AEE Episode 4: How to Forget About Your English Mistakes

Do you want to get a job in the US? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss what you need to know to excel at an American job interview!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training now   Job interviews everywhere focus on skills and training. But in the US, employers are usually interested in character as well. They want to know whether you’re a team player, what your potential is to be a leader, and how you will grow in your job. As such, they might ask some questions focused more on your behaviors than your skills. It would help to think about these questions ahead of time, so you can be prepared.   Some American job interview questions might include: “Tell us about the most difficult/frustrating individual you ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.” By asking this, they’re seeing whether you can rise above a problem and keep it from affecting the company. “Give an example of how you’ve broken out of a routine or when you’ve successfully developed a new approach.” Here they’re asking you to show flexibility. “How do you schedule your time/prioritize time when you have a tight turnaround?” With this, you might want to explain how you ask others for help or delegate your work.   In answering all of these questions, try to tell a story from conflict to resolution, and keep it under three minutes if possible.   Do employers ask questions like these during job interviews in your country? Tell us about it in the comments section below!     Brad received his undergraduate degree at New York University in 1984, and spent the next 15 years in the business world focused on sales and marketing. After spending a year testing the English teaching waters in Korea, he returned to the USA and got a Masters degree in TESOL from Seattle University in March 2001. Since then Brad has worked in London for a summer, spent a few years in Ireland writing TEFL materials for the Wall Street Institute and other companies, and has worked in Germany and Austria as an in-house Business English trainer for companies like Siemens, Deutsche Post/DHL and EADS. He has also taught many seminars and workshops for various companies on skills like presentations and business correspondence, as well as a business course for two years at the University of Ulm, Germany.   How to Work with Brad on italki: Step 1- Go to italki to get $10 off your second lesson. You must use this link to get the special deal. Step 2- Search for “Brad C” in the teacher search bar after you have registered with the above link for our special promotion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Des 201418min

Do you ever take a risk when learning English? Or would you rather be ordinary and routine? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss how not being a play-it-safer can help your English grow!   Come back to our site for more tips Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Des 201417min

Do you want some help with the local English in San Francisco? Today, San Francisco native Sarah Honour talks about how you can go local with your English in the City by the Bay!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course   San Francisco is one of the most unique and amazing cities in the United States. It’s residents are technology-centric due to their proximity to Silicon Valley, as well as health-centric and nature-centric due to the progressive philosophy that has long been part of the spirit of the city. Sarah believes that these traits are found in some of the language that San Franciscans use, and that knowing this terminology can help you fit in just a little better. Here are Sarah’s three top terms for your visit to San Francisco: “Is there an app for that?”: App is short for application, as in for your phone. Because the Bay Area is near the center of a major technological development region, there are apps for almost everything in the city — from calling a taxi to getting your groceries delivered. Organic, Local, Sustainable and Seasonal: Food quality is really important to San Franciscans. Organic means that no pesticides have been used, local means the food was grown nearby, and sustainable means the environment was not harmed to produce it. Seasonal simply means that it is the natural time of year for the food to grow. “Where’s the wiggle?”: San Francisco is a great city for biking, but it is also a city with lots of hills. The ‘wiggle’ is the route for biking with the least amount of hills to go up.   Have you ever been to San Francisco? Would you like to go? Tell us why in the comments section below!   Sarah is a 31 year old American who was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Communications in Seattle, Washington, and worked for almost 10 years as a nanny (or babysitter) in San Francisco, California.  She now splits her time between San Francisco and Sardinia, Italy where her boyfriend lives. She is an English teacher on italki, and is learning Italian and sampling as much of the amazing food and wine from Italy as she can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Des 201416min

How do you clarify information in English? Have you ever met someone on the phone or the internet before you met them in person? Today, Lindsay and Michelle discuss tag questions, and how they can help you confirm what you think you know, but aren’t sure about!   Come back our site for more tips   A tag question helps you to confirm a piece of information that you think is true, but that you want to clarify. Though they are used as a tool for clarity, they can also be a great way to create conversations. Tag questions tend to begin with the statement to be clarified, and then end with the question. There are many possible combinations.   Some common examples of tag questions include: “You’re from Washington, aren’t you?” “You used to live in New York, didn’t you?” “He can play the piano, can’t he?” “Her birthday is in July, right?”   Are You Ready to Practice? Get a Private, Native English Teacher Now! Try italki to learn to speak like a native. You’ll get your English mistakes corrected immediately! For a limited time you’ll get 10UD to use towards private English lessons on italki. Visit italki now to claim your 10USD in free English lessons.   Do you ever use tag questions? What kinds of things do you need to confirm or clarify in others? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Des 201420min

Do you want to start a conversation in English? Today, Lindsay introduces and talks about conversations with Michelle Kaplan, the new All Ears English co-host!     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Des 201421min

How can you improve your English conversations? Is conversation a science? Find out today as Lindsay talks with Travis Wolven about the poetics of conversation! Come back to our site for more info and tips   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 Nov 201427min

What should be your focus when learning English? How can you make the most of the time you invest in studying? Today Lindsay talks with Nick Vance about the 80/20 principle, and how it can improve your English conversations!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   Nick believes that 80% of the positive benefits of something come from 20% of the input. In business, some customers are more valuable than others. With friends, though you may have many, only a few are truly close. In learning English, most of the grammar mistakes a new learner makes are really the same mistake over and over. Correcting these most common 20% of mistakes would eliminate 80% of all grammar mistakes. The best way to identify these is by working with a teacher who can help point out your mistakes.   Another way to work with the 80/20 principle is to prepare answers to the most common questions you might get from native English speakers. This will help you comfortably get conversations started — which is probably 80% of the work! You might prepare answers to questions like: Where are you from? How long have you lived here? What do you do for a living?   Do you see the 80/20 principle working in your life? How so? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!  Nick Vance is originally from Kentucky and has lived in North Carolina, Washington DC, San Diego and Portland. He has been living in Berlin, Germany for 2.5 years.  Nick’s degree is in math but he left that field when he realized how much he enjoyed helping others learn English.  Nick has been helping people improve their English for 4 years and have been teaching online via Italki for about one year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Nov 201418min

How do you get a job in the United States? What do employers want and expect? Today, Lindsay and Kristy talk about 3 things an employer in the U.S. might look for in a job candidate!   Taking IELTS? Get our free IELTS video training course now   If you’re applying for a job, it’s important to know what your potential employer is looking for. Like any other country, the U.S. has a professional culture which places more value on some individual qualities than others. These qualities may be very different from what employers look for in your home country!   Some qualities American employers seek in employees: Proactive attitude: Show that you are autonomous and energetic – the opposite of passive. It means to show up early, confirm the time you will meet, and say thank you. Positive attitude: Americans like smiles. But it’s also important that you get along with others and not be pessimistic. Communication: When you actively communicate it shows you are engaged. A big part of this is simply that you let the boss know what is going on. Be a “Giver”: Show that you believe in the vision of the company and are personally invested in its success. In other words, it’s more than a job to you.   Are these the same traits that employers look for in your country? Do you have them? Let us know in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Nov 201417min