Online Teaching Jobs

The Future of Learning

The Internet's growing popularity isn't limited to social networking.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

Online teaching jobs and online learning opportunities have expanded along with LinkedIn and Elance.

If you're an experienced English teacher looking to earn some outside income, look no further than the computer you're using now and your internet connection.

Long-Distance Teaching Tools

Whether you are working on your own or tutoring through an agency, there are many tools that you can use to teach English to a student in another city or even a foreign country.

If your student is ready to work online, he or she either already owns a computer or at least has access to one at a library or public location such as an Internet café.

Email and Websites

The simplest way to communicate online with your student is via email.

You can send PowerPoint slides or word processor files that include worksheets that your students can read, complete, and return to you.
 
If you have your own blog or website, you can post files that your student can download.

You can also email your student with the URLs of worthwhile websites with worksheets and other useful files that your student can download.

You can even send or post audio or video files that your students can watch or listen to so that they can learn correct pronunciation.

The advantage of this method is that your student can work on his or her own time. The disadvantage is the lack of immediate feedback and corrections.

Real-Time Video

If both of your computers have cameras attached or built in and you are in the same time zone or within a few hours, you can communicate face to face using video communication software such as Skype.

There are several advantages of these real-time conversations:

• You'll know instantly whether your student really understands what you're trying to teach.
  
  
• You'll be able to measure your student's progress with your own eyes and ears.
  
  
• You can tailor your lessons to your student's progress level and ability.
  
  
• Your student will be able to practice his or her verbal skills and gain confidence.

Virtual Whiteboards

Another great Internet tool is a virtual whiteboard.

These allow you and your student to write and draw English words and even pictures.

For example, if you are teaching the names of different kinds of trees, you could write the words "pine tree", "palm tree", and so on, and sketch a picture of each next to the word.

Don't worry if you're not a great artist – stick figures will do.


Most of these virtual whiteboards let you record the session so it can be played back over and over either when it's more convenient or so that your student can repeat the lesson until he or she has mastered it.

Whether your ESL student lives nearby or halfway around the world, there are lots of online teaching jobs out there.

You just need to pick the one that's right for both you and your student.

Please share this page with others: