A linguist, polyglot and experienced ESL instructor ready to help you.
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
Spanish
French
Russian
Portuguese
Thai
A linguist, polyglot and experienced ESL instructor ready to help you.
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
From United StatesLiving in Chiang Mai, Thailand (06:25 UTC+07:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Apr 30, 2024
InterestsHistoryMusicFoodTravelReading
Hello! My name is Jake and I am originally from South Dakota, but have lived in Portland, Oregon for a long time now.
Languages have been a life long passion for me. English is my first language and so is Spanish, but I had to recover a lot of my Spanish abilities as an adult because I spent my teenage years without anyone to speak it with - but I have been using it personally and professionally for many years now.
Beyond languages themselves, I very much love meeting people from other parts of the world and having new experiences. I someday hope to either work in immigration or as a lawyer.
Me as a Teacher
I earned my undergraduate degree in Applied Linguistics and TEFL certification from Portland State University when I graduate in 2022. Since then, I have worked as an ESL teacher in a small non-profit here in Portland.
I have taught private students and group classes for adults and children. Every learner has different needs and ways of learning - I work with students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, design lessons or practice around these, and help learners improve their capabilities with a variety of exercises.
My lessons & teaching style
I can craft grammar-based lessons to help you learn the language step-by-step, we can focus on pronunciation, and I am available for anyone who just wants to practice as well. I am a patient and encouraging instructor that can guide you through various aspects of the language, and also want to hear what your goals are and help you achieve them.
It is important to practice speaking, listening, reading and writing, so I like to incorporate all four in my lessons. Whether you are a beginner or advanced learner, we can address any area of the language to work on, big or small.
My teaching material
Text Documents
Articles and news
PDF file
4.8
Rating
30
Students
51
Lessons
86%
Attendance rate
99%
Response rate
4.8
Rating
30
Students
51
Lessons
86%
Attendance rate
99%
Response rate
English Lessons
Conversation Practice/Práctica de Conversación
B1 - C2Conversation51 lessons completed
USD 10.00+
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
8 Reviews
Ken
2 English lessons
No materials, no PC or laptop—just playing on the phone and not focusing on the lesson. Even today’s lesson didn’t start due to an invalid meeting URL, and tomorrow’s lesson is still pending and can’t be canceled. Let’s see what happens!
Nov 12, 2025
Leticia
7 English lessons
Conversations with Jake are always super interesting!
Jul 24, 2024
Leticia
7 English lessons
Great class as usual!
Jul 11, 2024
Ken
2 English lessons
Jake is a great teacher! He’s patient, easy to talk to, and explains things clearly. I really enjoy our lessons and always learn something new. Thanks for the helpful corrections and encouragement!
Nov 11, 2025
Artem
3 English lessons
Very kind, polite, knowledgeable person. I have had an awesome conversation practice. Highly recommend!!!
Jul 14, 2024
THIAGO RODRIGUES
1 English lesson
I had a good class with Jake today. He helped me to improve how describe myself in english and my confidence in conversation.