Have questions about our service? Click the links below for answers to commonly asked questions. If you have other questions not answered here, don't hesitate to contact us.
Q: Do I need to speak Korean to be a Conversation Partner?
No knowledge of the Korean language is required or desired! Students are here to do one thing: practice their spoken and listening English with a native English-speaker.
Q: How much do I get paid?
We compensate our Conversation Partners at a rate of $9.00 per completed 50 minute conversation. In your account, you are compensated in Credits, which can be redeemed at your convenience.
Q: How do I get paid?
Payment is handled through PayPal, and you will need to have a PayPal account to receive compensation.
Q: How much can I expect to make?
That depends heavily on you and your personal schedule. Students may also scrutinize the ratings you receive from other students for completed conversations. We recommend that you set a wide range of availabilities and provide as much information in your profile as possible to ensure that students find you. We are striving to maintain a student-to-conversation partner ratio that makes work readily available to you.
Q: How easy is it to quit or take a break from YongoPal?
Easy. You provide your own personal availability. If you aren't available on certain days or at certain times, leave your calendar blank.
Q: What are you offering to your customers?
What we (and you) are offering to our student customers is the opportunity to practice spoken English in a relaxed, casual, low-stress context which better resembles real-life social interaction than what they have learned from textbooks and professional teachers.
Q: How is casual conversation actually beneficial to our students?
A problem exists in Asian educational systems, particularly when it comes to language education, where students are forced to learn by rote memorization and are taught only what they need to receive high marks on standardized written exams. The result is that, even though they have been studying English for many years, many students struggle with even simple conversation.
At YongoPal, we believe (and everyone fundamentally understands) that the more casual conversational interaction students are allowed to have with native English speakers, the better their spoken and listening English will become.
Q: Why is this a billable service? Why can't our students just do this for free?
In the United States, we have the privelege of being able to interact with many people from diverse cultural backgrounds, perhaps even on a daily basis. Asian countries, however, are much more culturally homogeneous. Native English speakers are likely to make up only a fraction of a percentage of the people that live around your students.
Given the scarcity of opportunities to interact with foreigners and the overwhelming demand for such services, a sizable market has emerged. YongoPal is committed to reducing the cost of this service in relation to other providers and alternatives, and our students are overwhelmingly satisfied.
Q: Do I have to download anything to be a Conversation Partner?
No, you actually don't have to download anything. YongoPal provides an in-browser Chat Center within each YongoPal Conversation Partner account, which is where all Conversations take place. We do, however, recommend that Conversation Partners maintain a backup alternative, in the event of technical difficulty. We currently recommend TokBox and Wetoku, as both are also free in-browser video VoIP services which require no download and do not require students to create their own accounts. YongoPal does not have a formal relationship with either TokBox or Wetoku.
Q: What equipment will I need?
You will need a webcam, a headset (or headphones and microphone), and a broadband internet connection capable of handling video conferencing.
Q: I'm not receiving session requests. Why not?
The likely answer is that your interests, educational background, professional background, or availability schedule have not yet been good matches for any new students. You can try broadening your availability or expanding on your interests, which will increase the likelihood of your selection. If, however, you are not convinced that your profile is being viewed properly, you can contact us and let us know.
Q: How are my sessions being graded?
For the time being, sessions are not being graded according to any particular rubric. Though students are asked to take Conversation Partners' timeliness, patience, and quality of conversation into account, the grades assigned are very general. We are working to implement a rubric that will create consistency and provide you with better feedback, but it may take some time.
Q: Why aren't there more Questions listed in your FAQ?
Probably because we're a brand new service and people haven't really had the opportunity to ask us any. If you have your own questions, feel free to contact us and ask!
