📘 Student Instruction Manual

1. Registration
   • Creating an Account
   • Common Registration Errors
   • Joining Your Class (Section Code)
2. Purchasing Credits (My Credits)
   • Redeeming a Pre-Purchase Code
   • Paying via Credit Card
   • Conversation Tables*
   • Global Experiences*
3. Scheduling a Conversation
   • By Partner
   • By Date
   • Cancelling or Rescheduling a Conversation
4. Preparing for a Conversation
   • Topic Preparation
   • Quick Test Call
5. Starting a Conversation
   • Joining the Conversation
6. Finishing a Conversation
7. Providing Feedback
8. Finding your Completed Conversations and Recordings
   • Downloading and Watching the Recordings
9. How long are TalkAbroad Conversations?
10. TalkAbroad Support
11. Talkabroad Quick start Guide

TalkAbroad Registration

Creating an Account

To create an account you need to access the TalkAbroad website located at www.talkabroad.com and click on the Create Account on the homepage.

Fill out the registration form with all your details and then click on Create Account again. Be especially careful to select the correct time zone and language you are studying! Errors may cause problems when connecting with your conversation partner.

You will receive a verification email. Click the link to complete your registration.

Common Registration Errors

Double-check your registration information before continuing. You can update your information by going to Account in the top-right corner of your homepage.

Important Information❗

• Email Address: All TalkAbroad emails will be sent here.
• Timezone: Your Conversation Partner may be in a different time zone. This setting is used to calculate and display the correct time for your conversation.

If this information is incorrect, you may experience problems completing your assignments.

Joining Your Class (Section Code)

After verifying your email, you will be prompted to enter your section code. Your teacher provides this code so you can join the correct class.

If you are not registered in the correct section, your teacher will not be able to view or grade your conversations.

Students can unregister from sections from within their account settings.

Purchasing Credits (My Credits)

Before scheduling a conversation, you must purchase credits or redeem a pre-purchase code.

Click My Credits and select the correct number and length of credits.

Important Information

• Confirm whether your teacher requires 15-minute or 30-minute conversations
• You may also purchase Conversation Tables access here.

Redeeming a Pre-Purchase Code

If your conversations were purchased through your bookstore or teacher, you will receive a pre-purchase code.

1. Enter the code
2. Click Redeem

Your credits will automatically be added to your account.

You do not need to enter payment information when redeeming a code.

Note: Don’t worry if you selected a different amount, length, or language— the code will always provide the exact number of credits it was created for.

Paying via Credit Card

In order to purchase credits:

Select:

• Language
• Number of credits
• Length of credits

Enter:

• Credit card number
• CVC code (3-4 digits on the back of the card)
• Expiration date

After completing payment, you will receive a confirmation email.

Conversation Tables*

If you now have access to conversation tables, you can click on Conversation Tables button on your homepage to see the schedule and join a table. Go here to learn more.

Global Experiences*

If you are required to complete Global Experiences conversations (English), go here to learn more.

Scheduling a Conversation

• By Partner: Go to a partner’s profile → pick a time
• By Date: Pick a day → choose a partner

Two ways to easily find the best time and partner!

• By Partner

  • Selecting a topic

    Once you have credits in your account, click on the topic you want to work on.

    Choose a Partner

    You will see a list of available partners. Select your preferred partner.

    Select a Date/Time

    Choose the date and time that works best for you.

    Confirm Your Conversation

    After selecting the date and time, double-check the following details:

    • Time of the conversation
    • Topic you are completing
    • Conversation partner

To create your conversation, click Confirm. You will be sent a confirmation email with details and instructions. To confirm that your conversation was successfully created, you can also look at your Student Homepage. You should now see the upcoming conversations.

• By Date:

  • Selecting a Topic

    After choosing a topic and viewing the partners list, scroll to the bottom and select “Availability by Date” from the drop-down menu.

    Choose a Date

    A calendar will appear in your screen. Pick the day you want to have your conversation. Once you click on a date, a list of available times for that day will appear.

    Select a Time

    Click on the time that works best for you. This will show you all the conversation partners who are available at that specific time.

    Pick a Conversation Partner

    Browse the available partners for your chosen time. Click Select to learn more about their interests, and background.

    Confirm Your Conversation

    After selecting your partner, double-check the following details:

    • Time of the conversation
    • Topic you are completing
    • Conversation partner

To create your conversation, click Confirm. You will be sent a confirmation email with details and instructions. To confirm that your conversation was successfully created, you can also look at your Student Homepage. You should now see the upcoming conversations.

Conversation Guidelines:

• Conversations must be made at least 36 hours in advance to ensure the partner is notified and prepared.
• You can always choose the same partner for future conversations or select a new one.

Canceling or Rescheduling a Conversation.

To cancel or reschedule, go to your Student homepage and find your upcoming conversation. Click on it to view all the details. From there, you can select Cancel Booking.

