Teaching online gives you a very flexible schedule and also the privilege of working from the comfort of your home. The advancement in communication technology has made securing this kind of job so easy that it is not uncommon to see someone teach English online without a degree. This gives one the opportunity to reach students from across the globe, who are interested in taking online English classes either because they do not have the time to take a regular course, or are not opportune to have native English speakers to tutor them. Now, you can earn a salary much higher than you would earn locally, teaching from the comfort and privacy of your own home, save money on commuting costs and have the freedom of determining what your work schedule looks like amongst other benefits.
Who Can Teach English Online Without a Degree?
Although a degree is not required, the minimum online teaching requirements for most countries nowadays is a recognized TEFL [Teaching English as a Foreign Language] Certificate from an accredited program, and native-English speaking abilities. Requirements vary from job to job and as such, you should still be able to teach English online without a degree if you have native English speaking abilities, the willingness to learn how to teach English effectively, a reliable internet connection/an active subscription and a very flexible schedule. Doing a TEFL course will help you feel comfortable and confident with your decision to teach English online without a degree and having this qualification will help you boost your chances of getting hired, showing potential employees your level of commitment to being a teacher. It might be useful to do some volunteering work, as this will help improve your chances of getting a good position with a salary that reflects the fact that you have experience.
How can You Prepare to Teach English Online Without a Degree?
You should take advantage of the readiness and availability of information on the internet. Blogs, LinkedIn learning, YouTube channels amongst others are great platforms that provide you with tips, trainings, and advice you need as you prepare to enter the online teaching world.
Important Points to Consider
It is important that you make certain decisions first before choosing to teach English online. Some of the important points to consider are:
School of choice: You could either choose to work for an online school, tutoring service platform or develop and run your own platform. To teach with an online school and tutoring service, there is a compulsory application process you must go through which includes some get-to-know-you questions and a few brain teasers to test your ability to teach English. As mentioned earlier, you will be most likely required to have a TEFL certification and experience. It is also important to remember that TEFL, TESOL, and TESL Certification are similar, so whichever one you have is still great. When it comes to creating a profile, be sure to create one that promotes you as a person and as a qualified tutor. If you want to have more freedom and higher profits, running your own website is clearly the best choice. The downside to this is that you do not have your work cut out for you, this means that you must be prepared to work hard to promote your services and find students.
Unique Selling Point: What makes you stand out from other tutors? You should be willing to help your students build their vocabulary base amongst other important English work in a manner that is efficient, effective and unique. Whatever you choose to do, you must be clear on what it is you will offer, and provide some form of structure, like lessons plans and some guidelines in reference to what you will help your students accomplish. Are you great with idioms, slang, or specific vocabulary? It’s important to identify your niche. Bring on your A-game.
Mode of Communication: Online schools usually have their own platform, usually in some form of a chat room. However, if you are working on your own, you will need to have a very reliable internet connection. There are several options for communicating with your students which include: Instant messaging service, like MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, or Skype; Internet VoIP service for calls. Video conferencing is also necessary to deliver lessons that are just as real as face-to-face classes. All you need is a functional webcam and microphone or you could use your laptop if it is up to standard. There are video conferencing platforms that are very easy to use like MSN Messenger. You may also choose to record podcasts or audio files in MP3 format. It is advised to research and explore other options, taking advantage of the online technological resources available.
Payment Plan: It is important to have an agreed payment plan with the students if you have your own platform or the online school you work for. Online schools usually transfer payments to your bank account, PayPal account, send a check or use some sort of payment processor. If you have your own platform, PayPal offers some very useful services, but you may also choose to accept payments through credit cards or any other available means you prefer. Do a bit of research and find out what your competitors are charging.
Promoting your services: People cannot patronize who or what they do not know about. If you decide to teach English online, you won’t find any students unless you promote yourself and your business. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to do this online. You can do this using the social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram amongst others. Advertising on websites with a lot of English learners can also help. Driving traffic to your website with SEO strategies, PayPerClick campaigns, and other forms of Internet marketing also helps. You could add a blog to your site and provide useful tips and advice for students.
There are several platforms to teach English online without a degree. Some of them include Tutor ABC, iTalki, Verbling amongst others. There has never been a better time to teach English online. Using someone else’s platform is the easiest way to get started but you can set up your own online business teaching English online with a minimum investment and watch it grow. You should be flexible and patient during this job search as finding a place to teach English online without a degree will take longer to find. However, with patience, hard work and dedication, it is possible to build a career in teaching even without a degree.
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