Post: #1

I did a search for this topic however I couldn't find any real definitive info. Apologies if it has been raised previously.

I am hoping to start online skype lessons to learn Spanish as I think my best shot at learning the language is by conversing with a native speaker from home. I have used Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas, however I believe listening to tapes and the like can only get you so far.

I'm aware of language exchange communities on the web (livemocha, sharedtalk etc), however I would prefer to pay an hourly fee and concentrate on learning in comparison to teaching others as I don't have the time to do both. I have heard figures of $10/hr being the going rate.

Has any on the forum used such a service? If so, do you have any recommendations, pointers or links?

Cheers

Post: #2

I don't have the URL, but there was a language school recommend on here a while back that was supposed to be really good (as some are really fucking horrible), and they had Skype lessons. I believe it was in either Quito or Lima. I wanna say it was in a thread titled something like "Best country to learn Spanish in?" or something like that. Mixx had left a list ranking 10 countries based on their accent for learning Spanish.

Sorry, I know that's not very specific, but it's all I can remember lol. If you happen to find it, post it here if ya don't mind.

Post: #3

This chick has massive positive reviews for $5 spanish lessons on Fiverr:

http://fiverr.com/mariapia/give-you-a-sp...n-on-skype

Post: #4

Fuckin Fiverr. Never woulda thought about that. Good find, DareP.

Post: #5

DareP - Good find. Thanks mate. That is a bargain. She actually looks bangable too.

Rio - I still can't find the language school that was mentioned, however this post outlines Mixx's ranking of the best spanish accents to learn from; /thread-2157-p...l#pid20199

Post: #6

(04-22-2012 01:34 AM)Lukey Wrote:  I did a search for this topic however I couldn't find any real definitive info. Apologies if it has been raised previously.

I am hoping to start online skype lessons to learn Spanish as I think my best shot at learning the language is by conversing with a native speaker from home. I have used Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas, however I believe listening to tapes and the like can only get you so far.

I'm aware of language exchange communities on the web (livemocha, sharedtalk etc), however I would prefer to pay an hourly fee and concentrate on learning in comparison to teaching others as I don't have the time to do both. I have heard figures of $10/hr being the going rate.

Has any on the forum used such a service? If so, do you have any recommendations, pointers or links?

Cheers

http://www.fredoneverything.net/SpanishLessons.htm

Post: #7

(04-22-2012 09:40 AM)Luvianka Wrote:  

(04-22-2012 01:34 AM)Lukey Wrote:  I did a search for this topic however I couldn't find any real definitive info. Apologies if it has been raised previously.

I am hoping to start online skype lessons to learn Spanish as I think my best shot at learning the language is by conversing with a native speaker from home. I have used Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas, however I believe listening to tapes and the like can only get you so far.

I'm aware of language exchange communities on the web (livemocha, sharedtalk etc), however I would prefer to pay an hourly fee and concentrate on learning in comparison to teaching others as I don't have the time to do both. I have heard figures of $10/hr being the going rate.

Has any on the forum used such a service? If so, do you have any recommendations, pointers or links?

Cheers

http://www.fredoneverything.net/SpanishLessons.htm

Thanks Luvianka. Any reason for the recommendation?

Post: #8

(04-22-2012 10:23 AM)Lukey Wrote:  

(04-22-2012 09:40 AM)Luvianka Wrote:  

(04-22-2012 01:34 AM)Lukey Wrote:  I did a search for this topic however I couldn't find any real definitive info. Apologies if it has been raised previously.

I am hoping to start online skype lessons to learn Spanish as I think my best shot at learning the language is by conversing with a native speaker from home. I have used Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas, however I believe listening to tapes and the like can only get you so far.

I'm aware of language exchange communities on the web (livemocha, sharedtalk etc), however I would prefer to pay an hourly fee and concentrate on learning in comparison to teaching others as I don't have the time to do both. I have heard figures of $10/hr being the going rate.

Has any on the forum used such a service? If so, do you have any recommendations, pointers or links?

Cheers

http://www.fredoneverything.net/SpanishLessons.htm

Thanks Luvianka. Any reason for the recommendation?

Not at all. I regularly read Fred's articles and one day I found that his Mexican wife or mate was going to provide that service.

Post: #9

(04-22-2012 08:40 AM)Lukey Wrote:  DareP - Good find. Thanks mate. That is a bargain. She actually looks bangable too.

Rio - I still can't find the language school that was mentioned, however this post outlines Mixx's ranking of the best spanish accents to learn from; /thread-2157-p...l#pid20199

Yeah, looks like it was a different thread. I'm fairly sure it was either in Quito or Lima, but I don't remember which thread it was in. Sorry man.

