So you are starting online French lessons. Congrats! Online French lessons are a great way to learn, but going into them knowing what to expect can help you make the most of each moment. The following ten considerations are a great way to get started.

1. Your teacher will ask about your goals.

The most effective French language tutors will be upfront in helping you to establish language learning goals. For example: Do you want to focus on learning to speak in French more than reading and writing? Do you want to learn business French or more conversational French? Is there a particular country or region you'll be visiting, an accent you want to learn. All of these are important considerations. Be prepared to speak about them with your teacher.

2. Plan on homework.

Your teacher can't cover everything during your lessons. Plan on studying French on your own in between sessions. You can supplement your lessons with French learning software such as Rosetta Stone or other French learning programs such as Living Language, or Mango Languages online. You can also ask your online French teacher for some recommendations or search YouTube. If you're already at an advanced level, you can also try reading French news articles online and then asking your teacher to discuss them with you.

3. Different French teachers will have different teaching styles.

You may want to try French lessons with a few different teachers before choosing one to study with long term. A lot of factors contribute to the teaching style of online French teachers. This includes where the teacher is from, where he or she learned French, as well as his or her training and travel experience. The good thing about a flexible program such as Rype is that you can try various teachers out and see who you work best with.

4. Check to see what platform you'll be using ahead of time.

While skype is usually the platform used by most online French lessons, most teachers can also use Zoom or Facetime. So if skype doesn't work well for you, it's okay to ask to use something else. However, it is best to know this ahead of time. The last problem you want to have with online French lessons, is an internet connection that doesn’t work.

5. Test out the chat feature on whatever platform you're using.

This sounds obvious, but many students end up wasting valuing time not being prepared to use the chat feature on skype or zoom. Make sure you put in a few minutes before your lesson figuring this out.

6. Be proactive in preparing for your lesson; Don't expect your tutor to do it all for you.

If you come to your lesson knowing exactly what you want to get out of it you will learn more. For example, do you have certain aspects of French grammar that you will like to go over? What are your weak spots -- the past tense, future tense, adverbs, agreements between masculine and feminine? If you are planning to practice communication, it also helps to have some topics you would like to discuss ahead of time, as well as a dictionary ready or a French verbs book such as 501 French Verbs.

7. Consider your environment.

It's always a good idea to make sure that you are in a quiet environment and that the audio settings on your computer are good to go.