I'm sure you have heard of the term, "digital nomad" before. It's used among the younger generation to describe someone who makes their income through telecommunications aka their laptop. These people aren't tied down to any certain location in the world. As long as they have a laptop and reliable internet connection, the world is theirs. A digital nomad could be working in a cafe in Paris one week, then a hostel in London the next. People who live this oh so adventurous lifestyle come in all different fields like freelancers (photographers, writers, web designers), as a copywriter or transcriptionist (someone who listens to an audio and types what they hear), or as a digital marketer. It seems like an ideal lifestyle to make your own schedule, come and go as you please, not having to worry about requesting off. But is it too good to be true?
When I finished my 5 month cruise ship contract, I didn't have a car, nor did I want one. I knew I needed to make money to hold me over till I finished my TEFL course and relocated to teach English abroad. I thought, what better way than to teach English online from the comfort of my own bedroom? As long as you have a reliable internet connection, a headset (or headphones with a microphone), and a laptop/PC that is compatible with the learning platform (Mac, Dell, Lenovo, HP, just to name a few) you're good to go. But, I'd also like to discuss a few crucial things before you decide to teach online.
1. Tech Difficulties:
These things are bound to happen for, example; the power might go out for no reason, or your router isn't working. The problems could also be with the company, because sometimes the website where you teach might be experiencing hiccups that day. My advice is to make sure you test everything before you have a class session. This means testing your laptop itself making sure your webcam, microphone are working, and that your software is updated. Be aware regular tech issues can cause you to lose your clients.
2. Time Zones:
When you teach English online, you are very likely to be teaching kids from China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, etc. If you're living in America, that is a 13 hour time difference. It is important to know the time conversions when you book your classes. When I taught online, I worked morning sessions (6am-10am). Then I picked up maybe 2 extra classes at night (6pm-9pm). If you're a chronic insomniac you also have the option of teaching between the hours of (11pm-4am). The most demanding hours for many platforms are very early mornings and very late nights. Pretty much just choose your hours accordingly to make the most money.
3. Requirements:
To teach online, you don't need any relevant experience whatsoever. However most companies require a minimum of a Bachelor's degree (great for recent graduates). Also, some companies do require a TEFL or it's equivalent (TESOL or CELTA). If you don't have your TEFL certification when you start working, a majority of companies will give you 60 days to complete it.
4. Who Can I Work For?:
There is a plethora of places to teach English online. You can find positions on ESL job boards like https://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/international and https://www.teachaway.com/ Might I suggest a few companies below
VipKid: https://www.vipkid.com/teach I personally never applied for this company. I do have a friend that did and she really enjoyed it. You would teach younger kids on here.
English First (EF): https://www.ef.com/adultteachonline/ I worked for this company briefly. The platform was rather simple to use. Training was virtual so you have one of the staff members on video helping you. This company teaches all age groups and all language levels.
Magic Ears: https://t.mmears.com/v2/ I interviewed for them, but declined the position. If you really like younger kids, I'm talking toddler age, this might be for you. The platform was difficult to use in my opinion.
itutorgroup: http://www.itutorgroup.com/ This is the company that I worked for. The platform was super easy to use with a reward system built in. You have a virtual blackboard and special effects to make the class more entertaining for younger learners. As with EF, you teach all ages from younger kids to adults.
5. Money:
Okay so how much are we talking exactly? Well, I'm glad you asked! The amount of money you make totally depends on how many classes you teach per week. I taught a lot of classes before I came to Korea, around 7 or 8 a day, I made a little over $800 in one month. Keep in mind when teaching online, you do only get paid once a month. Many platforms pay between $11-$25 an hour. Itutorgroup paid me per class that I taught, and you can also earn bonuses if you gain a good repertoire so to speak, and the same clients continue to book your sessions. The one good thing with itutorgroup was that even if your client doesn't show up for the lesson, you'd still get paid regardless. I will put a disclaimer out there that the company I worked for and EF are platforms that do pay slightly below average compared to most companies.
6. Lesson Planning:
The best part about teaching online is that you dont have to worry about planning a lesson! All of the materials are provided for you. Platforms will allow you to preview the lesson plan 30 minutes to an hour before your lesson starts. But one thing I had wished I done when I was teaching online was had more props, especially for the younger learners. In the TEFL field we call this "realia" which are objects or activities that relate the lesson to real life. For example, you could be teaching a 5 year old about animals, you'd want to have stuffed animals or figurines to put the language into context. Props simply heighten the experience of the class.
The Cons of Teaching Online
I will say with online teaching that there is very little room for creativity or games. Everything is pretty clear cut to the point where some companies will have dialogue box in the online classroom with what you're supposed to say to the students. Therefore, you can't really run your classroom like you want to. Don't get me wrong, having structure with the programs and curriculum is crucial. Especially with an inexperienced teacher like myself. But it just made it hard to create an environment that satisfied the needs of all my clients. I think the biggest thing for me was that most of my clients would be sitting in their houses with so many distractions around them. They'd be playing on their phone or a video game console. The worst for me was when the parents were around and talking to their children during the lesson. It's also worth it to mention that your work hours can be cut just because demand depends on the season, or if you're new teacher. I know I had some issues with this for the first few weeks that I was doing it. Not to mention, your classes can randomly get cancelled for no reason at all. So each time your class gets cancelled, that's an extra dollar that you lose.
All in all, I would definitely go back to teaching online when my contract ends here just to have something to hold me over till the next destination I choose. It probably seems like I mentioned a lot of cons with this digital nomad lifestyle. But there is no perfect job out there, let's be real about that. No matter how glamorous a life of working from your computer seems, remember it's no walk in the park. I don't see teaching online as something you should rely on for your main source of income because your paycheck is not that consistent. However, it is a perfect way to gain some side income.
Comments