You are currently viewing What is it Like to Teach English Online?
What is it Like to Teach English Online?

What is it Like to Teach English Online?

You might ask yourself. Let us show you what you can expect as an online English teacher. Before we get into it, let me give you a little bit of background information on teaching English online.

TEFL Teaching: Contracted VS Freelance Work

When teaching English online, you have the choice of teaching children, adults or both. As well as a choice between working for a company or working for yourself as a freelance teacher.

Contracted TEFL Positions:

Teaching English online for a company means that you will have a set schedule, a boss and a contract. You will receive a salary for the hours you have taught. Read more about it in our blog post What Hours Will I Need to be Available to Teach English Online? 

Freelance TEFL Positions:

Freelance teaching is more of an independent process. You will sign up on a freelance platform and build your profile in an appealing display of welcoming awesomeness that will invite in potential students. You will speak to them directly and come to an agreement between the two of you. The platform will generally take a small commission for bringing you and the student together. You will likely need to create your own lesson plans and materials. Read more about it in our blog post Are Lesson Plans Provided to Online English Teachers? 

There are tons of free resources and lesson plans with materials available on the internet. Like ESL KidStuff, for example.

A new hit among TEFL teachers is a site called Crystal Clear ESL. While there are some free resources, you will need to pay a monthly subscription (there are different package options available) to get the good stuff.

An Overview of Teaching English Online:

For the most part, new teachers will generally start off with a contracted TEFL job. This way, they can get experience teaching in a structured environment. Once your availability has been scheduled, you will begin to get students filling your slots. When teaching online, you will display the materials so that your student can see it on their screen. You will then take your student through the work, making the lesson fun, and bringing the experience to life.

TEFL Teacher Shaun Teaching English Online

Here we can see TEFL Teacher Shaun teaching his student some basic grammar. The materials are visible to both him and the student and they can also both be seen in the video blocks, so they can interact.

Key Information About Teaching English Online:

  • You will know when a slot has been booked in advance and there is time to prepare for your lessons.
  • You can cancel a lesson. The company will specify the timeframe in which you are allowed to cancel a lesson or lessons.
  • The materials are generally provided to the teachers. If you do not want to create materials, make sure you apply to companies that provide them.
  • You will have a TA (Teacher Assistant) available to you should you need any assistance. 

What you will need to Teach English Online:

  • A quality TEFL/TESL certification (Level 5, Internationally Accredited certificate with practical experience included). Here is a link to our TEFL/TESL courses.You will need a good computer/laptop
  • Webcam and headset
  • Reliable internet connection
  • A nice teacher background and good lighting
  • Our all inclusive job support, where we help prepare you for and land your teaching job abroad or online.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, a huge benefit of teaching online is being able to have a guaranteed income and flexible hours wrapped up in one dream job.

The choices are endless in this booming field and it’s no wonder why. The flexibility of working remotely is unmatched. 

If you are interested in getting TEFL/TESL certified, or would like more information about our TEFL/TESL courses, contact us and we will be in touch to answer any questions you might have. 

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Lan O' Sullivan

    Thank you for writing about teaching English online. I did not know what is needed to teach
    English online. I can go for a teaching job right away after reading this blog because I understand everything about it.

    1. admin

      We are so happy to help!

  2. israelnightclub.com

    Itís nearly impossible to find educated people in this particular subject, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks

Leave a Reply