Online English teaching is becoming more and more popular with many students and teachers communicating and learning through the medium of technology. It is now a growing business with many teachers opting to teach online. I have been teaching English for over a year now with one organisation and usually teach at the weekend. It is different to teaching in the classroom and there is greater flexibility for teachers as well as students. If you want to consider a career teaching English to students then there are some great opportunities available. In this blog post, Daniel offers readers five important tips to consider when starting your online ESL teacher career.

 

Which ESL company is the best to start teaching English online? Is the school a good fit for me?

These are some common questions I get all the time from ESL teachers. There are many fundamental components that you need to become successful teaching English online to kids but let’s focus on the top five things needed to get started.

 

1# Where do I start looking for an online ESL job?

Here are the Top 5 Wеbѕіtеѕ tо Fіnd an Online ESL Tеасhіng Jоb to Teach Kids:

    1. ESLcafe.com: ESLcafe.com іѕ a wоrldwіdе саrееr wеbѕіtе fоr tеасhіng аnd еduсаtіоn. ESLcafe іѕ an old and respected website which has орроrtunіtіеѕ fоr ESL online teaching job for kids.
    2. GoodAirLanguage.com: The is the most comprehensive list of online ESL jobs. It is broken down by North American Companies, British Companies, Russian Companies, Spanish companies, Other European Companies, Chinese Companies, Japanese Companies, and Other Companies.
    3. ESlauthority.com: Onе оf thе mоѕt рорulаr ѕіtеѕ to find an online ESL job.
    4. Eѕljоbѕwоrld.соm: ESL Jobs Wоrld wаѕ сrеаtеd bу Dаvіd Rоgеrѕ who hаѕ bееn асtіvе іn thе fіеld of ESL ѕіnсе thе еаrlу 90’ѕ. ESL Jоbѕ Wоrld brіngѕ tеасhеrѕ аnd еmрlоуеrѕ tоgеthеr wіth best online ESL jobs for kids аnd еmрlоуmеnt bоth аbrоаd аnd overseas іn ESL, EFL, TESL, TEFL, ESOL, аnd TESOL.
    5. TeachESLonlineAnywhere.соm: You will find a list of over 165 online ESL jobs. 

You will also find some jobs on ELT Experiences, so register as a Job Seeker and apply for some of the online English teaching jobs but the websites above definitely help.

 

2#   Find an online English school with a Top Notch Curriculum

This ensures that students will stay with the school so you can expand your student base. When you’re teaching English online a good curriculum should reduce your prep time once you have it down pat. Most importantly just focus on your in-classroom teaching and over preparing for your classes I would wait about 6 months before helping your online ESL schools with things like bedtime stories ot virtual field trips. This will ensure your focusing 100% on your teaching.

 

3#   Talk with online English teachers in Groups (Facebook)

Facebook is a great resource to talk with other online ESL teachers. Chit chat about the online ESL schools curriculum, $$, how easy they are to work for and any other concerns. I would come up with a list of schools and seek out teachers to talk with that work for those companies. Youtube is another great place to start. Some of the teachers that have Youtube channels are referring teachers. Some of them will even do mock interviews with you. Once you’re satisfied start apply to schools.

 

4# You need a solid foundation for your online English classes

In a traditional ESL classroom you can just wing it more. You have more flexibility in the way you teach.  Teaching ESL online requires more structure because parents are evaluating each of your classes. Your teaching foundation elements should never change. Once you have your foundation build upon it.

Next, when you start teaching ESL online just keep it simple in the beginning. Focus on your in-classroom teaching and improving on it week after week is key to your success. Later on, you can add more props and other activities. Just focus on the students learning and correcting them every time.

 

5# Being Positive All the Time

This includes smiling until it hurts, smiling when the student is reading, and being super happy in class. Also, going into each class with a clean slate and not bringing what happened in the last class to the next class.

Furthermore, It is so important to have a group of online ESL teachers you can talk with to say positive. Not all of your classes are going to be the best. Just stay positive and learn from your experience going forward.

My philosophy is love what you do or find something new. I treat my students just like I treat my kids. At the end of the day, they are just kids. Have fun in your classes; joke around, be goofy and get them learning.

Happy Teaching!

 

Daniel Didio is the founder of Teach ESL Online Anywhere and Online ESLKidz Coach. Furthermore, he created The Online ESL Mentoring Program. My success includes winning ‘The Most Popular English Teacher‘ with VIPKID. He has over 5,000 parents followers. I have taught over 3,000 ESL students online and 12,000 online ESL classes.