching and input, as far as possible, depending on the student’s ability, is done in French.  Less for those at level A1, and more for those at level B2.

I am happy to work with students who are of an actual oral and aural ability of between A1 and B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as published by Cambridge (9780521005319) in association with the Council of Europe.
For students already at levels C1 and C2 I would suggest a native speaker.

One final point: if there are two school students who wish to learn together and are at the same level of French, the fee remains the same.  For six or more sessions, each would have to purchase their own books (£40) (I regret no refunds). Both must have their own Skype computer and thus be in communication both with me and each other.  However, so as to retain concentration, both students would have to be in separate locations (could be same house, different rooms).  Thie enables me to concentrate on each of them individually.

I do not form part of a ‘consortium’ of tutors.  If you engage to be taught by me – you will be taught by me.  Since my time for teaching is finite, please do book your place while I have capacity.
I will not be teaching between Friday 19th April and Monday 22nd April 2019 (inclusive).  All other days and times available.

Why not book in for an Easter or a pre-Easter Booster'?


Damian Duggan         February 2019

If sessions are held in the workplace, it is most important that the student/s  are alone, with no distractions: no conversations going on around them, smartphones and emails switched off, all telephone calls withheld… the effectiveness of the session relies on this.
 

For my input and framework for my teaching I use elements appropriate to the student from the FLE programme of the University of Grenoble.

Teaching and input, as far as possible, depending on the student’s ability, is done in French.
Less for those at level A1, and more for those at level B2.

I am happy to work with students who are of an actual oral and aural ability of between A1 and B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as published by Cambridge (9780521005319) in association with the Council of Europe.
For C1 and C2 I would always suggest a native speaker.
For more on what these levels mean, please contact me for details. 
As a rule of thumb, A1 is beginner and C2 is virtual native speaker.

I do not form part of a ‘consortium’ of tutors.  If you engage to be taught by me – you will be taught by me.  I will not be teaching between Fri 19th April and Monday 22nd April 2019 (inclusive).  All other days and times are available.

Since my time for teaching is finite, please do book your place while I have capacity.

Damian Duggan         February 2019