The Coronavirus pandemic has forced many people into working from home and this is by no means an easy thing to do. Some jobs just don’t translate into the home environment and trying to achieve anything with young children around is virtually impossible. But can you do TEFL from home? (TEFL is an acronym for Teach English as a Foreign Language). Yes, you can. So if your plans for the summer are in disarray, then it is still possible to salvage some of the work opportunities and take your skills and qualification online.
What are the advantages of online teaching?
You have a limitless audience subject of course to the time differences around the world and the hours that you want to work. There are no overheads, no daily commute or travel costs and none of the drawbacks of working in an office.
How can you set up a home office to teach from?
Here is some guidance about setting up a home office or workspace. It doesn’t have to be a separate room in the home but if you do have your own study or office then it will make life much easier.
- You will need a comfortable preferably ergonomic chair and a desk which is large enough for your laptop and other papers. It’s easy to think that homeworking is like hot desking from the sofa to the kitchen table and back again but it really pays to be more organized and professional
- If you don’t have the luxury of a dedicated room, then set yourself up in a corner of the lounge or living room where you can fit a table and chair and maybe a small shelf unit for your papers and files. Even in a very small house, it will help make the delineation between work and home easier if you can physically close your laptop and files at the end of your working session
- You will need a good and reliable internet connection; students are just not going to stick with a teacher whose lessons keep dropping out so make sure you have enough capacity with your service provider particularly with so many people working from home at the moment
- Try and choose a location where you have plenty of natural light or site your desk and chair near a window. The quality of your home working environment is very important and impacts considerably on how successful you are and this applies regardless of the type of work you are doing
- Organise your files and papers with dedicated office stationery. Think about the equipment that you will need like a good reading lamp, pens, paper, a printer and maybe even a paper shredder
- If you have small children and are having to share space then it can be helpful to mirror a workspace for them so they can be encouraged to follow their own quiet activities whilst you are working. Not all your activities may be actual online teaching, it could be preparing lesson plans or teaching aids. Color co-ordinate your files and then choose a bright funky color for the children to store their pens and pencils and coloring books
- Organise your actual teaching sessions for when you have quiet time in the house or someone to look after the children. The difference in time across the world can work well in this regard as you can teach when your children have gone to bed or before they get up in the morning. The most popular teaching jobs for online TEFL teachers in the UK are those in Europe because the time difference is so slight. If you are prepared to work more unconventional hours then you will find a lot of opportunities available to you and this can solve the issue of a busy or noisy house
- There are lots of free-standing online educational resources which you can use as a reference library to help support you in your solo career
Where can you find online TEFL teaching opportunities?
It can seem a bit daunting trying to find work as a freelance teacher especially if you feel you have been rather bounced into this situation by the current global pandemic. It can be even more intimidating if you have never actually done any TEFL teaching before at all and have only recently passed your TEFL certificate.
Starting online teaching on a one to one basis can actually be much easier and far less daunting than standing up in front of a classroom full of students in a foreign country. There are lots of online teaching opportunities, like Thedigiteachers, if you know where to look.
- Set up a profile on freelancer sites like Upwork, PeoplePerHour and Fiverr – there are plenty more. Create a job search alert so you are notified when jobs are posted that may interest you. You may also find yourself approached by one of the many international online agencies who are constantly recruiting teachers to provide English tuition. These jobs are not the best paid out there but it is a good way to get started and doesn't’ stop you also taking on students privately on an ad hoc basis
- Contact your TEFL course provider to see if they have any links with students looking for English tuition. It is a selling point for some course providers that they can create work opportunities for their students – this is the time for them to deliver on that promise
- If you have already taught abroad then you may have contacts that you can use to generate some online work
- Contact potential overseas employers for next year who you may have identified as possible sources of work for when you travel. Offer your services to them on an online basis – remember, no-one is learning in school, everyone is at home trying to pursue their studies so all English schools are closed currently
Whether you have already opted to teach English online at home or have been thrown into it by accident rather than design, try and turn it into an opportunity to set up a really valuable and permanent skill. Online English teaching is just another thing to add to your CV when you do apply for work overseas and will always stand you in good stead either in the UK or if you want a source of additional income whilst you are overseas.