Post: #10

Ive been studying Spanish for 2 years roughly.
Last summer i decided that i was ready for 2 months of tutor classes. I did 60 days mas o menos of 1 hour classes with a tutor named Milvia.
The site is called speak shop
and it is the best bargain there is out there.
you have a choice between several members programs, whatever fits you right and the cost is 10 dollars per class.
Don't think i'll ever find a good teacher like Milvia. The problem is that now she wants to be a history teacher in her city in Guatemala, and so soon she won't be available unless she has decided otherwise.
They have a free lesson. You won't regret it.

Post: #11

(04-22-2012 01:34 AM)Lukey Wrote:  I did a search for this topic however I couldn't find any real definitive info. Apologies if it has been raised previously.

I am hoping to start online skype lessons to learn Spanish as I think my best shot at learning the language is by conversing with a native speaker from home. I have used Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas, however I believe listening to tapes and the like can only get you so far.

I'm aware of language exchange communities on the web (livemocha, sharedtalk etc), however I would prefer to pay an hourly fee and concentrate on learning in comparison to teaching others as I don't have the time to do both. I have heard figures of $10/hr being the going rate.

Has any on the forum used such a service? If so, do you have any recommendations, pointers or links?

Cheers

By teaching others you will learn faster yourself.
Etc. you teach the other person how to greet someone in English...they teach you how to say it in Spanish. This way you link the English knowledge to the Spanish.

At an advanced level it might be better to focus on pure conversation entirely in the foreign language. Just talking with a Skype buddy from Spain/S.America and conversing would be useful in this case.

From my experience, native speakers make the worst teachers..just like natural PUAs suck at teaching game. Good for advanced convo practice though.

Source: degree in psychology, studying a foreign language at the moment

Post: #12

Just an update for those who are interested.

I have taken a couple of lessons thus far with both Speak Shop and Nulengua.

Both have been quite good, however Nulengua has been the cheaper of the two as there is no monthly subscription fee; http://www.nulengua.com/

As per Suskind's earlier post, Speak Shop have been excellent too, however I am going to try to have a lesson with Milvia as she gets good reviews. Its just difficult getting an appropriate time slot due to the time zone difference (I'm in Australia).

Post: #13

I can skype in Spanish with you (native) if you want, just let me know.

Post: #14

(05-08-2012 12:39 PM)FretDancer Wrote:  I can skype in Spanish with you (native) if you want, just let me know.

Thanks for the offer mate. I will keep pressing on with these online lessons, however once I feel like I am becoming conversant I will hit you up.

Post: #15

Anyone have an updated recommendation here? Preferably Colombian?

Post: #16

^
Rio, have you ever stumbled across italki?

If not, check this out: https://www.italki.com/teachers/spanish Check "Native" and set the hourly rate at $0-100 and take a look at Community Teachers. You can get a lesson (60min) for around $7. You can also set the city to Colombia. Let's say you took a couple of lesson with one, than you could ask for a personal meeting and switch over to "live teaching" when you guys know each other more deeper.

I have made really good experiance so far and if you don't like each other just try another one. It's easy...

Hope that helps!

Post: #17

I use italki all of the time. Probably the cheapest and most convenient way to learn a language aside from living in a country where the target language is spoken. Highly recommended.

Post: #18

if possible fly to guatemala, pretty sure its only 7 bucks an hour. My language school is Mexico was 10 bucks an hour. Colombian spanish isnt far off from the central american countries or ecuador/peru.

Whatever you do don't learn from the southern part: chile, uruguay, argentina

Post: #19

(05-19-2016 03:26 PM)godzilla Wrote:  if possible fly to guatemala, pretty sure its only 7 bucks an hour. My language school is Mexico was 10 bucks an hour. Colombian spanish isnt far off from the central american countries or ecuador/peru.

Whatever you do don't learn from the southern part: chile, uruguay, argentina

Hey godzilla great advice on Italki. Just curious as I am planning on going to learn Spanish in xela guatemala for 6 months to 1 year. What was the name of the language school in Mexico you went to and how long were you there?

Did you become fairly fluent? Most of the language schools I found in Mexico were about 3 x more expensive than Guatemala (many include room and board and 1 on 1 instruction) .

Thanks in advance as I'm sure this will help others looking to do the same

Post: #20

(05-19-2016 01:28 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  Anyone have an updated recommendation here? Preferably Colombian?

A year ago I fished around a bit trying to find a Colombian Skype teacher but never found anything that worked out.

I ended up working with a Guatemalan teacher from this company (http://letsgospanish.com/) and was happy with her, although I was using her more just to practice conversation than actual formal instruction. Rates vary from $10 to $16 per hour depending on how many you buy.

Post: #21

(05-19-2016 03:42 PM)GranMarnier Wrote:  

(05-19-2016 03:26 PM)godzilla Wrote:  if possible fly to guatemala, pretty sure its only 7 bucks an hour. My language school is Mexico was 10 bucks an hour. Colombian spanish isnt far off from the central american countries or ecuador/peru.

