I thought that this month I would just tell
you what I do. Perhaps this will give you the courage to get in touch if you
were considering it but a bit afraid. Many
people often consider having a lesson for a long time before they finally pluck
up the courage to pick up the phone or send an email. My phone is almost always on silent as I
don’t like calls to disturb the lessons when I am teaching. The majority of folk leave a message on voicemail
and I call them back. Slightly
annoyingly, my mobile doesn’t work well at home, so the best place for me to
take calls is in the garden! I can
respond to emails easily and quickly, so if you can’t reach me by phone and are
able to send an email, that is a great way to get hold of me. The address is info@mrspc.co.uk
It is nice to have a chat about the kind of
things that help is needed with so that I can make sure that I am the best
person to help. My expertise is in
teaching people how to use their devices.
Technical issues, such as problems/viruses, or setting up new equipment
is best left others who are specialists.
I rely on Adam, my technician to assist with this. I have 2 other specialists, Bob who designs
websites, and Tony who can help with spreadsheets.
Lessons are usually for an hour, and take
place using your equipment in your own home.
Most of my work is in Redland, Henleaze, Stoke Bishop and Sneyd
Park. I charge less than a plumber for a
call out, and about the same as a personal fitness trainer in a gym.
If I
am teaching a total beginner, I will usually start with email, and then go on
to how to search online using Google. Many
people contact me as they have trouble with filing and photographs, and I help
them to tidy everything up and understand where everything is so they can find
it easily. My aim at all times is to
give confidence and to ensure that people know their way around what they are
using and the right vocabulary to describe what is needed.
I work using Windows and Mac, and help a
lot of people make the transition from Windows to Mac. I have days where all my lessons are using
Apple products. Quite often people have
more than one device, such as a laptop, tablet and phone and that adds a level
of complexity and a fair amount of time skipping between jobs that are needed
to make everything work smoothly.
As I teach, I ensure that everything I cover
is written down as we go along, as it is often a lot to take in and many folk
are a bit stressed by their computers, so don’t always absorb everything on the
day. I always set homework. I
would expect students to go over their notes, and always set tasks appropriate
for the person’s level. Some students
are very good at homework, and others wait until an hour before the next lesson
or apologize that it’s not done as I arrive.
Some things never change!
One lesson may be all that is required, or
several depending on what is needed. There
are some folk I have been teaching for many years as they keep wanting to know
more and keep buying new devices. I
don’t do courses because every lesson is tailor made and there is no point
teaching things that aren’t useful to the person learning. I judge the speed of the lesson and try and
cover as much as possible in the time, if the person can keep up, but if not, I
slow it down to their level.
Age is no barrier to learning. My oldest client is nearly 90. My work is mainly with retired people but not
always. I mainly teach individuals but
also couples or small groups.
Don’t get left behind when it comes to
technology. Enjoy and embrace it and do
get in touch if I can be of assistance.
