How to Teach
English Online
with eTefl
Online
Jody Van Der
Westhuizen
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
What if we told you this lifestyle was
achievable?
Up until now, the thought of teaching
English online may have never crossed
"What's your dream job?" your mind – and why would it? It’s a new
profession. The demand for online
education has taken the eld by storm and
erupted in popularity this year. A exible
Answers commonly include traveling the lifestyle and the ability to be your own
world, working from home, with exible boss while working from home or traveling
hours, and earning good money. Maybe the world – what’s not to love?!
you want to pay o debt, spend more
time with your family or take that dream
holiday. But what it boils down to is
freedom. Freedom to be your own boss, Teaching English online is an industry
work when you want to and where you experiencing rapid growth in demand, and
want to and still make enough money to it has the potential to long-term
not have to sacrifice your lifestyle. employment stability, whether it be a part-
time or full-time basis. You get to meet
and interact with people from all over the
world, and you have the opportunity to
Get TEFL certified: build relationships with your students and
teach them the skill of English to set them
eTe Online o ers online TEFL courses to up for a successful future. You have the
suit every need and budget. for more info chance to teach both children and adults
visit www.eteflonline.com from countries you may never visit, but
who knows, maybe with your newfound
lifestyle, you can add it to the top of your
bucket list!
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Online learning is a huge business and here
What is teaching to stay – from world class universities to
Fortune 500 companies, computer,
English online & is mobile, and Internet-based training has
become an integral part of nearly all elds
there a market for of education, including language
instruction, and Teaching English as a
it? Foreign Language (TEFL). Combining the
fact that there are more than 1 billion
people learning English worldwide mith
massive increased access to the Internet,
In short, teaching English online is teaching
online English instruction is one of the
English as a foreign languge to a non-native
fastest growing sectors of international
English speaker over the Internet through
education. I n recent years, opportunities
the use of a computer and a webcam.
for teaching English online to speakers of
Students can learn one-on-one or in a
other languages from across the globe
small group and the cost is usually cheaper
have grown exponentially and show no
compared to an in-person, face-to-face
signs of slowing down – it is de nitely a
class. Both students and teachers are able
booming industry!
to set their own times and schedules and
the teacher can teach from whatever
location is convenient to them.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
It is extremely common for someone
What quali cations already teaching English abroad at a
language school to teach English online to
are needed to teach boost their income. Many teachers also
take advantage of teaching English online
English online? after returning home from being abroad.
Finally, there are those who make teaching
English online their full-time job no matter
where in the world they are. This exibility
If you are TEFL certi ed and a uent
provides a fantastic way to support
English speaker then you can teach English
yourself while traveling the world and
online! Most companies will also require
leving abroad.
that you have a Bachelor’s degree,
although this uctuates from company to
c o mp any. Other traits that are often
sought after include being personable and
having great presentation skills.
If you don't have an accredited TEFL
certification , then this is your rst
step .
eTe Online o ers online TEFL courses to
suit every need and budget. for more info
visit www.eteflonline.com
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Some advantages and bene ts of
teaching English online include: How do I teach
English to non-
You can teach English online from
anywhere in the world, whether you native speakers if I
are inside your home country or
abroad; don’t speak another
Work as few or as many hours as you
please – you set your own schedule! language?
Gain experience in the eld of online
learning, one of the fastest growing
areas in education both in the U.S.
and abroad; Language classes are typically taught
The ability to gain teaching experience entirely in English. For example, imagine
for your resume before or after you you're teaching a group of students from
teach English abroad; South Korea. Even if you were completely
Opportunities to hone your teaching uent in Korean, you would still be
skills; teaching the class 100% in English. The
Whether you are teaching English students will have some level of English
abroad or working in an entirely language pro ciency. The class is run by a
di erent industry, you can teach uent English speaker 100% in English the
online part-time to supplement your entire time, so that's why you are in such
income; high demand teaching students from all
Use your TEFL certi cation to make a over the world. The online students want
positive impact on people’s lives and to learn from a real native English-speaker
to make some money at the same and be able to mimic your accent and
time. dialect and pick up on exactly how you
speak.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Efficiency: Neither the teacher nor
Why do these the student needs to commute to
the classroom therefore saving time
students want and money;
Less distraction: When teaching
online English one-on-one or in a small group, there
are fewer students and overall less
lessons instead of in- distractions that detract from the
lesson;
person classes at a Back-tracking: Some online English
teaching platforms have capabilities
language school? to record the class and use it for
reference at a later date. This way the
student always has something to look
back on. In-person classes do not
There are several reasons students are offer this;
turning to online English classes over a C heaper: An online English class is
traditional classroom approach. often cheaper than an in-person class
at a language school;
Flexibility: In-person classes at a
language school often require you to
be in attendance on a set day and
time. If you can’t make that time slot,
then you miss the class. If you're a
student, online English classes allow
you to pick the time you would like
your lesson, and if you're a teacher,
you get to set your own hours. This is
especially bene cial for adult
students that are already working
part or full-time jobs.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Just like traditional classroom teachings,
Students, online students can range from young children
right through to adults. Most online English
class sizes and teaching companies will specify whether
their clients are students, adults, or
session types: business professionals (and may even
cater to all three), and then you will nd
that some companies are speci c to just a
single demographic. For example, VIPKID
There are typically two di erent session-
only provides a learning experience for
types when teaching English online:
Chinese children ages 4-12, whereas
English First conduct group and private
lessons to adult learners, while Learnlight
a. One-on-one or Private Sessions: focuses on business professionals that
These will involve just you (the teacher) work for specific organizations.
