Most Asked Questions about Teaching English Online
Online teaching has much in common with teaching in a traditional classroom. There are however some fundamental differences, particularly in class make-up and the use of equipment. By considering a number of “Frequently asked questions”, we will look at some of these issues.
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In this blog post, we will consider four questions that are the most asked questions about teaching online, for those who are just starting out and who don't really have a lot of experience about the topic.
Q1. What does teaching online involve?
Online teaching involves either, one-to-one or group lessons. Most of the time you only teach one-on-one, with one student, but there are also platforms where group lessons are delivered. What makes it online teaching is that some form of teaching platform is used, such as Zoom or Skype (those being the most common ones) to deliver the lesson. Many online teaching companies have all their own material, which you have to use to teach. They may also have their own platform that you have to use. Depending on which company you work for your lesson may be in arrange of fully prescribed to completely open.
Q2. Who can do it?
Almost anyone with a TEFL certificate can find employment teaching online. In addition to a certificate you would also need a webcam and a reliable Wi-Fi connection. Anyone who has those three things, can easily get started, although you would also need a suitable place to conduct your lessons from. This could be a single room, providing it is quiet and will not be interrupted. Teaching from a busy internet café is not possible. You must also make sure that your connection is secure and is protected with antivirus software, as you may be sharing your computer with many people.
Q3. Why teach online?
There are a number of reasons why people decide to teach online rather than face to face. For most people it's just the fact that it is very appealing to those kinds of people and people who want to take command of their own schedule. They don't they don't want to go to an office and work nine to five. They want to choose their own hours and have more control over their working hours, and for those kinds of people, teaching online is a great option. For others the ability to travel while working is also a major factor. Providing you can maintain a good internet connection and have a place to work from you can easily move around while working.
Q4. Do I need to be a native speaker to teach English online?
No it is totally possible to teach English online as a non-native English speaker. If you are not a native English Speaker you will be expected to show that you are able to speak English at a high level. Most companies will ask that you show a specific English test system score, for example IELTS or TOEFL.
Native speakers should also be aware that you need a good level of English language knowledge in order to be able to teach English. A TEFL certification with some Language Awareness or English Grammar component can be used to demonstrate this.
Conclusion
These are four of the most common questions; there are obviously many more questions you may have. We would suggest searching out online teacher forums for answers to many other questions.
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