Redwood ESL

Free ESL Tutoring For Immigrants

When you work with your own ESL tutor, you will soon feel confident speaking and writing English. Your tutor will help you learn vocabulary and basic grammar. You will be surprised by how quickly your English conversations improve.

What happens during a Redwood ESL tutoring session?

During your tutoring sessions, your tutor will encourage you to talk about topics that interest you. This will help you expand your vocabulary and become more confident speaking English. We tutor at a comfortable pace.

You start each session with a casual conversation. Then you will review what you learned in the last session and what you have been practicing. This reinforces and clarifies what you have been learning. It is conversational, so you expand your vocabulary and improve your pronunciation.

Following that review, your tutor will introduce a new ESL subject, such as nouns or punctuation. For this part of the meeting, you and your tutor will often view online video lessons on your PC via Zoom. Sometimes, you will write sentences or correct sentences that you have already written. You will learn new words and new ways to express yourself.

At the end of the tutoring session, the tutor will suggest additional ways to improve your English and will give you an assignment to complete for the following session. Your tutor will work at your pace, and you will soon become more comfortable with English conversation.

People frequently ask these questions about our service:

• Will I have to buy books or pay fees? No. There are no expenses, books, or fees. This service is 100% free.

• Who qualifies for this free service? We offer it primarily to immigrants who are working, supporting a family, or taking an ESL class. Candidates must be familiar with a laptop and agree to practice on their own between sessions. Here are some of the students we have tutored.

• What if something comes up and I can't participate in a meeting? You can always cancel or reschedule a meeting if you give your tutor notice.

• Can Redwood ESL tutor my child? Sorry, the service is for persons at least 18 years of age.

• Can I qualify for this program if I am not an immigrant? This service is only for immigrants.

• Will I always have the same tutor? You may continue with the same tutor as long as you are making progress. 

• What can you tell me about my tutor? Your tutor will be an experienced volunteer focusing on each student's needs. Some of our tutors are retired, and all have mastered English through teaching or other work. All of them are lifelong American speakers.

• Can I meet my tutor before I start the program? Yes. If you contact us, you and your tutor will have an introductory Zoom meeting. The introductory meeting will help you determine whether this is the right program and tutor for you. It will help us determine if you are a good fit for the program.

• When can I start? You can usually start without delay.

• What if I am already in an ESL class? Your tutor will support your classroom professor, explain unclear teachings, and help you with homework and projects.

• Will my tutor help me with real-life tasks and projects that require me to speak in English? Yes. Working on real-life situations is one of the best ways to master conversational English. Here are some success stories.

• Will my tutor speak my native language? In some cases, your tutor will be familiar with your native language. Our tutors are skilled at tutoring people with limited English skills. We tutor in both online and in-person formats.

• What cities does Redwood ESL work in? Some lessons are better understood in person, so we primarily tutor people who live in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. 

• Where do we meet? For in-person meetings, you and your tutor will meet at a school, a library, or some other public place. For online meetings, you should be in a quiet place with the good wi-fi signal.

• What equipment do I need? You need a laptop with a working camera, microphone, and a reliable Wi-Fi signal. Our tutoring approach requires a laptop; a phone will not work.

• What computer skills will I need? You will need to be familiar with your laptop.

• Does Redwood ESL provide technical training? We will assist you with any technical issues, but we expect you to be able to use your laptop independently.

• Why is this program free? Redwood ESL is a private non-profit organization supported by individuals who have lived with and worked with immigrants throughout their lives. Tutors are unpaid volunteers, so our expenses are low enough to offer free ESL tutoring.

• How do I apply for this service? Tap the Contact Us button. Your tutor will respond within 48 hours. Act now. You can improve your English, and we can help.