Teaching English Online: The New Location-Independent Teacher

Class today in Bali. Class tomorrow in Chiang Mai. Class next week in Germany. Class next month in Colombia.

For the past several months now, I have been traveling the world with my girlfriend, who is a full-time teacher. Just a few short years ago, the previous sentence would have made absolutely no sense. But now, with vast improvements in Wi-Fi and the development of several online teaching apps, the life of a teacher can be much more dynamic.

Online vs. Classroom Teaching

Teaching online can vary considerably from traditional classroom teaching, though there is a fair amount of overlap. The key difference is the teaching space: When teaching on your computer, or especially on your phone, you need to be able to use this small screen space effectively, which can take a fair amount of practice. Though it may require less physical exertion than traditional classroom teaching, you need to be very expressive to keep youngsters focused on the screen.

When teaching on a small screen, it is important to use TPR, which stands for “Total Physical Response.” When asking students to speak, for example, put a hand up to your ear to signal that you are listening. When you want them to speak, point to your mouth as you say, “Can you say _____?” Physical cues such as these are crucial to create a learning environment that is more engaging and understandable for young learners with limited knowledge of English.

Greater Flexibility

One of the main benefits of teaching online is the great flexibility it affords teachers. Gone are the days when the boss tells you when to come and when to go. With online teaching apps, teachers can generally choose their own hours, with certain restrictions and requirements (minimum number of hours for month, or minimum number of classes taught in certain time periods, for example).

Competitive Pay

The pay is competitive as well. Most online teaching jobs pay at least $15/ hour, with some offering much more. There are jobs that require props and a company T-shirt; there are jobs that don’t. There are jobs that require a college degree, and there are some that don’t. (China’s laws are quickly adapting to the proliferation of online teaching apps there, which means that soon teachers may face more and more regulations in terms of qualifications and teaching hours.) Given the diversity of online teaching companies popping up every day, the first step to becoming an online teacher will involve researching several companies and finding a few that are most suitable.

Which Company to Choose?

A quick Google search will turn up dozens of online teaching companies and even more articles pontificating on which of these is the best. There’s VIPKid, Cambly, Dada, Palfish, Boxfish, Magic Ears . . . I’m not going to bother listing or recommending companies here, since the online teaching landscape tends to change quite rapidly, with new companies emerging every day.

Words of Advice

Since my girlfriend is an experienced online teacher and a prolific blogger herself, I’m going to turn this blog over to her for the near future. She’ll be writing a series of blog posts for current and prospective online teachers, with advice and ideas borne out by years of arduous trials and multiple errors (topics will include: Computer vs. Phone Teaching, The New Intersection of Social Media and Education, Things to Consider When Accepting an Online Teaching Position, and related insight gleaned from years of online teaching).

So stay tuned for more online teaching news, and until next time: Happy teaching!