Karen Shelver

About Me

Lessons

Availability

Reviews

Visited a day ago

Karen Shelver

Professional Teacher

Teaches

English

Native

Speaks

Other

AMERICAN ACCENT Adults/BizEng/Teens/ExamPrep/kids 6+

Teaches

English

Native

Speaks

Other

AMERICAN ACCENT Adults/BizEng/Teens/ExamPrep/kids 6+

About Me

Me as a Teacher

My lessons & teaching style

Resume & Certificates

From United StatesLiving in Surat Thani, Thailand (13:11 UTC-07:00)

About Me

italki teacher since Feb 1, 2022

InterestsFoodReadingHistoryFilms & TV SeriesArt

My name is Teacher Karen. I am from the State of California, in the USA, currently residing in Thailand. My classes are fun and engaging for all, from young kids up to adults practicing fluency. My accent is neutral and very easy to understand. I'm a TEFL/TESOL qualified Pro Teacher. I hold a Degree in Creative Writing and a TEFL Certificate *120 hours* with lots of experience. I've been teaching ESL/EFL for about 15 years. I have guided students planning to take IGCSE, IELTS, TOEFL and others. I enjoy helping people improve their business fluency. Adults, teens and kids can work on their speaking, listening and comprehension for school, work, future job opportunities, or any other reason.

Me as a Teacher

In June 2024, a young student wrote about his IELTS score: "Hi teacher, I got 7.5 overall and 7.5 for speaking". He was happy. I'm very proud of this student's achievement, and all the others like it that I have enjoyed being a part of. Others have written similar results; most felt they could only have received the score they got due to my help and guidance. I try to make learning fun and engaging by using proven methods and techniques. We will have conversations on a variety of topics no matter the students' skills or confidence level. I provide a variety of useful resources, such as full curricula, to help guide students on their exciting learning journey.

My lessons & teaching style

I encourage students to choose topics they wish to discuss and I'll correct pronunciation and grammar as needed using proven techniques for remembering what they learn. Students are rewarded for self-correcting (HOORAY!) errors while I provide patient guidance, kindness and support. I find a touch of humor goes a long way. :-). No matter if it's the first lesson or ongoing packages, students will gain MUCH CONFIDENCE in their ability to hold all sorts of conversations with other English speakers without worrying about making mistakes. We will have you talking confidently today!!

My teaching material

PDF file
Text Documents
Presentation slides/PPT
Audio files
Video files
Articles and news
Quizzes
Test templates and examples

Certificates

TEFL - Island TEFL, Koh Samui, Thailand - 2011I completed 120 hours class and 8 hours teaching practice in my TEFL course. I completed the course and received a certificate to teach English as a Second Language.

Certificate verified

Teaching experience

2011 - 2021

Teacher of English as a second languagePublic schools - ThailandI tought English as a second language in the Thai government school system for about 11 years. I have experience teaching kindergarten through grade 13 (high school senior). I have also taught individual and group classes of children, teens and adults. I have taught business English to adults one on one and in a group environment. I have had positive feedback from the institutions as well as individuals.

Education

1988 - 1991

Bachelor’s - Creative WritingSan Francisco State University

Work Experience

2011 - 2021

ESL TeacherGovernment Schools - Mueang Ranong, ThailandI taught ESL in several schools in Thailand from Kindergarten to year 13 for nearly 11 years. I have taught beginners and assisted in exam preparation courses for IELTS and Cambridge IGCSE. I have also taught Business English to adults privately from time to time. I have retained materials for all levels and all student needs and will provide structured lessons for all specific learning needs.

2012 - 2020

TeacherBright Center Language Center - Bangrin, Mueang Ranong, ThailandI taught small group classes of business professionals from several industries, such as hospital staff and mining industry workers, how to improve their communication skills as a part-time tutor. I also taught children one on one and small group classes whose ages ranged from 5 years to 14 years old, all levels and all aspects of English: reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar and conversational English. Business groups received certificates of completion at the end of each course.

5.0

Rating

260

Students

1,480

Lessons

100%

Attendance rate

100%

Response rate

5.0

Rating

260

Students

1480

Lessons

100%

Attendance rate

100%

Response rate

English Lessons

Trial Lesson

126 lessons completed

USD 12.00+

Introducing myself: Sowing the seeds for a continuing English learning journey. Beginner level (A1-A2)

A1 - A2

Language Essentials

214 lessons completed

USD 12.00+

Package with 10% off

Lower/Upper Intermediate Conversation / comprehension (B1 / B2)

B1 - B2

Language Essentials

543 lessons completed

USD 12.00+

Package with 10% off

Intermediate/Advanced level/speaking/listening test preparation (B1 - C1)

B2 - C1

Language Essentials

503 lessons completed

USD 12.00+

Package with 11% off

Professional / Business Conversation - Upper Intermediate/Advanced (B1 - C2)

B1 - C1

Language Essentials

82 lessons completed

USD 12.00+

Package with 11% off

Intermediate/Advanced Conversation for small groups - Teens 16+ and adults ONLY

B1 - C1

Language Essentials

0 lessons completed

USD 15.00+

Package with 11% off

NEW LESSONS FOR 6 - 12 y/o KIDS! Develop the 4 skills: read,write,listen,speak + add vocab

A1 - B2

Language Essentials

12 lessons completed

USD 16.00+

Package with 10% off

Availability

Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)

73 Reviews

Gabriela

16 English lessons

Teacher’s pick

I really enjoy the classes with Karen! They are always very engaging and easy to follow, which makes it much easier to practice fluency.

Jan 1, 2025

yanhongcatherine

20 English lessons

Teacher’s pick

Karen is very good teacher! She is always well prepared before our lesson starts . I like her way of teaching and the topics we talked about during the lessons. she is very patient and understanding. Thanks, Karen!

Sep 16, 2024