and only one student.
Online English classes can also take
b. Small Groups: Anywhere from 2-6 different forms. Some include:
students at a single time.
a. General or conversational English:
help students with their uency, introduce
new words and terms, and correct basic
errors;
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
b. Business English: focus on topics
pertaining to email writing, presentations How many hours do I
and proposals, and you can even cater to a
particular niche or industry; have to spend
teaching English
c. Examination preparation: tuition for online?
students preparing for their IELTS, TOEFL,
or Cambridge proficiency exams;
The beauty of teaching English online is
that the hours you work and the schedule
d. Job interview coaching: sessions
you set is completely up to you. While
focus on common job interview
some online teaching companies may
discussions and topics like strengths and
require you to teach a speci c number of
weaknesses, talking about themselves, and
work hours, you can usually choose from
why they deserve the job;
teaching a few hours per week to 20
hours, or even turn this into a full-time
career with 40+ hours.
e. Trial English lessons: this will allow you
to get to know your students a little
before committing to any future classes.
Apart from hours, it's common for
Often provided free of charge or at a
companies to contract you for a particular
discounted rate.
period of time.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
If you are a rst-time English teacher, you
How much money will likely be making $10-$20 to start (if you
are a uent English speaker with a TEFL
can I make teaching certi cation). If you choose to work for an
agency that nds/recruits and schedules
English online? work for you, then that agency may take a
cut of your hourly wage as a nder’s fee
for their role in getting you the job. Please
research all agencies diligently and steer
Some online English teaching companies
clear of any companies asking for up-
provide a at-rate of payment per hour,
front payments of any sort.
while other platforms allow you to set
your own hourly rate. Generally speaking,
online English teachers typically make
anywhere between $10 - $40 USD per If you choose to travel the world and
hour depending on their level of support yourself via teaching English
quali cations and instruction provided in online, you can make a very comfortable
the lesson. living for yourself by earning U.S. dollars in
countries that have a cheaper cost of
living. To help break this down, let’s take a
look at the average monthly salary (in US
Dollars, $USD) for a 40-hour work week in
Nicaragua, Thailand, Peru, the Philippines,
Croatia, and Spain, versus the average
monthly salary (in $USD) for a 40-hour
work week teaching English online with
ABC360, 51Talk and VIPKid.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Berlitz – This company pays $13 an
What employers can hour for ESL tutoring. You must be a
native English or French speaker to
I use to teach be considered.
Cambly – Webcam tutoring. You can
English online? teach English online without a
degree, and you can work anytime!
Currently they need English & Spanish
language tutors. This is informal
Another place to look for online English tutoring — you're mostly doing social
teaching jobs is Just Esl Jobs. It's free and chatting.
you can upload your CV and create a English Hunt – Often hires people to
pro le with them so that they can match teach English online from home via
you with suitable jobs. For more info and video (independent contractors).
to create a profile with them click here. Must have a four-year degree and
have either teaching or substitute
teaching certification.
TutorABC (TutorGroup) – Must have a
four-year degree.
Open English – Hires native English
speakers to teach English online. Must
be able to put in 15 hours per week.
iTalki – Work anywhere in the world
teaching any language. You will qualify
as long as you are a native uency
speaker for your lanuage.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
One bene t of online teaching (if you pay
Do I need to pay your taxes) is that you will be able to write
o a portion of your home or apartment
taxes on the money I as a home o ce. You can also write o
expenses like your computer/laptop,
make from teaching Internet, webcam, microphone, headset,
teaching supplies, etc.
