Welcome to WeblishPal! Get ready to start learning English and teaching English!

• What is WeblishPal?

  WeblishPal is an interactive, global English Learning Platform (ELP) where English learners and English tutors can connect face-to-face in online video classrooms. You can view learner and tutor profiles, message each other, and keep track of learning content, evaluations, and other feedback as part of your English learning process.

  You can get started very easily: create an account, complete your profile, and start exploring your language community.

• Why does the world need WeblishPal? What problem are you solving?

  We're solving the problem of bringing education back to the learners and teachers, getting those pesky and expensive schools and private institutions out of the way. We're starting this mission by improving English education for Chinese students in particular. Why send most of your money to the school owner, rather than directly to the teacher who is the key to your learning success?

  Chances are that if you're learning English in China, you've already studied English in school for a decade. Then, you have to take daunting English exams like the TOEFL or IELTS, and you immediately turn to the big English training centres, pay them a lot of money, get some individual attention, and yet, still struggle to get the score you need. Perhaps you're a professional in China, and with the amazing career trajectory you're having, you now need to speak English to clients, business partners, or customers? Yikes…sounds daunting when you don't have the right tools.

  But at last! There is WeblishPal - where you can find exactly the right native English speaking teacher for your needs depending on your situation, regardless if you're planning study abroad, or go close that big overseas client. Don't think you can find someone relevant? We guarantee that we can find you the perfect English tutor match and set you on the road to achieving your English goal. On top of that, you determine when you can study, on your own with ready –to-download English courses crafted by our WeblishPal teachers, or live in our video classrooms. No fixed terms, no long term commitments or upfront fees.

• Who teaches on WeblishPal?

  We're an open, inclusive community, so if you're a native or a truly fluent English speaker, you can teach. If you're a certified ESL teacher, you can teach; if you're a English language secondary school teacher, you're welcome to join; if you're a lawyer, marketer, business guru and you love connecting with others, you're more than welcome to teach on WeblishPal. All we ask is that you represent yourself truthfully and accurately – no need to make up degrees and qualifications that don't exist.

  As an English teacher, you set your own rates based on your experience, qualifications, and market need, and teach as many or few hours as you'd like! Find students, create courses, and lead live classes, all in one place.

• Who learns on WeblishPal?

  English learners on WeblishPal range from highschool students to professionals in various stages of English learning and purpose. It's great to help you prep those tough English exams, university admission interviews, job interviews, and business presentations – really anywhere you are expected to communicate in English. Want to share your story on how WeblishPal has been a useful tool for you? Send us an email, Weibo, Tweet, or Facebook message!

• If this is a free platform, how does WeblishPal make money?

  WeblishPal is absolutely free for students and teachers to join, post classes, and message each other. A key benefit we provide and charge a small percentage for is the escrow features in live classes. If you're a student signing up for a class, your registration fee is held in trust by WeblishPal until your class is over, at which point funds are released to the teacher. This also protects the teacher to make sure all the prep time they put in is going to be compensated if students sign up for the classes. For that protection, and the great platform tools we provide, WeblishPal retains a small percentage of the class fee.

I'm learning English…how can I use WeblishPal to achieve my English learning goals?

Whether you're a student looking to study abroad or a professional, here you can find native English speaking teachers from all over the globe to get you awesome English exam scores, or knock that next business presentation out of the park, all on one easy to use platform.

• What do I need to start learning English on WeblishPal?

  To take video classes, the main thing you'll need is a headset (so you can speak and hear the teacher), a computer and internet access. While some classes are for free, most are for a fee, so you'll need either an AliPay or PayPal account to purchase the classes.

• What kinds of courses are offered on WeblishPal?

  WeblishPal has live video classes and ready-to-download courses for all things English related, ranging from TOEFL prep to business English. WeblishPal teachers create the courses, so if you don’t see something you’re interested in, send them a message and they can create a customized course just for you! Courses are ready to download, while classes are live over online video and take place at a predetermined time. You can schedule live video class sessions with the teachers directly at a time mutually beneficial for you. Each teacher will have a different fee for a live video class as well as the courses. The fees are visible on each teacher's profile and the class and course pages.

