1. Basic info:

• A trial lesson = a student's very first lesson on TEF 
• You can tell if it is a trial lesson and not a regular lesson by:
  • Looking at the email reservation notification you (the teacher) receives. The email will say "FIRST LESSON & SKILLS ASSESSMENT" when the student makes the reservation.
  • Looking at the student's profile. It should be totally blank besides the section that the student fills out. There will be no "Previous lesson" box or "Lesson history."

2. Preparing for the trial lesson:

• Look at the student's profile in detail. They might have listed past exam results. This will help you get a feel for their level even before you meet them. Also look at any requests or priorities listed on their profile.
• Make sure you are very familiar with all of our courses (courses will be explained in detail later on).
• Send the student a warm Skype contact request. Make sure you say that you are a teacher with The English Farm. 

3. Right before the trial lesson: 

• If the student has yet to accept your Skype contact request, resend the contact request. It's important that they accept your request, because otherwise, you won't be able to send them Skype messages.  If, when the lesson starts, the student has not accepted either Skype request, you can send them an email via the contact button on their student profile. Ask them if they are having any issues on Skype.
  • An example email: "Dear [student]. This is [teacher's name] from The English Farm. We have a lesson scheduled for now. To be able to connect on Skype, you should accept my contact request. If you cannot find it, you can send me a contact request. Here is my Skype ID: [your Skype ID]. Let me know if you are having any Skype trouble or if I can help you in any way. I'm looking forward to our lesson! I hope to meet you soon! Take care."
• If the student has accepted your Skype contact request, send them a message to ask if they are ready to start the lesson before calling them.

4. During the trial lesson (more on this in teaching training!):

1. Welcome them to TEF.
2. Build rapport. Ask them a bit about themselves. This is a good way to start getting a feel of their English level. Go light on corrections here. You don't want to discourage them from speaking as they might be shy or nervous.
   • Ask them if they are taking lessons through their company and if so, what company they work for (if they want to share this information that is - don't be pushy). Do NOT ask if they are working for [company name].  
3. Ask them if they've taken any English exams. If they have taken the GBC exam (more on this exam later in the teaching training session), ask for their most recent score sheet. They can send you the PDF through Skype or give them your email if you prefer.
4. Ask them about their English goals. Help them define their goal if necessary (nothing vague, like "just get better at English"). The goal needs to be SMART:
   • S = specific
   • M = measurable
   • A = attainable
   • R = relevant
   • T = time-bound
5. Based on hearing them speak, their past test scores and their goal for English, you can make a course recommendation and formulate a study plan.
   • Their study plan should include how often they should take lessons, what they should do outside class, etc. This plan should help them reach their goal.
6. Do the trial lesson for your course recommendation.
   • Trial lessons can be found under "Courses."
   • Most courses on TEF have a trial lesson already prepared. The trial lesson looks at new language from a specific page in the book or a specific in-house lesson. There is then an activity to practice the new language. This is a good way to see if the course is a good fit for the student (the right level, etc.).
7. End the lesson on a high and encouraging note. Ask if the student has any questions at all. If the student has any technical questions or questions that you cannot answer, you can give them TEF Support email:  support@theenglishfarm.com

