TEFL - Teacher Training Community

Teaching English Online: Convenient, Meaningful & a Great Way to Make Money

Let us help you learn how to teach ESL online! With so many of us glued to our screens today, it’s probably no surprise that you can actually make money online too. And before you say that the only people who make the big bucks are mega-marketplaces like Amazon and Lazada, think again. If you have a reliable internet connection, you can make some serious money teaching English online (unless you still need to get a TEFL certificate, of course).

What exactly does it mean to "teach English online"?

First of all, when you teach a student in person, you can rely on verbal and nonverbal cues (like body language) that happen in real time to let you know if you’re on the right track. With online teaching, this is also doable but more challenging.

Another roadblock is tech issues. Here’s how to teach English online badly. Use a really bad connection so that in the middle of your lesson, your screen freezes and you sound as though you have a really bad stutter. Don’t get me started on bad audio. Teaching and learning English is primarily about listening and speaking so if you and your student can’t hear each other well, it can quickly turn into a train wreck. You need to know your software inside out and to be able to do basic troubleshooting. Also, one skill you must have in any online environment is patience.

Another thing that makes teaching English online different is the fact that you and your students will most likely be operating in two different time zones. For example, if you live in the US, you may have to work late at night or really early in the morning to teach students in China. This is awesome if you’re a night owl or work shifts, but what if you have a full-time day job? It goes without saying that you have to be able to manage your time and schedule very well to avoid missing classes and those essential zzzs!

Do I need to get TEFL certified to teach English online?

First things first. If you haven’t already, you better get TEFL certified stat! Now, you may be thinking, I don’t need no qualifications to teach English because I help my baby sister with her English homework all the time! Wrong! Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a totally different ballgame, as different as baseball is from cricket! Remember this: teaching English to native speakers is not the same as teaching English to non-native speakers. If you want to learn how to teach English online and get money, a good TEFL course will give you a solid grounding in TEFL-specific teaching methodology and other essential skills. https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

Where can I teach English online from?

Teaching English online from home is one option…

When most people think about teach English online jobs, they automatically picture someone in their bedroom chatting away with a foreigner who’s more than a couple time zones away. This is certainly true in some ways. If you choose to teach ESL online from home, it definitely has its perks.

Reason numero uno: you never have to leave your comfy digs! That means no gridlock, no mascara-wand-in-eye mishaps, no hustle to get a cup of Joe at Starbucks, no soggy packed lunches, no long lines at your favorite food truck! Plus, you get to play with Sparky or Simba all day as he snuggles your feet under the table! You can also plan your teach English online jobs around your personal schedule (gym, me-time, picking up dry cleaning etc.) because you’re your own boss. Hell yeah!

… Or you can try teaching English online from WHEREVER!

Teach English online jobs mean that you aren’t limited to teaching from home! You heard me right. You can take that side gig/career with you, wherever you roam in the world! If the digital nomad lifestyle is a-calling you, consider searching out the best online ESL jobs to make top dollar while you traipse around the globe.

Because many 'teach English' online jobs are freelance, you can clock in as many hours as required, whenever you want! Unlike teaching abroad, which comes with contracts that mean you have to be rooted in a particular place for a particular time, teaching English online is perfect for nomads who are always on the move. The best online ESL jobs are super convenient and flexible, open 24/7, whatever time zone you’re in.

Yes! It's Possible Teach Online From Anywhere

Teaching English online is a fantastic way to fund your travels abroad. We had no idea teaching English online was for us but here we sit, 18 months later, and we’ve got some awesome tips to help our fellow teachers out there make ends meet while traveling.

Who knew that our decision to teach English abroad would turn into teaching English online while we travel from country to country? It’s been an adventure!

There are a lot of online companies out there to choose from for travelers, but we work for SayABC. For more info on how SayABC allows us to travel the world while teaching online.

Today we will walk you through some of the basic requirements for teaching English online plus a couple of very helpful resources to use.

What’s Required to Teach English Online and Travel?

So, do you need a bachelor’s degree? Any experience?

The answer to all these questions?

Maybe!

Ugh, we hate that answer, but it’s true!

It all depends on the company you want to apply for. For example, SayABC, who we work for, now requires a bachelor’s degree but that wasn’t the case when we applied. Luckily we had those anyway or we’d be teaching elsewhere!

Teacher’s Tip: If the company is based in China, we can guarantee that they have to follow the recently updated Chinese law. All ESL teachers, that includes online teachers, are required to have a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL or relevant teaching certificate.

If you don’t know what a TEFL certification is (you definitely want one before teaching English online), check out how you can get TEFL certified here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

What if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree?

Don’t be discouraged! China isn’t the only country with online English companies! They’re probably the biggest player, true, but other companies like Palfish or Cambly, Verbing, PalFish (and many more) are available.

Flexibility and Mobility Are Key to Teach English Online:

As a traveling online English teacher, the digital nomad life is the new norm. Being flexible enough to weather the storms (there will be plenty) and being mobile enough to get where you need to go is key.

For instance, you just arrived at your Airbnb in Prague but it doesn’t have fast enough internet speeds and you teach the next morning. Or the internet has stopped working while you’re in Bali and you teach in four hours.

Initiate panic mode!

Kidding, don’t do that! Luckily we have search engines like Google to help us fix these problems in a flash. Flexibility and mobility are key! Be ready to pack up and relocate in an instant.

Packing for Teaching:

If you’re seeking the digital nomad life as an online English teacher then prepare to pack light! You don’t want to feel weighed down by heavy luggage that you don’t even need and the more you have, the more miserable traveling is.

Before we did this whole travel and teach a thing, we actually moved to Taipei with four suitcases. Let’s just say it was a really bad idea.

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But what about teaching props? You need them for class but you need room too!

Many companies prefer you to have at least a few teaching props of your own for class. Some teachers go all out and have a super colorful background, puppets, toys, you name it. That’s awesome and the students will love it. But those teachers are probably teaching from home and can have them however they want.

That kind of setup is not really possible when traveling and teaching! This is especially true if you’re always going from country to country like us.

For example, we just stick to a whiteboard, some colored markers, and some signs to put up during class, like our name and the SayABC logo. We don’t have room for much else in our backpacks!

Even though we’re minimal when it comes to teaching props, our kids love what we have, especially the whiteboard. Drawing, games, spelling, there are so many activities it can be used for.

In addition to props, you’re going to need some teaching equipment too.

Ethernet cables, a computer that meets teaching requirements, wifi extender (or travel router), and a reliable teaching headset will need to be part of your packing list as well.

So, our biggest tip for packing teaching props and gear while traveling: keep it light!

GET STARTED HERE: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

How to Apply and Pass an Interview for Schools Overseas| Teach Abroad

Applying and interviewing for schools overseas can be daunting.

You face all the challenges of a domestic job hunt, plus the challenges of communicating with people in a different country.

But thousands of people complete the process every year and start the adventure of a lifetime, abroad.

The question is, how do you get the international teaching job interview, and with it, the job?

The process is not too difficult, as long as you meet the minimum requirements and understand where to look.

From our experience here are 3 Main steps:

1. Selecting the Right Schools to Apply to
2. Applying for a Position
3. Interviewing for Schools Overseas

1. Selecting the Right Schools to Apply To:

There are thousands of schools around the world to apply to.

Consider asking yourself questions like these:

Do you want to have a lot of choices in your day-to-day life?

What kind of community do you want to be involved in?

Do you want to work at an older school where customs are established, or at a newer school, where you may have more freedom to try new things?

Do you mind living in a country where internet access is blocked or limited?

What freedoms are most important to you?

What do you want to spend money on? Can you support your lifestyle in your chosen country?

Do you want to easily be able to find products that you are used to?

Do you want to take your skills gained overseas back home with you? Or do you want to stay abroad indefinitely?

You may not have an exact answer to any of these questions, and that’s ok. But it is a good idea to get your priorities somewhat in line before you start applying!

Working at a fast-paced training school in China will be a very different experience from being at an international school in Turkey.

Different locations will provide different experiences, and you should plan accordingly.

Interviews can serve many different purposes and may come in stages.

When it comes to actually applying, there are multiple options available.

Many schools will include an email address attached to the job posting where you can reach out and apply directly.

For franchise schools, like EF, you may have to apply to the franchise, who will then fit you into one of their schools.

This means that with only one application, you could have an option to choose what country and city you want to work in.

Our Global Job club for students is a great way to meet a lot of high-quality potential employers.https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

In any case, you will commonly need to provide at least some of the following:

Resume/CV
Personal Statement (why you want to teach here)
Cover Letter
Certifications, if you have them

Also, many teachers find their jobs through networking with fellow educators.

This is more common for teachers who have been working abroad for some time, but you can do it for your first job, too.

3. Interviewing for Schools Overseas:

If you’ve made it to the interview stage, congrats! That means your application was strong enough to move forward.

Interviews can serve many different purposes, and may come in stages.

But the point for them all is for the school to get to know you better, and for you to find out more about the school.

If you applied to a large franchise, they may start with a preliminary interview to assess where in the company you best fit.

There may also be a screening interview that just checks for basic conversational skills.

