Tips for Beginners: Teach English Online

Teaching English online has become one of the most popular ways to work remotely. When starting any new job it can be difficult, initially, to get into the swing of it. Working as an English Teacher online is something that is not only attainable for many wanting to try their hand in this field, but also relatively straightforward when broken down into some key steps. 

Be equipped

The first thing a budding online English teacher needs to do is make sure they have a decent computer that can run online video platforms without any issues, with a good quality webcam and headset. You want your students to be able to see and hear you well, so also make sure you have a strong internet connection. By ensuring these things, you will spare yourself any technical problems that can be extremely disruptive to your students’ learning. 

Beyond this initial set-up, try to familiarize yourself with the various platforms used for online lessons, such as Zoom and Google Meet. This will prevent you from having to learn on the job, and allow you to show up with a confident understanding of how to use these online tools to conduct your lessons. You want your students to have complete faith in your ability as their teacher, so confidence is key. 

Plan

Preparing your lessons beforehand is crucial to ensuring that things go smoothly. Whilst a lesson never really goes completely to plan, it’s important to have some kind of foundation to support yourself and the students through a certain grammar point or piece of vocabulary. If your lessons always have some kind of structure, students will be able to measure their own progress by checking if they were, or weren’t able to meet the objectives you set, and understand what they should revise on their own time. 

In addition to this, to plan a successful lesson, always remember not to try to cram too much into one lesson, and to shake things up a bit. There are various ways to deliver a successful online class, and it will depend on the age group you find yourself teaching. Whilst adults might find TED Talks stimulating, a debate could be more effective with teens. This will be for you to decide during the planning process. 

Research the market

The online English teaching market is both saturated and diverse, so it’s useful to have an idea of where you think you’d fit as a new teacher. Are you interested in working for a company? Or would you prefer to work freelance, for yourself? Or does a mixture of the two sound even better to you? Knowing the answer to this question will be vital in the process of getting your first online students. 

As a freelancer you’ll need to do your research on how to go about declaring in your country that you work for yourself, as well as the process for paying your taxes independently. It would be something additional for you to consider, but would mean you would be your own boss. Alternatively, you could look into working for one of the many companies that offer online English lessons with native speakers. You should always endeavor to stay up to date with any changes to rules and regulations across the world, as they could affect the company you choose to work with, and thus your earning potential. 

Take breaks

Too much screen time will wear you out, so be sure to take breaks and take care of yourself, regardless of how busy you find yourself. It can be hard to set work-life boundaries when teaching online from home. One way to do this could be to organize your day in a way that replicates how you could see yourself working in an office. Another great option is to use a room that is separate from your bedroom or living room, if possible so that when you do finally finish work for the day, you can close the door on it. 

One element of remote work that people don’t often consider is the lack of social interaction. Talking to your students with the aim to help them produce correct English is miles apart from just some downtime, chatting to a colleague, with no communication aims in play. Be sure to schedule time with your friends to socialize to avoid feeling isolated or burnt out as you work remotely. 

Spread the word

Word of mouth will work in your favor when you’ve been working in the industry for a while, but as a beginner, it’s necessary to be proactive to secure yourself, clients. Don’t be afraid of doing your best to really market yourself. You want to be able to stand out online, amongst the many available English teachers. This is even more important if you’re a freelancer because you want your potential students to think you are the right choice for them. 

Some ways to go about this are to start a blog to share your ideas on teaching, messaging prospective companies or individuals on platforms such as LinkedIn, or even connecting with your past students on LinkedIn. By staying in touch, you’ll maintain the possibility that they’ll choose you as their teacher again, if they suddenly find themselves wanting to dust off their English and restart lessons. Or even better, they may recommend you to their friends, which will get the ball rolling on the word of mouth front, to help you build your reputation as an excellent online English teacher. 

To take the first step into online English teaching, the TEFL.Org is a great source as it’s a great way to get started in TEFL. Their website is full of information on online teaching requirements, strategies and techniques, which will help you become part of the online community of English teachers supporting students across the world. How you choose to shape your career in this field after your qualification and research into this role, rests entirely in your hands