Page 28 - ELG2406 June Issue 490

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RESOURCES

Navigating online teaching

Teaching online can be difficult to break into if you don’t know where to start.
Luckily, experienced teacher Mary Costello has got the answers you need!

y self-employed online teaching building up my profile on a platform, rather have chosen another teacher, or life might
career started eight years ago when than my own business. have got in the way.
I was living in Colombia, teaching Learners you’ve been teaching for a while
MEnglish to business professionals Never stop looking for new students might also disappear. When they take a break,
in person. It was rewarding, but the daily Your calendar is full, and you’re earning good such as a holiday, this can cause them to lose the
commute and long work days were a struggle. money. Success! But don’t forget: things can habit of taking lessons. You can check in with
So, I had a go at online teaching and change overnight in the online teaching world. them, though, by sending a friendly message.
loved it; I have learnt so much over the years A student can suddenly become sick and take
and I wanted to share these insights, from a break from lessons, or another could have Establish a cancellation policy
my experience of one-to-one adult lessons, urgent work commitments to deal with. I recommend doing this straight away, in a
with new teachers and those interested in Over eight years, I can’t remember a time trial lesson.
transitioning to online teaching. when all of the students on my books have Learners don’t want to lose one-to-one
actively been taking lessons. Something lessons they aren’t able to attend, and will
Marketplace language platforms always comes up with at least one of them. often ask to cancel at short notice. This,
If you’re just starting out online, language Don’t take too many students on at once, however, doesn’t take into account your time
platforms can be appealing as a way of gaining but never stop advertising your services. and loss of income, so it’s essential to have a
some experience, and not having to worry clear policy in place.
about setting everything up on your own. Ghosting A 24-hour cancellation policy is fair, in my
However, many platforms charge teachers Ghosting is very common with online learning. opinion. Teachers tend to feel mean about
high commissions, and have systems designed You have a trial lesson with a new student. charging students for missed lessons, but if you
to offer maximum flexibility to students, at They need English classes for work reasons aren’t firm on this, it often becomes a habit.
the expense of teachers. and are ready to start. However, they fail
If you do sign up to a platform, don’t get to make another booking. There can be a Don’t go it alone
complacent; this is the mistake I made. I had number of reasons for this: some people take a There are many other online teachers
a steady supply of new students, but I was trial just to get some free practice, they could out there, so you might see them as your
28 June 2024