Last Updated on January 15, 2024 by Lori Pace
Becoming an Online English Teacher can give busy parents a chance to fulfil their dream of teaching while earning income and spending more time with their children. This article will give single mothers 6 tips on becoming an English teacher on their own time.
There’s no denying that being a parent is a tough job, but it’s the most important. That’s why many parents put their ambitions on hold to dedicate as much time to their children. But bringing up your offspring is not just time-consuming. It takes a lot of effort, energy, and money. These reasons have caused parents to abandon their professional dreams altogether.
Fortunately, technology has helped bridge the gap between parenthood and career. It has been an invaluable tool to organize the busy lives of parents worldwide. The education system has seen an incredible shift in the last couple of years – from a face-to-face setting to an online scenario. This has revolutionized the way people learn, teach, and make a living.
With this in mind, an increasing number of parents are choosing to invest time, money, and effort to reinvent themselves as teachers of English as a foreign language (TEFL). This has always been a thriving industry, but the global connectivity has consolidated the need for more critical and widespread English language skills worldwide in different business areas.
Why Become an English Teacher Online?
There are four main reasons why teaching English could be the happy medium between parenting and earning, while feeling good about what you do.
- Personal satisfaction
- Comfort
- Availability, and
- Flexibility
Whether you choose to become an English Teacher as a foreign language online, you will soon notice how fulfilling and rewarding it can be. Your lessons could be vital in shaping the future of children and teenagers while giving adults the tools to improve their job prospects. There aren’t many jobs out there that can be this meaningful and allow you to make money while working from the comfort of your own home or the country of your choice.
Who wouldn’t like to work in a comfortable environment? How would you feel about avoiding wasting time and money on commuting to and from work? Teaching English online allows you to earn money without leaving your home or a comfortable place of your choice.
As you know, there aren’t enough hours in a day for a parent. So, a job that would best suit you is one that you can easily fit around your busy schedule. Again, technology can help with this. Teaching English remotely allows you to work with learners from all over the world, in different time zones. You could teach in the middle of the night, if that works for you!
Being flexible is what gives you freedom and helps you achieve a better work-life balance, even more so for parents. You can choose how many hours you want to dedicate to teaching English. As a freelance teacher, you can also decide your level of independence, either with or without the support of an online teaching platform.
Become an English teacher on Independent or platform-based teaching?
As previously mentioned, teaching English offers flexibility in terms of how much (or how little) support you need from an established online teaching platform.
Become an Independent English Teacher
Becoming a completely independent English Teacher means total freedom of choice. But, it also implies commitment and dedication to areas of the business you might not be familiar with. Think about promoting your services, finding students, stipulating policies, processing payments, etc. All this even before you start planning and teaching your lessons!
The advantages, however, are that you can set your own rates, teach the type of learners you prefer (e.g. children or adults, beginners to advanced) and choose your niche (e.g. English for specific purposes or academic, general or business English etc).
Become a Platform-based English Teacher
On the other hand, if you want to enjoy the flexibility of freelancing without the hassle of running your own business, you can seek the help of online teaching platforms. They will find students for you and often provide you with a syllabus and teaching materials. All you have to do is familiarize yourself with it and be on time for your lessons! While you can still choose how many hours you want to teach per week/month, you’ll be often required to guarantee a minimum of teaching hours – usually between 5 to 10 hours per week/month, depending on the platform/company you’re with.
The downside is that you can’t set your own hourly rates. Different platforms charge different rates. However, it is often the case that the more qualified and experienced you are, the better the rates. This kind of teaching setup is ever-changing; remember to do thorough research before choosing the platform(s) to commit to.
6 Tips for Moms on How to Become an English Teacher
You probably still remember your favorite teacher from school or any course you might have attended. And what about your least favorite? You can easily recognise good teachers because they have some personality traits in common, but they also meet some professional requirements.
1. Be creative.
Great teachers are always willing to learn something new and are creative – they know that their own learners can be their source of inspiration. Being in contact with students from all over the world can expose you to new cultures and broaden your horizons, fuelling your imagination. What better way to create personalized and engaging lessons for your learners?
2. Being empathetic and patient is key.
Everyone learns at different speeds and in different ways – this learning process can be easily affected by the environment surrounding your learner. Remember that political and economic situations and peer and academic pressure can have a significant impact on your learners. Try to be understanding and listen patiently.
3. Open to learning from your students.
This industry will expose you to a wide range of backgrounds. While this is one of the fascinating aspects of this sector, it can also be one of the most challenging. However, there is merit in having students with various backgrounds. They can provide exciting perspectives with their experience. This may help you widen your knowledge or apply it to your teaching.
4. Make sure you know all the requirements
The range of professional online requirements varies greatly, depending on who you want to work for. Bear in mind that, as a teacher, professional development is strongly advised throughout your career in education. Depending on the platform you work with and your learners’ country, you might need to hold a bachelor’s degree as a minimum.
5. Develop yourself everyday
As a single mother, you sometimes may have limited energy to tackle every single problem in class. However, keep in mind that your success depends not only on your technical skills but also on how your students perceive you. If you seriously want to become a teacher and enjoy it, set a goal to develop yourself every day. There is no limit to your growth as a teacher and an educator.
6. It’s okay if you are not a native speaker.
Often native speakers of English and/or experienced teachers are preferred, but it’s not always the case – don’t give up on your search. The one thing that will make you stand out from the other candidates is an accredited 120-hour TEFL qualification from a reputable provider.
Conclusion
All in all, teaching English as a foreign language online will give you the freedom to earn a living while fitting your lessons around your busy parenting life.