English online?
There are so many online English teaching
Many online English teaching jobs companies for you to consider when
categorize you as either an independent looking for online work. Some that come
contractor or self-employed. This means highly recommended include VIPKid,
it's your responsibility to report your Lingoda, and 51Talk.
earnings as a self-employed income. This
process will di er based on your country
of citizenship or the country you are
If you want to work from home and are
teaching English online from.
quali ed to do this, it could be a great way
to make some money! The requirements
vary from company to company as does
the pay.
Some want a university degree, others
don't mind if you have don't have one.
Also, sometimes the work will be done
online while other times it's via phone
and/or webcam.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
SOFTWARE:
What equipment do I
need to teach → Skype (sometimes required if a
English online? company does not have their own video
platform)
Another advantage of teaching English OTHER:
online is the fact that getting started is
relatively easy and start-up costs are
generally low (given you already have
access to all the required equipment → A PayPal account (the most common
necessary). The main essentials you will form of online payment among online
need to teach English online include: English teaching companies)
→ A quiet, well-lit home o ce or work
space
HARDWARE:
→ Laptop or desktop computer
→ Webcam
→ Reliable, high-speed Internet connection
→ Microphone and a headset (headset not
obligatory but definitely helps)
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
Let’s delve further into the bene ts of
What are the best each of these video/voice platforms:
video platforms for
teaching English SKYPE - Benefits include:
online?
→ Most well-known and commonly used
video platform
→ One-on-one video calls
For smaller, lesser-known companies, it's
→ Group video calls
common that you will be using Skype to
→ Can be used as an instant messaging
teach your English sessions. Alternative
service
voice/video platforms include Zoom and
→ Screen-sharing capabilities
Google Hangouts. Although not as
→ Free to use
popular, Zoom receives praise from online
English teachers for having excellent
sound and HD video quality, as well as a
more reliable connection when compared
to Skype.
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
ZOOM - Benefits include: GOOGLE HANGOUTS - Benefits include:
→ Fantastic, reliable connection → Free
→ HD video and audio lessons → Calls can be made to anyone with a
→ You can embed videos and play the Google account
audio from a video during a lesson → One-on-one video calls
→ Screen-sharing capabilities → Group video calls
→ Use annotations like a whiteboard while → Chat capabilities
screen-sharing → Screen-sharing capabilities
→ Facilitates both private and group → You can embed YouTube videos into
video/chat your sessions
→ You can schedule and have recurring → You can record your session for later
lessons use
→ Basic plan is free to use and allows → Google E ects adds to the fun,
unlimited 1-on-1 meetings as well as 40 especially if you are teaching children
minute max. group meetings (if group → You can use a whiteboard through a
classes will be 40+ minutes, you can third-party application called Web White
upgrade to the Pro Plan for $14.99 per Board
month)
→ You can create "break out rooms" to
partner students o together when
teaching in small groups
→ Students can record and save their
sessions to their hard drive (or part of a
session) for later use
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
→ Whiteboard + markers
What supplemental → Flashcards with letters + letter combos
to use for spelling
teaching tools would → Picture ashcards with colors and
shapes
bene t me when → Hand puppets (favorable
among younger students)
teaching English → Magnetic letters + magnet board
online?
Some companies will provide you with
lesson plans and curriculum to follow,
whereas other companies will expect you
to supply your own. For example,
VIPKid provides you with a full curriculum,
you just log in before each class to look
over the lesson plan set for that session –
very little prep work is required. Some
items that compliment lesson plans and
help aid in successfully conveying a
message or a new teaching to a student via
webcam include:
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
How to Teach English Online with eTefl
Online
“It is very di cult to explain what it means If you are excited about teaching English
to teach online and how much ful llment it from either the comfort of your own
has given me these past two years… home or anywhere in the world, contact
Everyday I wake up and am welcomed into us about TEFL certi cation
the living rooms of Chinese families that I options a n d get ready for a great
have never met before… I’ve built adventure!
relationships with people in multiple
countries. I’ve been invited to a wedding in
Brazil, o ered kung-fu lessons in Taiwan,
and taken dance lessons in Costa Rica.”
- Caroline Chadwell
“I have traveled to over 118 countries
over the last four years because I could
work online, and earn my income even if I
was spending one week in Lebanon,
another week in Oman. A lot of my time
was spent working, not traveling, but the
fact that I was able to live so easily
everywhere and anywhere was its own
boon, and for all of you who want to travel
without a tether, I can’t think of another
better way.”
- Kiran Bhat
How to Teach English Online with eTefl Online