• How do the classes take place?

  Once you sign up for a class, you'll have access to the class management page – where additional files, resources, and instructor notes are stored. That same page will indicate what video service will be used (Skype, QQ, MSN, or the built in flash-video). Usually the teacher chooses the tools, but if you have a specific request, you can always leave a note on the class discussion board, or message the teacher directly.

• What are WeblishPal points?

  In order to make it easier to facilitate class payments across multiple currencies, we have created a streamlined points system to make it easier to pay. $1 CAD = 100 WeblishPal Points = 6.5 RMB (roughly). Because of exchange rates, the fee you pay in RMB may be slightly different. You can purchase and keep track of your points on our account page (once you've logged in).

  You can get started on WeblishPal risk free – which means the first time you purchase WeblishPal points, if you're not happy for some reason, we will be happy to refund them for you (minus the PayPal or AliPay transaction fees) as long as you have not registered for a class yet. For any refund inquiries, please email support@weblishpal.com

  And if you happen to love WeblishPal, share it with your friends – we will even give you Bonus WeblishPal points that you can redeem for live classes and courses. For every friend you invite who signs up and creates the profile, we will give you 10 Bonus WeblishPal points!

• Do I get a certificate completing WeblishPal classes?

  The best testament to learning English is having the confidence to speak it fluently. WeblishPal doesn't provide certificates, but you'll know you've achieved a major milestone when you get great marks on your English exams, knock that job interview out of the park, and feel incredibly confident speaking with and being understood by native English speakers.

I want to teach English…how can I grow my teaching career on WeblishPal?

WeblishPal gives you the tools to take your teaching to the far reaches of the globe, all on one convenient platform.

• How do I get started teaching English on WeblishPal?

  Create a teaching profile, create courses, and connect with students. It's that easy to get started on WeblishPal. Here, you determine your own schedule, set your own teaching rates, and what content you want to post. We encourage you to create as much original content as you can – anything you create and post as courses on WeblishPal you own, so make sure it's all your stuff, or if it's borrowed, that you have the appropriate permissions to post.

  The WeblishPal video classroom has a page for you to manage students, upload files, provide feedback and marks, and you have 4 video chat tools to use – including Skype, MSN, QQ, and our built in flash-based tool called TokBox – so you can choose whichever works best for you and your students.

• Do I need to be a certified teacher?

  You can be, but that's not a requirement. We welcome all English enthusiasts and certified English teachers. On your WeblishPal profile, be specific about your experience, credentials, education, and professions, as students have various learning needs ranging from exam prep (TOEFL, IELTS, SATs), peer level tutoring, and industry-specific English as well. If you belong to any professional networks (TESOL, etc), indicate that as well.

• How do I promote myself, my profile and courses on WeblishPal?

  WeblishPal plays well with many social networks, so besides promoting your profile, courses and classes on WeblishPal, you can share them on Facebook, Twitter, and in China, on Weibo and QQ. We automatically push out the Chinese notifications, so you don't have to worry about signing up for those services.

• How do the payments work?

  WeblishPal currently uses PayPal to remit payments to teachers. When you sign up to WeblishPal, use the same email address as you have with your PayPal account, so when you withdraw your earnings, it will be directly sent to that account. On your WeblishPal account page, you will see a list of all transactions and fees – for instance PayPal charges and WeblishPal fees. You can withdraw your funds at any time – there are no minimums.

  When a student registers for an upcoming live chat class, WeblishPal holds the class fee in escrow until the class has ended and the student has released the funds. If a student purchases any of your courses, your payment will be automatically shown in your account page.

• Why grow my career on WeblishPal?

  We believe that by giving you all the tools you need to find students, market yourself in a truly global way, protect your earnings with escrow services, and have multiple video tools at your disposal, you'll be able to do what you love – teach. If you have an existing set of students, you can expand when you teach by inviting them to the platform as well. If you need features and tools that you don't yet see on WeblishPal, let us know by getting in touch at support@weblishpal.com.