The Challenges of Teaching English Online
May 26th, 2017
Teaching English online is a great way to make an extra income and to help people learn another language. It looks great on a resume, it’s easy to do on the side, and you don’t have to move overseas where the bulk of the in-person work is. However, there are some downsides that are important to know before jumping in.
The Great Divide: Time Zones
One of the first battles you’re going to have is the battle against the clock. Figuring out your own schedule and schedule six hours away is difficult. There’s a lot of math involved that done poorly can lead to missed classes and really late nights or really early mornings.
You need to be extra flexible as an online teacher because you want your students to be able to take their online course at a comfortable time, and as a result, your own time may suffer. This is especially true if you plan on working a full-time job at the same time.
Depending on what country your students live in, your class times can differ greatly and it’s important to factor in daylight saving time as well. Before booking your job, check out the time difference. For instance if you teach English in China, your time difference can be as much as 12 hours.
The Struggle of Tech Issues is Real
Few things can be worse than dealing with tech issues. It feels terrible when you have a connection that lags or your WiFi decides to randomly drop out and you end up missing all or part of a class.
If you have a poor connection and you plan on working from home, then you may want to see if you can join a new network or pay for an increase in internet speed.
You’ll Spend A Lot of Time on the Computer
If you’re not used to spending long periods of time in front of the computer, then you may be in for an uncomfortable surprise. Many online teaching shifts range from four to eight hours due to timed classes, which can hurt your eyes and make you crave a long stretch.
There are a few things you can do in order to avoid this issue, such as using a software like f.lux to reduce eye soreness or buy a stand up desk which has numerous science backed benefits.
It’s Harder to Interact with Students
While you’re teaching online, you’ll notice that it’s more difficult to interact with students than compared to if you’re in a classroom. One of the best parts of teaching English is the access you have to students that you can build relationships with while you’re helping them on the path to English proficiency. However, with teaching English online these interactions are more difficult to come by and to form in general.
But just because you teach online doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to build positive relationships with students. You are able to allow students to communicate directly with you via one-on-one Skype sessions and build your presence with a detailed bio about who you are among other things.
An Additional Learning Curve
Teaching in person definitely has its learning curves, but teaching online has an additional one: software. You need to be able to have a good working understanding of softwares that you can use to benefit your classroom.
These softwares range from basic communication tools like Skype to workshop tools so you can easily create fun and engaging worksheets to e-mail your students.
Don’t let these issues scare you though, teaching English online is still a great way to make money and it can be done full-time or part-time to fit your schedule. If you are interested in teaching English but you don’t want to move abroad, then teaching online may be the perfect opportunity for you.
Plus, the chance of Skype going out or not being able to build strong relationships with students is unlikely, but it’s important to keep in mind because it can happen if you’re not properly prepared. Best of luck in your English teaching endeavors!
One Comment
Miss Chicka
With all that said I must add:
1. Know yourself.
Do you want to work during the day? At night? Do you want a semi-permament schedule or one where you can change at will? Do you you like working with kids or adults, single person or group? Do you want a lenient absence policy (because your a late riser or forgetful) or do you not mind the 3 no-shows per 3 months you’re fired, policy? Knowing all of this beforehand will make it easy to find the right employer.
2. Know your worth.
Have a code. How much do you want to make per hour? Do you want a bonus? Do you want the company sending you emails for additional classes? Do you want the company to leave you alone and communicate quarterly?
Do you dislike an unprepared company with little to no curriculum set up or would you not care? Would you mind making your own lesson plans? Would you want to have easy access to the company if things go awry or would you want to handle it yourself? Would you like to take a vacation or have some time off to do personal things?
You may not recognise this, but being a full-time tutor means you gotta think like a CEO. There are many companies out there that are not prepared, will want to pay you change, and will want to make you do extra all by trying to manage you from abroad.
When you know your worth, you can weed through these types of companies to the one that really suits you and understands who you are.
3. Don’t slack on your skills.
Don’t have the qualifications for the job you want or feel stuck in a job due to the qualifications you have? Improve. Learn more. Get that teacher’s licence or Delta. Become an IELTS examiner or trainer. If you don’t improve, you can’t earn more or have more say.
4. Keep a goal, any goal.
Some people set a goal to make **** money a month. Some set a weekly session goal of xx sessions a week. Whatever ledger you set, check it quarterly. If you’re not making what you should, change something.
5. Get protected.
Short term / long term disability isn’t offered to freelancers, neither is health insurance or life insurance (if you’re travelling abroad and from the US). Get protected. Safeguard your asset: your mind.
6. Don’t spend it all.
Save some income per month for health or personal reasons. ESL is a good sector to work in but it’s temporary. Set aside a good nest egg. Trust me, if I hadn’t set aside money while working in S. Korea, I wouldn’t have been able to buy my house outright and work online full-time.
7. If this is what you want to do, make drastic changes.
Being an online tutor can be fruitful in the right companies (meten online /likeshuo, Tutorabc etc) but not everyone can get in or stay there. Most are stuck making around 1500 to 2000 USD if you’re lucky.
You can’t pay the rent, the car, gas, or utility bills on that type of money a month. You might need to downsize. Take a roommate. Do Airbnb. If you are willing to go through the fire and change your life, you’ll reap the rewards of employment freedom and have savings to boot.
These are my pointers to you all as a teacher/tutor for over 7 years. I learned this through cold, hard life. Take out of it what you can.