English language tutoring is a modality that focuses solely on assisting people whose native language is something other than English. This means English language tutoring is geared toward English as a second language (ESL) and English language learner (ELL) individuals of all ages and levels of skill. However, basic (beginner proficiency) elementary English skills are required for a session to take place.

English language tutoring sessions can be done face-to-face or online, though most prefer meeting in-person. Tutoring can range from assistance on academic work (essays, short-answer questions, reading materials) to professional work (personal statements, cover letters, resumes) to practice with public speaking for both casual and formal forms of conversation.

A more comprehensive list of English language tutoring examples includes:

• Reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, language skills:
  • Tutor and writer read over class homework prompts, assigned readings, or a novel of the student’s choosing and go through unfamiliar vocabulary by writing down definitions and practicing pronunciation of new or unknown words
• Writing practice, essay formatting, sentence structure:
  • Tutor and writer go through a previously written or partially written document (whether it’s a practice essay from TOEFL or IELTS study guides, a past essay for a class, or free writing the student has prepared independent of the session) OR begin work on a new document that either may or may not be submitted as class assigned work from their instructor
  • Tutor and writer specifically work on practice writing prompts for standardized exams, such as the TOEFL or IELTS or graduate-level exams with writing components (GRE, GMAT, MCAT, etc.)
• Grammar, spelling, vocabulary, word choice:
  • Tutor and writer work on either writing or speaking while focusing solely on fixing grammatical issues (verb tense, missing articles, misuse of prepositions, confusion with words and meaning), enhancing vocabulary skills, and discussing when to use certain words in context based on meaning and intent
• Casual, informal conversation:
  • Tutor and writer engage in informal conversation covering various topics, recent events, and shared information (like hobbies and interests) while practicing “conversational English” in a judgment-free setting
• Professional conversation and interview preparation:
  • Tutor and writer engage in a mock interview where tutor acts as the interviewer and writer acts as interviewee; tutor asks writer questions that would likely be presented to the writer at a real interview

For English language tutoring sessions, writers are not required to bring any prepared materials unless they wish to work on writing-specific assignments or prepare for an exam that has a writing component (TOEFL or IELTS).

Sessions must be scheduled for a minimum of one hour in-person or online. The maximum time for a session is three hours in one sitting, regardless of modality.