What happens in your first online lesson
Most people are nervous before the first one and surprised by how ordinary it is. Here is what to expect, so you can spend the time learning instead of worrying.
Before: five minutes of preparation
- Test the link, not the day of. Open the classroom once beforehand and allow the
- Use headphones. It removes the echo that makes teachers repeat themselves.
- Bring one concrete thing. The email you are stuck on, the essay you were marked
- Have your goal in a sentence, plus a deadline if you have one.
During: what a good first lesson looks like
Minutes 0-5 — you talk. A teacher who lets you speak for the first few minutes is assessing you. They are listening for what you can do, not counting mistakes.
Minutes 5-15 — a light check. Some tutors use a short task or a few questions to place your level. It should feel like a conversation, not an exam.
Minutes 15-40 — real teaching. This is where you find out what you are buying: whether they can explain the thing you got wrong, in a way you had not heard before.
Minutes 40-50 — the summary. You should leave with two or three specific things to work on, and a sense of what the next lesson will cover. Vague praise is the most common sign of a lesson that will not go anywhere.
Being corrected is the product. A teacher who never corrects you is being polite at the expense of your progress — say early on that you want to be corrected, and how.
Afterwards: the three-question test
1. Did you speak more than you expected to? 2. Can you name two things you now do differently? 3. Did they plan the next lesson from what happened in this one?
Three yeses: book a recurring slot. Two: give it one more lesson. Fewer: try someone else — that is what the trial is for, and there are 30 tutors here.
Practical answers to the awkward questions
- What if I have nothing to say? Say that. It is a normal starting point and a good
- What if my English is too bad to have a lesson in English? It is not. Beginner
- What if the connection drops? Rejoin. The lesson isn't lost, and if it genuinely
- Do I need to pay for a whole course first? No. A single lesson, or a $5 trial with
Where to book a first lesson
- English · conversation ·
- Maths · programming ·
- All tutors, from $5 an hour.
Try it with one tutor first
The $5 Trial Pass buys 25-minute trials with up to four tutors, so you can meet several before you commit to a course of lessons.
Browse all tutorsQuestions people ask
What do I need for an online lesson?
A browser, headphones and a quiet corner. Lessons here open in the browser with nothing to install; test the camera and microphone once before your first lesson.
How long is a lesson?
Fifty minutes is standard, and trials are 25 minutes. For children, 25-50 minutes depending on age — a tutor will tell you after the first lesson what length holds their attention.
What if the lesson doesn't happen?
Your payment is held rather than spent. You confirm afterwards that the lesson took place, and if something went wrong you report it and the money stays put until it is sorted out.