Are Spanish Skype lessons as effective as face-to-face lessons?

Skype is a free program allowing you to communicate with people all over the world with free voice or video calls. It is becoming increasingly popular amongst language learners as it provides an amazing tool for learning a language effectively.

As a Spanish tutor I have noticed a sharp increase in the number of learners requesting Spanish Skype lessons over the past two years.

How does it work?

• All you need is a PC or laptop, internet connection, a webcam and Skype installed on your computer. Skype is user-friendly and free to download at www.skype.com
• Exchange Skype names with your tutor, add them to your contact list and arrange a convenient time for your lesson. Simple!
• Lessons are conducted in exactly the same way as a face-to-face lesson. Lessons may focus on conversation, listening, grammar, reading, or writing on any topic that you have requested. Your tutor will send you worksheets or activities prior to the lesson by email. Similarly, you can send the tutor your homework via email for feedback.

What are the advantages of Skype Spanish lessons compared to normal lessons?

• It is cost-effective – no travel costs are involved getting to and from lessons. Hence, better for the environment.
• You learn from the comfort of your own home or office. You can be anywhere in the world. If you are on holiday or away on business, you can still keep up with your regular Skype lessons.
• You can have real-time conversations with native tutors living in the country of the language you are studying. It is like having the tutor in the same room as you.
• You can share documents on-screen during the lesson and you benefit from a whole world of resources on the Internet at your fingertips – making lessons highly interactive.

What happens if there are connection problems?

I have only experienced connection problems once. This was a global fault with Skype which was resolved immediately. 99 times out of 100 the connection is almost film like.
Text chat function: If you do lose voice or video options or you need to share email addresses, links or need to see how a word is written, this is very useful. You can also store these text chats for future reference or revision.

Learn Spanish by Skype

Is Skype the way forward for language learning?

Undoubtedly, yes! Although initially I had reservations about the effectiveness of teaching Spanish by Skype, once I started Skype Spanish lessons I soon discovered that it is a very effective method for learning a language. It works in exactly the same way as a face-to-face lesson.

The proof of this is that during a recent trip to Argentina, teaching via Skype allowed me to continue teaching my regular face-to-face clients. Although some were perhaps dubious at first, I received very positive feedback regarding the high quality connection despite being on different continents and how the lesson was just the same as a face-to-face lesson.

If you would like to try a Spanish lesson via Skype, risk free, with no obligation to continue if you feel it is not for you, then see the Online learning page to find out more or to contact us to book your free trial lesson.