Pilot Programme

A pilot programme serves two primary purposes:

  1. It is so the potential client can experience our lessons and service with a view to becoming a corporate client.
  2. It is so TEF can determine the levels and needs of the client and gather as much information as possible so that we can deliver a post pilot report to their HR.

A pilot is typically for up to 10 people over three weeks. Each person gets 6 lessons each. 

These are the key points for teaching students on TEF's pilot programme to guarantee success and more students.

Before the lesson: 
  • Teachers should thoroughly read through the student's profile.
  • Read the company profile (click the company logo on the student profile to access this) and make sure you understand what the company does and what they want their people to be learning.
  • For first lessons, make sure you are connected with the student well in advance and that their Skype ID is correct. 
During the lesson: 
  • Lesson records. ALL of the fields on the lesson record should be filled out (homework, pronunciation, audio recordings etc.). In general, teachers need to help students orient themselves around TEF and this includes showing them all that we have to offer (homework checks, audio recordings on lesson records, content homepage etc.). TEF offers a lot, and we want them to be impressed by how far teachers and TEF will go to take care of them and help them improve. 
  • Get down to business after a little warm up. No conversation lessons or self-introduction lessons please. Demonstrate that you have read the student's profile and previous lesson records. Guide students down a path that will help them improve. Working on a structured course catered to the student's needs is going to be better for them than just doing conversation lessons.

  • There will be two types of students. In the first lesson, ask which type of student you are dealing with and then act accordingly (make sure this is clear on the student profile):

    1. Tourists: Someone who wants to scope us out and try out different courses, different teachers, etc. This might be an HR person or decision maker, for example, and they might want a tour of TEF.
    2. Gardeners: Someone who wants to learn English and focus on one thing. If so, put them on a course. Stick to the course (no conversation lessons, etc.).
  • Treat students like corporate students. Put in a book order on their profile. During the pilot, students will work from the starter PDFs. Use the Look inside links on the course page (students can access these), which saves you trouble from sharing PDF files. Once the pilot is over, the book can be ordered following the book order you put in. 
  • Be on the alert for useful information and pass it on. We need to learn as much as we can about our new clients as fast as possible. Any nugget of information you pick up in the course of a lesson should be passed on via the Watercooler on Skype so that it can make its way back to the relevant sales person and onto the company profile. Don't interrogate. We don't want everyone to ask all the students all the questions all the time. If something comes up organically in the lesson, let us know.
After the lesson:

Communication is key. Please pass on and record all information you garner in the appropriate way.

  1. Update the student's profile. Don't forget course, Skype IDs and other information you pick up about the student's specific case.
  2. Use the message to next teacher field every lesson to hand over to the next teacher and complete all fields in the lesson record and profile.
  3. Create dedicated Skype chats with other teachers of the same student (please loop in Jeremy, Kara and Matthew) to talk about a student if you need to.
  4. Every little bit of info should be shared and get back to us. Post interesting info in the Water Cooler Banter Skype group so everyone sees it. Be as detailed as possible about what you do in the lesson and what the student tells you. 

Support will be monitoring students on the pilot programme to make sure everything is going smoothly and therefore, will be in touch with the teachers who have lessons with students on the pilot.