How to get online teaching experience

Looking to venture into the world of online teaching for the first time? We’ve got your back! With an increase in demand for online TEFL teachers comes an increase in competition for online teaching jobs. With competition getting fierce, it’s important to make sure your application stands out from the crown. How do you ask? Well getting some experience is a great place to start! But what can you do to get online teaching experience? Check out our top tips here…

1.Get TEFL qualified

It may sound pretty obvious but getting TEFL qualified is by far the most important step for gaining teaching experience. Whether you decide to freelance your way through the ‘TEFL world’, or work for an online company you’ll need to be TEFL qualified. This means studying a TEFL certification with an accredited and regulated company just like us! If you’re looking to gain a top TEFL job and enhance your chances of employment, we’d recommend studying a more advanced course. Our Level 5 Courses and Diplomas are a great way to stand out from the crowd and give your CV/resume a boost. Plus, it shows that you’ve studied all the key components to become an amazing TEFL teacher.

2.Volunteer

Paperairplanes

A great way to get some experience before you dive into the world of online TEFL is to volunteer! Volunteering for online companies such as Paperairplanes is the perfect way to gain experience as well as build your self-confidence. Lots of our graduates have worked for this company in the past and have absolutely loved it! You’re going to be great so don’t worry!

Teach your family and friends online

From your neighbour’s kids to your nieces and nephews there’s heaps of ways you can help out in 2020! Online teaching experience doesn’t just have to be with international students, you can help out at home too. Whether you’re teaching writing techniques to teenagers or are helping stressed-out parents to grasp grammar, you’ll easily be able to boost your CV/resume! Word of mouth is one of the best ways to market yourself, so speak to your friends and family to see how you can help out. As you’ll be helping your nearest and dearest as opposed to paying customers, classes can be less formal and take place on facetime – it’s as simple as that!

3. Market your services locally

Place an advertisement in your local area

Already abroad? We’ve got just the ticket! Whether it’s online or in a shop, placing an ad in your local area is a great way to market your services. You can reach out to a wider audience, get in touch with mutual friends, and build your reputation as an amazing TEFL teacher. Students love to see who they’ll be spending time with, so make sure you add a short snippet about yourself. This can include who you are, where you’re from, what qualifications you have, your contact details, and the cost per session. Classes can take place on free platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype and you can even set up payments on PayPal – amazing!

Become an online tutor

If you’re from the UK and looking to gain hands-on teaching experience, we’d highly recommend Tutorful! You can teach students of all ages from Primary and Key Stage 3, up to GCSE and A-Levels. Students tend to need help with their homework, coursework, and exam preparation but there’s scope to help with other subjects too! And the best part? You’ll be teaching English to children in your local area! This means that once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted you’ll be able to teach both online and face to face. What better way to build your experience?

4. Freelance

Ready to take on a challenge? Then we’ve got the perfect solution for you! Freelancing as an online English teacher is a great way to be your own boss, set your own rates, and be in charge of your own schedule. Going it alone can be a pretty tricky task, but it’s not completely impossible! You just need to know how to market your services online and the clients will come calling – amazing! It may take a bit of time to build your brand and reputation, but we promise it’ll be worth it! From Facebook and Instagram to LinkedIn and Twitter, there’s plenty of ways you can get your name out there. Plus, you could even set up your own website and blog too. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, you’ve 100% got this!

5. Work for an online teaching platform that doesn’t require experience

Working for an online platform is the perfect way to gain teaching experience as you’ll be able to put your skills to the test. From children to teenagers, all the way up to university students and retirees, you’ll be teaching a variety of people- amazing! With so many online platforms out there, it can be pretty overwhelming narrowing down your selection. So, to make things easier for you, we’ve put together our top 5 online TEFL companies you can work for without any experience. Whether you’re a degree or non-degree holder, there’s heaps of teaching opportunities out there for you! So why not give them a go?

1. Preply

Requirements: You just need a TEFL certification to work for Preply.

Pay: Online English teachers at Preply can set their own rates- amazing!

Type of student: You’ll gain heaps of experience at Preply as you’ll be teaching students of all ages!