How to Start an Online Teaching Job

Introduction.

Making a living and advancing in one’s profession by instructing students online is a terrific option. A teaching career that allows you to work from anywhere is within your reach if you have a degree in education and some teaching experience. This article will walk you through creating your own online teaching business.

1- Obtain the Credentials Necessary to Instruct Students Online.

Even if you think you possess what it takes to become an online educator, you won’t be able to apply for jobs unless you meet the minimum requirements.

Most online English teachers start with a firm, so before applying for jobs or putting yourself out there, be sure you can be an online English teacher.

While the requirements for online educators vary per company, all prospective hires should possess the following skills and experiences. Most likely, you meet most of the requirements already!

Obtaining a TEFL/TESOL Certification.

A TEFL certificate, particularly one requiring at least 120 hours of study (such as the Bridge Master TEFL/TESOL Certificate or, for more advanced training, the Bridge IDELTOnline), is required by nearly every organization that hires online English teachers.

Obtaining this credential demonstrates that you have the skills necessary to teach English to others. 

Recommendations are that in addition to your standard online TEFL course instruction, you also add Specialized Certification in Teaching English Online to stand out to employers as a candidate who is serious about preparing for virtual teaching employment.

This will prepare you for a career in online education by teaching you how to effectively use digital tools and interact with students from a distance.

The Master Certificate + Teaching English Online Bundle is another viable alternative; it is a 240-hour certification that will allow you to teach English either online or in a foreign country.

Bachelor’s Degree.

While it’s true that many organizations prefer their teachers to have a bachelor’s degree (in any field), it’s not hard to locate places that will hire you even if you don’t have one yet or are still in school.

Prior experience in the classroom. Several online English schools are open to newbies even though some organizations require a particular number of years of classroom or online teaching experience.

If you’ve never taught before, don’t worry; there are plenty of opportunities to obtain experience in the field, such as taking virtual teaching practical training, volunteering, or providing free online tutoring services.

Be sure to showcase this experience and other education-related activities like mentoring or training employees when applying for online teaching employment with corporations.

Hardware, Software, and Computers.

In general, online English teaching organizations require a working computer (laptop or desktop), headset with microphone, webcam, and stable internet connection from their English teachers.

Before going in for interviews or showing off your teaching skills, make sure your equipment works with the most popular teaching platforms by giving it a trial run.

2- Choose Your Online Students Wisely.

Teacher aspirants should think about their potential students’ backgrounds and personalities. To give just one example, an online teaching position can be ideal if you enjoy dealing with kids and would like to concentrate on educating younger students.

In contrast, hand, if you want something that gives you more freedom to see the world and work from anywhere (without giving up your day job), you may want to seek elsewhere.

To confidently answer the question “How do I begin teaching online?” you must first determine the learning environment that best serves your purposes. They are aware of just where they require assistance.

Online teaching requires you to answer the question, “Do I want to teach English classes to children or adults, or both?” It’s important to consider your preferences and teaching experience when deciding what age range to specialize in.

Teaching Kids or Teenagers.

Working with kids is a lot of fun if you’re the type of educator with a lot of vitality to share and enjoys facilitating active learning experiences for their benefit.

Teaching young students can be a real test of your patience, classroom management skills, and creativity. Nonetheless, you can count on students who are eager to participate in your games and aren’t scared to seem or sound foolish in front of their peers.

Teaching Adults.

On the other side, delivering lessons to adults – who can include, for example, college students, corporate professionals, or those who work in tourism – is focused more on reinforcing their language skills for a particular goal. Less disciplinary measures are needed while teaching adults, though you must pay attention to detail and ensure your lessons apply to their lives.

English as a Second Language Niche.

In the same way that you can choose to focus on teaching a specific age range, you can also choose to focus on teaching a specific subject area or ESL specialties, such as Business English, technical English, or preparing students for English language proficiency exams like the TOEFL or IELTS.

If you want to stand out as an English as a Second Language teacher, enrolling in a Specialized Certificate program or a series of shorter, topic-specific Micro-credential courses might help you develop the specific, practical skills you need.

3- Find Online Teaching Positions, and Apply!

When you’ve found the right organizations to apply to and have narrowed down your job search, it’s time to submit your application, go through the screening process, and finally accept that dream job offer you found online.

The employment process for most online ESL firms is basic. Most companies have a multi-step process that candidates must complete before being offered a teaching position:

Visit the company’s careers page and either fill out the application form or upload your online teaching résumé. Include a sample of your ESL teaching videography in your application (instructions will be provided).

  • Set up a video chat with a prospective employer.
  • If you do well during the interview, the school might have you teach a trial lesson to a student.
  • When the hiring process is complete, you’ll be asked to study and sign a contract outlining the terms of your employment.
  • Once hired, you’ll need to create lesson plans using the institution’s software.

4. Showcase Your Skills While Teaching.

The final stage in becoming an online educator is demonstrating mastery of the subject matter and infusing the online classroom with your enthusiasm for teaching. 

Using entertaining ESL games and activities, maintaining students’ interest with an exciting educational backdrop, and establishing a connection with your students will help keep them returning to your sessions.

Conclusion.

Making a living and advancing in one’s profession by instructing students online is a terrific option. A teaching career that allows you to work from anywhere is within your reach if you have a degree in education and some teaching experience. This article will walk you through creating your own online teaching business.

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