5. After the trial lesson:

• Fill out the lesson record. The title should make it clear that it was the trial lesson, like "Welcome to The English Farm!" or "Trial Lesson."
• Fill out the student's profile. This is the responsibility of the teacher who did the trial lesson, as this teacher is the only one who knows what course the student is going to do, etc. To fill out the student's profile, click "Edit" on their profile (at the top of the page). Fill out the following sub-tabs:
  • "Course & tests"
    • Choose the course from the list that the student is going to be working through (the course that was decided in the trial lesson).
    • If the student told you the date of their upcoming GBC test, you can make that here under "Test dates."
    • Upload any past GBC score sheets (the PDF you asked for in the trial lesson) - if applicable.
    • Click "Save" at the bottom of the page.
  • "Needs & Company (Staff Only)"​
    • If the student is a corporate student, you can add their company here. (Most of the time, this field is already filled in, but in case it is not, you can fill it in if you know).
    • Fill out "Teaching style and requests," "Learning style" and "Extra information" with any relevant information. You should include any info that would be helpful for future teachers this student has. Keep in mind that students cannot see this. Even though students cannot see this, it should still be written in a professional manner.
    • Click "Save" at the bottom of the page.
• Put in a book order (if applicable). If the student is going to be working with a textbook, then you need to put in a book order. Put in a book order for BOTH corporate students and independent students! To put in a book order:
  1. Click the red "Order Book" button on the student's profile.
  2. Put in the student's name at the top of the page (in the blank slot). Make sure the student's name is spelled correctly!
  3. Click the correct textbook from the list.
  4. Note that you can only order one textbook at a time for a student.
  5. Add a remark. Explain to the student why this textbook is a good fit for them.
  6. Click "Save" at the bottom of the page.
  7. You will be taken back to the student's profile and a message thanking you (the teacher) for putting in a book order will appear. The automatic flag under "Textbook Delivery Status" on the student's profile should also turn to green.
  8. Send the student the PDF starter textbook (via Skype message or email). It should be the first fifteen pages of the book. This is so the student can get started right away with the course. Do NOT send the student the PDF of the whole book. This is to avoid copyright infringement issues.
  • Note that if the student is corporate, their textbook will be delivered to their office. You (the teacher) will get an email when their textbook has arrived. You can let them know they can pick it up in their HR Department if they haven't already.
  • If the student is independent, they will have to buy the books themselves. When you put in the book order for them, the system will send them a link to Amazon, so they can purchase it on their own.
• Do a skills assessment. This is an assessment of their skills when they first start with TEF. This should be done after the lesson, not during. These are paid. The system automatically keeps track of all skills assessments you fill out. You do not need to book a lesson with yourself in the calendar to get paid.

1. Click the red "Skills Assessment" button the student's profile. (You can also create one via the black bar at the top of the website:  hover over the "Content" button in the black bar at the top of the website. A list will drop down. Hover over "Add content." Another list will drop down. Click "Skills Assessment.")
2. Put in the student's name at the top of the page (in the blank slot). Make sure the student's name is spelled correctly!
3. Fill out any past test scores here. Note that the GBC exam should be put in to two decimal places. For example: 1.76.
4. Click the course the student is going to work through from the list.
5. Give the student leaf ratings based on their skills. This follows the GBC scoring! Click the link "help page for full description of levels" for more information on this.
   • You can give higher scores for things like "Effort."
6. Put in the student's goal. Remember that it should be SMART (see above)!
7. Fill out the following sections (note that there is a character limit for each one of 1000 characters):
   1. "Our evaluation of your skills." Be honest here, but gentle.
   2. "Your study plan." Be specific here (how often the student should take lessons, what they should do outside of class, etc.).
   3. "Teacher's comment." Write a note to the student. End on a high and friendly note!
8. Click "Save" at the bottom of the page. The student will be sent an email so they can see their skills assessment.
9. You will be taken back to the student's profile. You will be able to see the skills assessment at the bottom of their profile and you will see their current study plan (under their future lessons).
   • The trainer should show the trainee a couple good examples of completed skills assessments. The trainee can also fill out a mock skills assessment for Matthew Test account if they would like!

6. Trial lesson no shows. Note that the policy is different for trial lessons!

• The student is corporate:
  • If the student is corporate and does not attend the trial lesson, do the following in the lesson record:
    • Mark the student "absent."
    • Do NOT refund the point. Corporate students lose their points if they don't attend the trial lesson.
    • Mark that you should get paid.
    • Put in the "Next Lesson" box:  "Trial Lesson."
• The student is independent:
  • If the student is independent and does not attend the trial lesson, do the following in the lesson record:
    • Mark the student "absent."
    • REFUND the point.
      • Trial lessons for students are free, so if they don't attend it, their point should be refunded, so they can reschedule.
    • Mark that you should get paid.