FAQs | Helping you make informed decisions
Find out more about how to book and our terms and conditions.
Find Answers to your Important Questions
It’s important you choose the right Teacher and provider to support you in your English Language journey. Before booking your lessons, take the time to read the questions and answers below, including the terms and conditions. Happy? Just contact Joanne to start your journey to being a more confident, natural-sounding English speaker today.
Hi, I’m Joanne! Having the right Teacher can make a big difference in how practical and fun your classes are. What’s important for you to know about me to help you feel 100% confident I’m your best choice to learn English?
– Firstly, I am a qualified Teacher of English as a second language. I have a Level 5 Teaching English as a Foreign Language Diploma with additional specialist modules in Teaching English Online and Teaching Business English. A UK Government (Ofqual) regulated qualification and CELTA-equivalent qualification.
– I was born in England, meaning I’m a native English speaker, and I’ve always loved learning from a young age. I have a MA Hons (Economics) from Cambridge University and was an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Banking during my Financial Services career.
– Let me tell you a bit more about my professional background. I spent ~ 15 years working for a multinational UK Bank which involved working in the UK, across Europe and in Seychelles. I worked across various functions in senior management positions, including marketing, business development and product management through to Chief Operating Officer responsibilities. During my time in financial services, I invested time supporting mentoring programs, facilitating leadership development training, running large team building events for Departments and personal development programs for my teams. I then moved to Borneo (Malaysia) with my partner to set up and run a Tourism Business which is now recognised as one of the leading Travel Operators in Sabah and has been awarded the Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence every year since 2011.
– So what would you like to know about me? I live with my partner Billy and our four rescue pets (two dogs, two cats). Bertie, our Beagle, may help out as a Teachers Assistant during some of your classes :-). I love travelling and have been fortunate to live in four countries – England, the Seychelles, Malaysia and now Spain (Menorca). I volunteer for Protectura d’Animals Mao and regularly walk dogs from the Perrera / Dog Pound in Mahon. I love living in Menorca with all its natural beauty and charm. I like to live life to the full and believe passionately in learning and laughter going hand-in-hand together.
Each lesson will be for 60 minutes, during which we’ll spend as much time as possible on communicative activities. At the start of each class, we will review what was covered in a previous lesson – remember, practice makes perfect! At the end of each lesson, there will be a review of the new language or skills, you have practised and an error review session. Errors are a good thing as they are the signs of someone trying new things :-). The rest of the class will include various activities focused on helping you learn and improve your English language ability – whether it be new vocabulary or phrases, practising pronunciation or developing one of your English language skills (like listening). Variety is the spice of life, as they say. The mix of activities and authentic and exciting lesson material will help make your lessons engaging, enjoyable and useful for you!
Lessons can be booked from Mondays to Fridays 0900 – 2100 Central European Time (GMT + 1), and 0900 – 1400 on Saturdays.
You do not need to buy a coursebook for your English classes with Joanne. We’ll use a range of materials during the English classes, including worksheets, videos/films, podcasts, reading material, etc. I will tailor the content of the materials to your needs and interests. I will reference the Global Scale of English (GSE) Teacher Toolkit to ensure appropriate learning objectives, grammar and vocabulary are used in your lessons. The GSE Teacher Toolkit is an online database that brings together learning objectives, grammar and vocabulary in one place, all mapped to the GSE and CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
Homework is recommended to help you maximise your learning. The more times you practice the new English language skills and structures (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar) you learn during a class, the quicker it will become part of your everyday English language ability. As they say, practice makes perfect! Before your lessons start I will chat with you about the time you will have available for homework. Your homework activities will then reflect the time you have available, how you like to learn and help you practice what you learned during your class. But don’t worry, homework needn’t be boring or feel like a chore – you’ll be surprised at how rewarding and enjoyable, it can be to practice your English in between classes.
