Private coaching takes a high level of concentration, which means 1-on-1 hours are limited and cannot be scaled. Instead of using aggressive sales pitches to encourage students to sign up for endless lesssons, the focus is on building high-quality digital materials that allow the student to do some of the heavy lifting first. Here is exactly why this approach works better for both the teacher and the student.
When people ask me what I do for a living, I hesitate. I wouldn’t really describe being an accent coach or a pronunciation instructor as my full time profession. Previously I worked as a translator and currently I’m involved in other lines of work in a completely different industry.
I often hesitate because people can get uncomfortable when I tell them what I do. They may feel embarrassed by their own accent, fearing they’re being judged, which is a bit of a headache for me. Some may even be in denial about their speech patterns, and meeting me can make them feel self-conscious about the way they speak (even though this is not my intention).
I have been refining my approach to this work for many years. I see it as a project to help people achieve a perfect native-like British accent. Just like when I was learning Japanese, I wanted to mimic the sounds just like a Japanese person so I understand the desire for individuals who want to master the RP accent. But regardless of how it shapes your identity, for me it was always about the challenge. Is it really possible for a non-native speaker of any language to pass as a native? And what would it take to achieve this? That’s part of the reason why I got into this.
After all these years of teaching, I’m confident that I can provide the guidance needed to help individuals reach that goal. In addition to the 1-1 coaching, my method relies entirely heavily on the audio repetition training programs I’ve spent years developing. It’s about building muscle memory and creating behavioural changes to your speech patterns.
That said, I also understand that it’s a personal choice. This isn’t a service that I try to sell. I don’t try to convince anyone to change their accent. The way you speak is your choice. Nevertheless, if you do want to change the manner in which you speak, then I’m willing to help and I’ll explain why my method works (as long as you follow the plan).
Individuals usually come to me once they’ve decided this is what they want. Despite all my experience, teaching (properly) requires an immense amount concentration and focus. I have to pay attention for a full 40-minutes, listen to the subtle differences that are preventing the student from speaking the way they want to. If a student isn’t onboard and ready to commit, results are going to be difficult to come by. That doesn’t mean you have to study all day, it just means the willingness to put aside 10-20 minutes a day to practise and commit to one lesson a week.
If you’re ready to see results, you can contact me. I look forward to working with those who are ready to make that commitment.