STEP 1 - Determine your Goals
Travel – Learn directions, greetings and other words commonly related to travel.
Basic Knowledge – Study the basics: numbers, days of the week, common activities, greetings, directions, dates, colors, etc. and learn basic grammatical structures.
Conversational Ability – Develop vocabulary for everyday interactions and ability to engage in basic conversation in present, past and future tenses.
Fluency – Develop ability to speak, read and write in all verb tenses and easily converse in a large variety of situations.
Business/Industry-Specific – Prepare for interviews, meetings and negotiations.
Test preparation – Meet certification or school proficiency requirements; prepare for classroom exams.
Supplement High School, College or Grad School Classes – get individualized tutoring to help you with your classes.
Improve Speaking – Practice speaking to improve pronunciation and word choice

STEP 2 - Assess Your Skill Level
First Time – You’ve never studied Spanish.
Novice – You’ve studied a little Spanish.
Beginner – You have a basic understanding of common everyday words and have had exposure to basic grammar. You can put together simple sentences.
Intermediate – You are able to understand the majority of spoken and written Spanish and you can hold conversations about familiar topics in present, past and future tenses.
Advanced – You are able to speak, write and understand Spanish in a variety of situations and you can express complex thoughts and make few grammatical errors. You may have been fluent in the past.
Fluent – You never need to pause or think to express yourself in written or spoken Spanish.

STEP 3 - Choose one or the Speak Shop Study Plans - Coming soon…
or,
Create a Customized Plan
You may already know what it is that you want to study. Work with your tutor and use the online language learning tools available at Speak Shop to get you speaking Spanish as soon as possible.

How do I choose a tutor? return to top
To search for your tutor simply use one or more of the following criteria:
. Name
. Teaching Experience
. Education
. Country of residence
. Feedback rating
. School affiliation

How does the Free Trial work? return to top
There are two fees at Speak Shop – the Monthly Membership Fee and the Tutor Fee. The 30-day free trial applies to the Speak Shop Membership Fee. Tutor fees are separate, but tutors also offer a free introductory lesson. Speak Shop uses PayPal, a secure payment method, to process these fees.


Membership Fee – First month is Free!
The Membership Fee is $9.99 per month and is paid directly to Speak Shop. This fee covers the costs associated with scheduling, teacher listing, teaching tools, web site maintenance and membership management. This flat monthly fee gives you the ability to:

. Locate, evaluate, compare and pay for the best tutors at the best price.
. Connect with your tutor through text chat, audio and videoconferencing.
. Create a study plan based on your goals, time schedule and current fluency.
. Join a Community of language learners and instructors.

Tutor Fees
Lesson fees are set by tutors, and you pay them each time you reserve lessons. Speak Shop does not charge tutors to use our site. (PayPal will apply a small deduction for credit card transactions. Spanish schools that provide tutors with computers, webcams and Internet access may also retain a portion of fees.) You decide which tutor and price combination works best for you. On average, tutors charge $8 per hour, depending on the tutor, number of lessons, country of residence, season, etc.

Speak Shop only receives the Membership fee.

The free trial is available only to first-time users of Speak Shop. You’ll need to sign up with a credit card, but canceling is easy.

If learning a language through Speak Shop doesn’t work for you, simply cancel online during your free trial period and you will not be charged the monthly membership fee. Just fill out the online form and we will cancel your subscription, no questions asked.

. Send instant messages to your tutor – Talk, send text messages, and even see your contacts in person with a web cam.

. See and hear your contacts – Use a web cam, microphone, and speakers to see and talk to your tutor or other students, anywhere.

How do I pick a Private Tutor? return to top
Find the tutor that’s right for youat a price that is right for you. Whether you already know what you want or prefer to try things out, Speak Shop puts you in control. Review tutor profiles and then hire the tutor or tutors you want for a price you are willing to pay.

If you have already studied Spanish abroad, you may be able to continue studying with the same tutor and school you know and trust. If your tutor is not registered at Speak Shop, let us know. We may be able to help you re-connect.

What search criteria can I use to locate a tutor? return to top
Speak Shop is carefully building and training our network of tutors. Only professional in-country Spanish tutors can qualify to teach on Speak Shop. To search for your tutor, simply use the drop-down menu to select one or more of the following criteria:
. Name
. Teaching Experience
. Education
. Country of residence
. Feedback rating
. School affiliation

How do I change or cancel my appointment? return to top
Most tutors require 2-business days notice to change or cancel an appointment for a tutoring session. A refund is not provided unless requested and is at the tutor's discretion. This is because the tutor cannot earn the money back for the time she/he set aside for you. Tutors will often provide a free make-up lesson for cancelations given advance notice.

Membership Fee – First month is Free!
The Membership Fee is $9.99 per month and is paid directly to Speak Shop. This fee covers the costs associated with scheduling, teacher listing, teaching tools, web site maintenance and membership management. This flat monthly fee gives you the ability to:
. Locate, evaluate, compare and pay for the best tutors at the best price.
. Connect with your tutor through text chat, audio and videoconferencing.
. Create a study plan based on your goals, time schedule and current fluency.
. Join a Community of language learners and instructors

Tutor Fees
Tutors set their own lesson fees, which you pay when you reserve lessons. Speak Shop does not ever charge tutors. Please keep in mind that tutors do incur costs to teach online, such as Internet, PayPal fees, banking fees, etc. With Speak Shop, they can build these costs into their hourly fees and still ensure they are getting a fair wage. You decide which tutor and price combination works best for you. On average, tutors charge about $8 per hour, depending on the tutor, number of lessons, country of residence, season, etc.

Speak Shop only receives the Membership Fee.

The free trial is available only to first-time users of Speak Shop. You’ll need to sign up with a credit card, but canceling is easy.

If learning a language through Speak Shop doesn’t work for you, simply cancel online during your free trial period and you will not be charged the monthly membership fee. Just log in and fill out the online form and we will cancel your subscription immediately.

How do I pay the fees? return to top
Speak Shop uses Use PayPal Merchant Services that accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover and American Express.

I’m worried about using my credit card online? return to top
Speak Shop and its secure payment service provider, PayPal, provide Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption which provides additional security for sensitive, confidential information, and secure transactions online.

How do I renew my membership? return to top
Membership is pay as you go. You will only be charged automatically on a monthly basis. The monthly membership begins after your free trial on the date that you register and your PayPal account is confirmed and continues until the same date the following month. Your membership fee will be renewed and your credit card charged automatically each month until you cancel your subscription.

What computer system and software do I need? return to top

System Requirements
. Operating systems: Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or later
. Browsers: Use the latest of versions of MS Internet Explorer or Netscape for best performance
. Macromedia: Macromedia Flash Player will be automatically installed, if necessary, for video-conferencing.
. USB Support: USB 1.x or 2.x web cam
. Processor: 750 MHz or greater
. RAM: 196 MB RAM
. Video Memory: 8 MB
. Hard Drive Space: The Flash Plug-in (Player) requires 128 KB
. Network Access: Video-conferencing requires DSL or faster. Audio-conferencing may be used with fast dial-up connections.