Instructions
Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Transcript
Presenter: Welcome to today's show. We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our guest today. Anna is the creator and founder of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in, Anna.
Anna: Thanks for having me.
Presenter: So, tell us about your app. How does it work?
Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have numerous challenges when it comes to homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much available time to help their kids with their homework. And even if they do have time to help, they may not be able to offer support with the content. What I mean is, they may not know, or at least remember, enough in any given subject to support.
Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might have never studied certain subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?
Anna: Exactly. So they might want to support their children with their homework, but have neither the time nor the knowledge to do so.
Presenter: I see. So the app helps solve this problem?
Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that tutors can be expensive, and there may be long waiting lists for specialist tutors in the town or region you live in. Our HomeworX app brings students and tutors together online. Students can search a database of pre-approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in the same town or city.
Presenter: That sounds really great.
Anna: It is. And this approach also enables us to offer the tutoring services at lower prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's home. And tutors who live in remote areas are happy to get access to more students, and be able to work from home, even at lower rates.
Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you come up with the idea?
Anna: Well, as you might guess, I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was either too busy with work or I didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we live in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either very expensive or have long waiting lists.
Presenter: Yes. I can understand your predicament. Well, it sounds like a very useful app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.
Anna: Thank you.
Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?
Anna: We've just secured some funding and hope to expand the range of services we offer using the app.
Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is available for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another business interview. Have a great week, everyone.
BBC learning English is favorite app for listening and pronunciation. The videos are not very long and attractive to me. In addition, I am learning English Grammar, listening and speaking in British Council app that is very efficient for me. I also like British Council app.
I have used lots of different apps and websites for learning languages. In my opinion, the most helpful is Anki. This app helps to learn new words and not forget them.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for the great question and the well-organized lessons.
Based on my own experience, Busuu is one of the best, due to the numerous ways to learn, way of communications, number of languages and the online platform that connects you to native speakers.
I really enjoyed this lesson.
Yesterday, I started using the British Council apps to improve my listening skills and vocabulary. I'm interested in this lesson. I'm testing some other apps. It's great for self-study.
That was an interesting interview, thanks.
Thank you.
My favorite app for learning Engllish is Hellotalk because you have many options such as livestreams, language exchange, voice room, and so on and so forth for free. You can also share your opinions with native speakers and I love that I've had the opportunity to find good partners to establish a serious conversation with them.
In my view, I am into learning English through Cake app because this app is extremely helpful for me to improve IELTS Listening skill.
I love Britsh Council. I mean, here I can find and work all my skills and improve the language. The vocabulary is very rich and wide-ranging.
Hello Marcelo,
We're so pleased to hear this! Thanks for your kind words.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team