TalkAbroad’s cancellation policy allows you to cancel a conversation up to 12 hours before your scheduled time. This gives your conversation partner enough notice to adjust. If you cancel before that window, your credit will automatically be returned to your account.

If you try to cancel within 12 hours of the scheduled time, the system will display a notification letting you know the cancellation can’t be processed. In that case, you can still attend the conversation, or you can receive a 50% discount code to replace your credit and reschedule when you're ready. This discount code will be emailed to you once the scheduled time of your original booking has passed.

Preparing for a Conversation

Prepare in advance to get the most out of your conversation.

Topic Preparation

Spend 10-15 minutes reviewing your topic.

Beginner students may prepare 10-15 questions.

Quick Test Call

All the necessary information is provided here to ensure you are fully prepared ahead of the scheduled time!

Starting a Conversation

Plan to arrive at your computer and sign into your account 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time. That will allow you to deal with any problems you might encounter before the call begins. The conversations will last either 15 or 30 minutes but it is safest to be available for 1 full hour in case of delays due to Internet problems.

Joining the Conversation

• About 5 minutes before your scheduled time, refresh the page or click “Homepage” at the top.
• Your conversation status will change to “Starting Soon.” or "In Progress"
• Click it, then hit “Join Conversation” to enter.

Finishing a Conversation

After you finish a conversation, the recording will be available in your account shortly. It should be ready within about 20 minutes after the call ends. There may be occasional delays in uploading the recording, and you can feel free to send us an email to find out more information.

Providing Feedback

After your conversation, you can rate your overall experience during the conversation. This helps us improve future conversations. You can give a rating from 1 to 10.

Please consider the following when rating:

• Overall experience with your conversation partner (10 = Great experience, 1 = Poor experience).
• How well did the call work, tech-wise — the connection, mic, and video? (1 = a lot of technical issues, 10 = no issues at all).

Your feedback is valuable and helps TalkAbroad ensure the best experience for all students.

Finding Your completed Conversations and Recordings

To access your completed conversation, follow these steps:

1. Click Back at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select Archived Conversations.
3. Open the conversation to view your completed session with your conversation partner.

Downloading and Watching the Recordings

• To download the recording, right-click on the video and save it to your computer.
• If you’re using Google Chrome, you can slow down the video by clicking the three dots in the lower-right corner of the player and adjusting the playback speed.
• Videos are deleted 150 days after creation.

How Long are TalkAbroad Conversations?

TalkAbroad currently offers conversations of two different lengths: 15 minutes and 30 minutes. But you may notice that not every conversation lasts exactly that long. What can you expect for the length of conversations? Go here to learn more.

TalkAbroad Support

The TalkAbroad support team is committed to being very responsive and available. TalkAbroad understands that students will have questions and there are a lot of logistics involved in completing a conversation.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at support@talkabroad.com or use the help button at the bottom of our website. If possible, please contact TalkAbroad Support before reaching out to your teacher, as we are very experienced in helping students navigate the site. You can expect a response within a few hours during business hours, and often much sooner.

TALKABROAD QUICK START GUIDE

1. CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

Go to TalkAbroad and click “Create Account.”

Enter your information carefully:

• Email (you will receive all communication here)
• Time zone (this must be correct or you will miss your conversation)

Check your email and click the verification link.

2. JOIN YOUR CLASS

Enter your Section Code (provided by your teacher).

If you do not join the correct section, your teacher cannot see or grade your work.

3. GET CREDITS

You must have credits before scheduling.

Option 1: Redeem a code

• Enter your code and click “Redeem”
• No payment required

Option 2: Purchase credits

• Select language
• Select number and length (15 or 30 minutes — confirm with your teacher)
• Enter payment details and complete purchase

4. SCHEDULE YOUR CONVERSATION

You must schedule at least 36 hours in advance.

Steps:

1. Select a topic
2. Choose a date and time
3. Select a conversation partner
4. Confirm your booking

You will receive a confirmation email.

5. CANCELLATION POLICY

• Cancel more than 12 hours before: no penalty
• Cancel within 12 hours: no refund (you may receive a 50% discount code)

6. PREPARE FOR YOUR CONVERSATION

• Review your topic for 10–15 minutes
• Prepare questions (especially for beginner level)
• Complete a test call to check your camera and microphone

7. JOIN YOUR CONVERSATION

• Log in 10 minutes early
• Refresh your homepage
• Click “Join Conversation” when available

Conversations last 15 or 30 minutes. Be available for up to 1 hour in case of delays.

8. AFTER YOUR CONVERSATION

• Your recording will be available within 20 minutes
• Complete the feedback rating (1–10)

9. ACCESS YOUR RECORDINGS

• Go to “Archived Conversations”
• Open and download your recording if needed

Recordings are deleted after 150 days.

10. SUPPORT

If you need help, contact support. Response time is usually a few hours.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Incorrect time zone will cause missed conversations
• No credits means you cannot schedule
• Late scheduling is not allowed
• Missing your session may result in lost credit