The 15-minute consultation is optional. It offers you the opportunity to get to know me, and my teaching style, before booking your English classes. This way, you can ensure I will be your best choice as a Teacher to help you learn English as a second language. It also helps me get to know you and learn more about your English language goals and what interests you. If you already know me, through lessons, or would like to jump straight into learning English with Joanne, then you can also choose to book your classes without a consultation.
Firstly you need to contact me by email or WhatsApp to let me know the English class package you want to buy. I will then email you an invoice and information on payment options. Full payment is required before your first class. You can make payment via PayPal payment request or bank transfer using IBAN to a Spanish Bank Account. Once full payment is received, I’ll email you to arrange the date and time, and brief you for, your first lesson. You can choose to book the dates and times for all your classes upfront, or we can agree a date and time at the end of each lesson for your next class – whatever works best for you. Please note there are no refunds for classes.
Before you start your lessons, I will help you work out your current English language level via a quick and straightforward placement quiz. I will refine your level during your classes as you develop your English language skills. Your level is upon the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR describes foreign language proficiency at six levels: beginner (A1), elementary (A2), Intermediate (B1), Upper Intermediate (B2), Advanced (C1) and Proficient (C2) to describe your English level. I will use three levels for simplicity – beginner, intermediate and advanced. You can also choose to use a self-assessment grid (available in a range of languages) to work out your level across the four English language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
You’ll need a laptop or computer and an Internet connection with a good quality connection and decent bandwidth. Check that the speakers and camera built into your computer are of a good enough quality, so you will be able to see and hear me. I use Zoom for online classes as it offers the perfect virtual classroom environment. We’ll be able to share documents and work on them together, use breakout rooms for group classes, practice writing skills using online chat alongside seeing and hearing each other. Zoom is easy to use – I’ll send you a meeting link by email before each class. You then click on the link at the start of your class, and I’ll be there waiting to welcome you to your class.
The lesson prices are based on online classes. If you’d like to learn English from the comfort of your home, then online classes offer you a flexible solution.
I can offer face to face lessons to clients living near Sant Luis or Mahon, Menorca – at your home or another suitable nearby location.
Terms and Conditions
If you need to change or cancel a class, please email me more than 24 hours before your class start time (please do not use WhatsApp to cancel a class). I will then agree with you a new date and time for your class. If you cancel a class less than 24 hours from the lesson start time, you will be charged for the class.
Although it is unlikely to occur, if the teacher cannot make the lesson, you will be notified by email straightaway. You can then use the payment sent to schedule a future class, or a refund for the class can be provided.
If you are running late, please let me know, so I know you’re ‘on your way’. If you arrive late for a class, this time will be deducted from the class’s total duration. For example, if you have a 60-minute class and arrive 15 minutes late, your class will be 45 minutes long. I will wait for a maximum of 20 minutes before I go offline and it will be a missed class for you.
Your lessons package will expire after six months from the date of purchasing them. If you don’t take all of your purchased lessons within this period, you will lose the credit for those lessons.
Luckily, a good quality Internet connection is becoming a norm for many locations across the world, so Internet connectivity impacting a lesson is hopefully very low. It is your responsibility to check that you have sorted out any technical difficulties relating to microphones, video, internet connection etc. before starting the lesson. Suppose, however, we experience technical problems resulting from weather conditions or other circumstances beyond our control. In that case, we will first wait for a maximum of 10 minutes to see if it quickly rectifies itself, and we can continue with the class. If the technical difficulties last for longer than 10 minutes during a class, then I will be happy to rearrange the lesson for another time.
Language classes in Spain are exempt from IVA (Spanish sales tax). ‘English with Joanne’ is not responsible for any additional bank fees, interest charges, finance charges, overdraft charges, or other fees you may incur in sending payment.
Engish with Joanne is a service offered by Joanne Cotterill NIE: Y3753584-K.
I reserve the right to change my Lesson prices but will notify you in advance of increases.
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