If you applied directly to a specific school, you might start off with an interview with the Director of Studies or Principal. In that case, you get right to the point.

In any case, international teaching job interviews are nothing to worry about. Most interviews are predictable and revolve around a small set of commonly asked questions.

Just be sure to be polite, maintain proper interview etiquette, and ask some good questions. Your interviewer mostly wants to make sure you are someone they would like to work with every day.

And interviewing isn’t just about qualifying for a job!

You should use your interview time to make sure you feel comfortable with the people you talk to and the role you will fill.

There is a lot of excitement ahead of you as you enter a job teaching English abroad, and your colleagues at work may even become some of your new friends.

Enjoy the process of learning and applying for this new stage of your life! https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

How to Teach English Online While You’re Still in College

If you’ve spent any time looking through ESL job boards you’ll have seen that there is literally a world of opportunity for English teachers with degrees. But, what about wannabe ESL teachers who are still studying, or are just about to head off on a gap year? Can you teach English online before you graduate?

Well, yes, you can!

Personally and professionally, teaching online can be a great opportunity for undergraduates due to good earning potential and a flexible schedule. Opportunities are so varied that you can easily fit teaching English into a gap year, summer break, or while you’re deciding which degree you want to do.

I don’t need a degree, great! So, what are the requirements for teaching English online?

There’s no one answer to this question. Although not having a degree yet may reduce your options a little, there are still teaching opportunities open to you all over the world. None of the following suggestions are always required, but they might put you ahead of the pack when applying:

1. Being a fluent English speaker.

This quality is what makes companies seek you out. They need you, and your expert knowledge of English.

2. Getting TEFL certified.

You don’t need a degree to get a TEFL certification, and, as TEFL qualifications last for life, getting one before you graduate could be a worthwhile investment. Most online TEFL courses are self-paced, making it relatively easy to slot the coursework into your current study schedule. You can sign up for our trusted and internationally recognized TEFL course here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

3. Getting some teaching experience.
How to Teach English Online While You’re Still in Colleger or school will help you figure out whether you actually like teaching, and could give employers an extra incentive to pick you over anyone else.

If you’re ready to throw yourself in at the deep end and lead a class yourself, there are also online English teaching companies that hire English teachers studying for their degree, with and without teaching experience.

So, now you’re ready to roll!

How To Travel The World And Make Money By Teaching English Online!

With growing worldwide demand for English teachers, there are plenty of teaching positions available just about anywhere for new grads or certified teachers. When it comes to teaching English you have two options: you can either move to a new country to teach there or live the digital nomad life by teaching English online.

How can you travel more and make money fby teaching English abroad?

1. Get qualified by doing an online teacher certification course: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

The first step towards teaching English abroad or online is getting qualified.

If you have a university degree in education, you may already qualify for some jobs. But, if you don’t have one or if you want to make your application stand out, you’ll need to get a teaching qualification to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL) in order to find teaching jobs online or abroad.

2. Choose if you want to teach English abroad or online.

Choosing an online teaching job means you’re not tied to one location, as long as you have a good internet connection you can work from wherever you like. The process of finding an online teaching job after you’re qualified can take as little as two weeks.

The obvious benefit of this is the huge amount of flexibility it offers. Your job will allow you to travel wherever you like, whenever you like, traveling the world and making money as you go.

3. Apply for online teaching jobs with online ESL platforms. (All of our students get free access to our Global job club with over 6000 jobs from our partner schools)

3. Grow your travel fund while working as a teacher. Most ESL platforms pay $12 - $25 per/hour. As a freelance teacher, working with platforms like Preply you can earn up to $40 per hour.

1. You could teach online from home to save up a travel fund. Then you can take short or long trips when you feel like you have enough money to fulfill your travel plans.

2. You could make money while traveling by teaching English online. This is not a way to save money, but a way to fund your travels while you’re on the go, and a great option for people who want to travel but don’t have a travel fund saved up.

5. Take off on the travel adventure you’ve been dreaming of!

Thinking about which destinations you want to visit will help you figure out how much you need to earn to make your travel plans work.

It’s also worth considering how many hours you can work each week while you’re traveling, and how much flexibility you need in your schedule when looking for online teaching jobs. Different companies will offer different salaries and working hours.

Once you’ve chosen your ideal teaching job, you’re ready to go! It’s time to pack your bags and put a big tick next to travel on your new year’s resolutions list.

Learn more: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

5 Tips for Teaching an Unforgettable Online English Class

Have you suddenly found yourself teaching online? You’re certainly not alone. English teachers all around the world are in the same position – and it can be hard to know where to start.