Whatever you do don't learn from the southern part: chile, uruguay, argentina

Hey godzilla great advice on Italki. Just curious as I am planning on going to learn Spanish in xela guatemala for 6 months to 1 year. What was the name of the language school in Mexico you went to and how long were you there?

Did you become fairly fluent? Most of the language schools I found in Mexico were about 3 x more expensive than Guatemala (many include room and board and 1 on 1 instruction) .

Thanks in advance as I'm sure this will help others looking to do the same

I was only in Mexico for 2 1/2 months. I would say i was close to conversational short of some vocab...fast way to learn is.. intensive classes ..plus you have to commit ..DONT SPEAK ENGLISH AT ALL...like i didnt even respond if my parents sent a messege in english...but i also did duolingo before i went and that helped.

Sorry bro, cant give away the school, if you can have someone vouch for you, send me a PM

Post: #22

I haven't used it as a student (I was thinking of using it as a teacher, but I have something else) but I think https://www.verbling.com/ is also a good option.

I've been thinking of doing just this- taking online Spanish lessons. Just living here in Mexico is not enough to learn very fast. People are too nice to ever correct me.

Post: #23

HOW TO TAKE LANGUAGE CLASSES BY SKYPE (ESPECIALLY SPANISH)
I've used the site italki, both as a language student and as a 'professional' language teacher. I've also given many hundreds of Skype lessons independently and am a certified teacher of English (native speaker) and Spanish. Here are my tips / observations for taking online language lessons.

• Try a few teachers. Personality, teaching style, training, knowledge and experience vary wildly. A good fit is important. All too many language teachers view themselves as upholders of the 'proper' way to speak their language, which often differs from how it is actually spoken, even by them. Avoid anyone with a literature degree. Bonus points for teachers who are proficient language learners themselves. They can better understand what you are going through and adjust accordingly. Also, do not rule out non-native speakers. If they have C1 or C2 level (advanced) and share your native language, they know the specific challenges you face better than inexperienced native-speaking teachers. The downside is that the language and pronunciation model they provide may not be fully natural.
• italki has three options. You can do a language exchange (free), have sessions with a 'community tutor' (untrained, but possibly experienced) or take classes with a 'professional teacher' (certification verified). If you don't have any successful language learning experiences under your belt, I recommend going with a professional teacher. A community tutor is a good option if you are an independent language learner. Focus on practicing with them and receiving feedback (this is wrong ... this is right) rather than seeking explanations. I cannot recommend the free language exchange, due to their flakiness and low motivation. I once surveyed 60 users on italki and the vast majority had only chatted (text) with others users, had never done even one Skype exchange.
• During the sessions, be prepared to talk about yourself as well as the subjects and situations you're interested in. That will lead you to the kind of language you'll actually need for real-world communcation. That also helps the teacher see where you need work. Many students envision the language class as something passive, where they just sit and absorb. That is not a good use of one-on-one attention.
• Do some work on your language outside of class. Too many students believe that by just showing up and paying, they've done their part. This wildly underestimates the enormity and nature of the task.
• If you're a beginner, don't rule out in-person group classes. Despite their shortcomings (time, schedule, distance, availability), group classes have a social element and tend to be more structured, which can be beneficial.
• Once you are at the intermediate level, here's my recommendation of where you should be spending your time and energy:
  
  1. 70% Input. Consume content produced for native speakers (e.g., television, video). You need to be able to understand the gist, so repeated viewings are in order. There's also the Destinos series, a 50+ episode soap opera for Spanish learners, available on YouTube or at public libraries in the US.
  2. 10% Analysis. Pay some attention to the form of the content you are consuming. Why did they say it that way? How is that different from how you would have said it? Keep a notebook of any potentially useful language you hear.
  3. 10% Study. In the US, you can pick up old editions of used textbooks and references on Amazon for next to nothing. Even ones not meant for self-study can be useful. If you're on the ground in Mexico, there's Así Hablamos series by the UNAM (check Ghandi bookstore). I highly recommend the book Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish, which focuses on conversational skills (especially Spanish of the Americas/Mexico). Check out the amazon reviews to see why.
  4. 10% Practice and Feedback. Practice using your Spanish. Get feedback from a teacher. Ten percent might not seem like much, but the real learning goes on when you're consuming 'input' (see above). Practicing your Spanish gives you the chance to use and solidify what you have learned.
  5. If you have the opportunity to use your Spanish in real settings (not language class), obviously that is helpful as well.
     

Finally, check out these two previous threads on the forum for Spanish learners:
Americas' Spanish Language Datasheet
Spanish Learning Resources