Author
If you want to be a top-tier ESL teacher, there are a few things you definitely have to do to max out your bookings and provide consistently good classes.
Intrigued?
Below are essential guidelines you should adhere to in order to excel as an online ESL teacher.
Be punctual
Have you ever experienced the frustration of arranging to meet a friend only for them to arrive 15 minutes late, perspiring and apologizing? It's safe to say that waiting for them can be quite exasperating. When individuals are tardy, it leaves us feeling irritated and as though we've been shortchanged in terms of our valuable time, and this sentiment is even more pronounced when we're compensating them for their services.
For an online teacher, it's absolutely vital that you're consistently prepared at the beginning of each class.
Dress for Success
Ensure that you wear suitable attire for your teaching sessions. You don't need to go to extremes for your online classes; typically, a clean, solid-colored t-shirt or sweater and well-groomed hair should suffice.
Simply ensure you appear tidy and professionally attired and adhere to any company guidelines related to your appearance.
Come Prepared
Prior to each class, it's essential to have a clear outline of what each segment of your lesson will entail, along with the necessary materials ready for each part.
It's worth noting that at Allright.com, teachers are provided with comprehensive lesson plans for various general courses, including additional courses like Minecraft or Roblox (P.S. students love them) making your job a lot easier. In such cases, your main responsibility lies in preparing any required props and reviewing the lesson content before the class.
Consider the Long-Term Perspective
When you're responsible for developing your own lesson plans, it's not merely about pondering the content of each isolated lesson. You must also contemplate the broader trajectory of your students' learning journeys.
The advantage of teaching with Allright.com is that all the necessary materials are readily provided, eliminating the need for ESL teachers to invest time in crafting their own curriculum. This ensures that your students can consistently build upon their previous knowledge, solidify new information, and easily track their progress toward specific educational milestones within your lessons.
By working with a curriculum that progressively builds upon itself and guides students towards attainable goals, you not only enhance the learning experience but also instill motivation and confidence in your students.
Opt for Reliable Equipment
You don't require an extravagant laptop or a state-of-the-art headset to conduct online teaching, especially when your primary medium is video calls for English lessons.
Teachers are required to have a modern laptop or desktop computer (Mac or PC is fine) with a minimum of 4 GB of RAM. You should also have 10 Mbps upload and download speeds, a working webcam, and a microphone. You can test your download speed at www.speedtest.net.
Speak to Their Level
Your speaking pace, articulation, and vocabulary should be tailored to the student's level of proficiency and ability.
For students who are just starting out as beginners, it's crucial to speak at a slower pace, enunciate words clearly, and utilize straightforward vocabulary that aligns with their comprehension. This adaptation is key to supporting students as they enhance their listening skills and establish a solid foundation in English.
Attend Classes Consistently
Occasionally, life throws unexpected challenges our way—emergencies, power outages, and even the rare alarm clock malfunction. When such unavoidable hurdles prevent you from attending class, rest assured that both your students and the individuals you're collaborating with will empathize, as they too are only humans.
Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance not to establish a pattern of missing classes. Consistent absences may lead others to perceive you as unreliable and lacking commitment, ultimately reducing your flexibility for legitimate, unforeseen circumstances when you genuinely need to be absent.
Manage Cancellations Effectively
During your teaching journey, there may be instances where students miss a class or arrive late.
If you're teaching at Allright.com, they will provide guidance on how to address tardiness and missed classes. However, if you teach independently, it's advisable to establish a clear policy so that students are well-informed about the repercussions of cancellations in advance.
While it's possible to display flexibility in dealing with students, it's important to evaluate each case based on the individual student's history and their particular circumstances.
Enhance Your Technical Proficiency
During your teaching sessions, it's crucial to be prepared to address technical issues that may arise on your end. However, it's equally important to acknowledge that your students may encounter problems with the teaching platform.
Understanding the platform and possessing fundamental computer knowledge can be invaluable. This knowledge allows you to assist students in restarting their router, refreshing the webpage, unmuting themselves, or adjusting their camera angle without delay, saving both time and frustration. It's also worth noting that in the event of technical problems, teachers who work at Allright.com will receive a guide on how to troubleshoot them, or they can rely on the expertise of specialists to provide assistance, reducing the need to involve intermediaries for minor issues.
Communicate with Parents
Establishing effective communication with parents is pivotal in inspiring them to schedule lessons more regularly, leading to noticeable progress in their child's learning. This communication not only plays a vital role in the student's success but also contributes to your financial rewards as a teacher. When you apply to Allright.com, you'll receive a guide on how to engage with parents effectively, along with sample messaging templates to facilitate these interactions.
Teach with a Smile
Wearing a smile while you teach conveys a sense of friendliness and happiness. This approach can create a more comfortable atmosphere for your students, helping them feel at ease and boosting their confidence to participate and speak more freely.
While the degree of exuberance may vary depending on your students' age, maintaining a pleasant demeanor remains significant, benefiting students of all age groups.
Use Props
Incorporating visual aids into your teaching arsenal is a cost-effective investment that significantly enhances the quality of your lessons.
Visual aids introduce an element of fun, which can be particularly effective in engaging younger students. Additionally, they provide a practical means to elucidate concepts that may otherwise be challenging to convey.
Items such as flashcards, presentations, memes, and "realia" (utilizing real or plastic objects like an apple when discussing fruit) all serve as excellent visual aids. Consider investing in a puppet for demonstrating dialogues or a toy microphone to indicate speaking turns.
Beyond their entertainment value, these props also demonstrate your dedication and preparation for delivering effective lessons.
Assign Homework
If you're teaching through Allright.com, you can leave this task to the teaching platform. Homework assignments are automatically generated, and the student's learning partner will oversee them. Your primary focus is on delivering your lessons.
However, if you're conducting independent teaching or working via a tutoring marketplace, it's advisable to assign homework to assist your students in solidifying the knowledge they acquire and advancing more rapidly. Homework serves the dual purpose of ensuring that students arrive at class well-prepared, leading to smoother lessons, and instilling in students a sense of autonomy and achievement.
Happy teaching together with Allright.com!