TIP #1 Technology requirements

As a teacher, you’ll need to administer your course, create materials, broadcast your class, interact with your students and grade their work. For efficiency, you’ll need a laptop, a desktop computer or a professional tablet.

Your students will also need a laptop or computer if they want to fully participate in your classes. However, smartphones or tablets with an internet connection can be used when there’s no alternative.

TIP #2 Training

Dedicate a portion of your first class to helping your students get to grips with the technology. Even if you spend half of the first session doing so, it will save you time explaining things to individuals over and over again. Many online teaching and conferencing platforms also have guides and video explainers to help you get started.

You can even use these introductory videos as listening activities and play games on the whiteboard to try out functionality.

TIP #3 Learning objectives

It can be difficult for students to adjust to online learning, especially when they’re joining your class from their homes. Bring them into your lessons by starting all your classes with learning objectives.

Use your chat box or interactive whiteboard to share what you will cover during the class and explain what you expect from your students. This will help students focus and feel like they are in a regular classroom. At the end of the class, you can reflect on what you’ve done together and whether you have achieved what you set out to do.

TIP #4 Student engagement

It’s harder to engage with your students when teaching over a we**am connection. It pays to be a little larger than life on camera. Exaggerate your expressions and tone of voice slightly so they stay alert and interested in what you have to stay (just don’t overdo it).

You can also keep them on their toes by having every single student in the class respond to your questions by typing in the chat box. That will ensure they pay attention. Incorporating fun digital tools such as Quizlet or Quizizz will help keep learners engaged too.

You could also use a spinner to nominate students for tasks and questions to build a sense of fun and suspense – or get students to nominate each other!

Remember, just because they’re quiet doesn’t mean they’re not learning.

TIP #5 Grading and progress tests

Just as in any regular classroom, you’ll need to track your students’ progress – both during class and throughout their course.

Have students present their own ideas to the class using their we**ams, and offer them progress tests through online forms and writing assignments. You could also test students using fun quiz software like Kahoot, or more formal online progress tests with Typeform’s test maker.

Give us a thumb up if you find this post helpful :) Also please note for those teachers who wish to work with online ESL platforms/schools, some of those platforms will provide you with lesson plans and materials for your students and you will be teaching from their own "video call" platform.

Want to learn more about teaching English online, visit our website here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

Will TEFL be good for my career even if I don’t plan to teach forever?

Yes! Teaching English as a foreign language – online or in-class – will give you an abundance of transferable skills. From time management to problem-solving and communication, you’ll have plenty of experience to impress future employers. As your TEFL certification never expires, you can get back into TEFL whenever you wish, too.

Learn more about TEFL here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

Does A TEFL Certificate Have Expiration?

TEFL is a lifetime qualification, which does not expire. If you gained your TEFL qualification a few years ago, you might want to take a new TEFL course to refresh your training. If you already have the core TEFL certification, you can take a specialist TEFL course to boost your CV and show your commitment to teaching.

How Long It Takes To Complete a TEFL course?

The time it takes to complete your course depends on the one you’ve chosen and how much study time you can commit each week. In most cases, you’ll have six months to complete your course, with an extension possible if needed. On average, our fast-tracked accredited 120-Hour TEFL course takes 2- weeks to complete. If you join a 240-Hour TEFL Diploma course, it can take up to 3-4 weeks to complete.

We’re here to support you on your TEFL journey!
https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

Our 120-Hour TEFL Course Benefits

✅120 hours of accredited online training

✅ TEFL training approved by OBQC

✅Personal online TEFL tutor support

✅Lifetime TEFL qualification

✅ Ideal if you want to teach English online

✅ Internationally recognized TEFL certificate

✅ Downloadable TEFL course worksheets

✅ Lifetime TEFL job hunting advice

✅ 24/7 access to our student portal

✅ Access your course from any device!

✅ 14-day money back guarantee

✅ Complete the course at your own pace

✅Get qualified to travel the world and teach within 2 weeks of training

Learn more on our website here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse

HOW Do I Get TEFL Certified???

The minimum required worldwide is to have at least 120 Hour TEFL training.

Online TEFL courses are the most affordable & flexible way to launch your teaching career. This is a perfect way to study theoretical material at your own time & your own pace.

Our TEFL courses are offered 100% online so you can study from anywhere in the world and at your own pace.

Before you choose your TEFL certificate, be aware to check if:

It is fully accredited & recognized worldwide.
You will gain at least 120 hours of training.
You will have a tutor’s assistance.
It is approved by an official body, such as OBQCl

Ready for a career change? Visit our website here: https://www.tefl-teachertraining.com/teflcourse