Teaching English Online can be an exciting and rewarding career, but it’s not as simple as just speaking the language.
To be an effective Online English Teacher, you need the right combination of skills, qualifications, and technical know-how.
In Part Two of my Ultimate Guide To Being An Online English Teacher I will outline the key skills required to teach English online successfully.
From fluency and communication skills to cultural awareness and adaptability.
I will also tell you what necessary certifications you will need, and whether you need a degree to get started.
If you’re serious about teaching English online, understanding these essential requirements will help you stand out as a professional and competent teacher.
Let’s dive in!
Essential Skills
These are the four main skills that you will need to teach English well online.
Fluency in English
You need to be a native English speaker or a near-native English speaker, IE, highly fluent.
This is an absolute must to fulfill the role of an Online English Teacher.
You need to have a very strong grasp and understanding of:
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
- Pronunciation
- Idioms, Collocations and Phrases
- Sentence Structure
And clear abilities in speaking, reading, writing and listening
If you are a non-native speaker, the ability to demonstrate fluency via a well-known language test like IELTS or TOEFL is a must.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
You are communicating and engaging with students in every aspect of your job as an Online English Teacher, so having clear communication is a key skill.
This means that you are speaking at an appropriate pace, enunciating clearly, and able to simplify any complex ideas.
You also need to be able to build a strong rapport with your students to foster a positive learning environment.
You should be able to engage with your students and make them feel comfortable when speaking English with you.
This will greatly impact their confidence and thus their progress and ultimately their satisfaction with you as a teacher.
Cultural Awareness and Adaptability
As an Online English Teacher, you will be working with students from many different countries and from diverse backgrounds.
As such, you will need to have respect and awareness of their cultures and customs.
Even their ways of learning may be different from your own. So you need to make your lessons relatable to the students’ culture and, therefore, effective.
You need to be sensitive to cultural differences in communication, in humour (definitely this one!), and in teaching styles and approaches.
For example, Japanese students might prefer a more formal style of lesson.
While students in Brazil might respond best to a relaxed and conversational style.
It would be near impossible for you to fully understand all your students’ different cultures, but you have to be sensitive to their different beliefs and ways of life.
Basic Technical Skills
And it probably goes without saying that if you wish to embark on a career as an Online English Teacher you will need some basic technical skills.
Being able to use video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Skype and Google Meet is an absolute must.
You will have to know exactly what to do for screen sharing, chat functions and breakout rooms.
If you don’t know how to do these things, then YouTube is your friend.
Do a search on YouTube for all the above apps and you will find lots of tutorials on how to use them.
You will also need to know how to use digital teaching tools, such as
- Virtual whiteboards
- Slide presentations
- LMS learning management systems
Plus, you will need to be able to troubleshoot basic technical issues such as
- Poor connections
- Audio issues
As I said, you can learn how to use all of these technical tools by watching YouTube.
Lots of free content available to help you learn what to do.
Certifications
If you are going to work for an Online English Teaching platform, you will need a very basic certificate in teaching English.
Some training and a certificate will not instantly turn you into a better teacher, but it will prepare you very well.
Once you begin teaching, you will find the more on-the-ground experience you get, the better you will be as a teacher in the field.
But let’s look at the three main certificates you could get to help you on your Online English Teaching journey.
TEFL, TESOL or CELTA
These are the three most common certificates for English teaching.
TEFL
This stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
This is by far the most common certification for teaching English abroad or online.
A TEFL course ranges from 120 hours (standard course) to more advanced options.
You can do this course online or in a real live class.
There are also Groupon deals for a TEFL certificate which are dirt cheap.
But they are dirt cheap for a reason.
TESOL
This stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Very similar to TEFL, but often much broader in scope.
TESOL is suitable for teaching both online and in real-life classroom settings worldwide.
CELTA
This stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.
This is a highly respected certificate offered by Cambridge University. It is very intensive and includes actual teaching practice, which makes it ideal for those seeking more in-depth training.
But this is geared towards teaching adults. Not kids.
Teaching children is a whole different kettle of fish…
When you are choosing a certificate, try to consider the following questions:
- Does the course include any practical teaching experience?
- Is it accredited and respected by employers?
- Is it within your budget?
- How long is the course?
- Can you do it online if you need to?
Degree Requirements
Some of the online teaching platforms require a bachelor’s degree as a baseline qualification.
This is common on platforms such as VIPKid and QKids.
Some countries require a degree certificate for visa purposes.
But in the world of Online English Teaching, it is not really a requirement.
I would personally argue that a degree won’t necessarily make the candidate a better teacher.
Unless they have a degree in something related to teaching, communications, human resources, ENGLISH, etc.
And if you are going independent, you will find a great deal more flexibility.
Many of your clients may prefer experience over qualifications.
And hold a higher regard for your teaching skills as opposed to any formal education you may have.
I would not be too overly concerned about having a degree certificate.
It is not vital.
But at the very least, you need a high-quality TEFL certificate.
Couple this with some experience of teaching on one of the online platforms and you are good to go.
Please understand that I am NOT saying that you can just walk into Online English Teaching with nothing.
Treat the job and your students with the respect they deserve and make sure you can teach them according to their needs.
This will require basic certification at least.
Conclusion
Teaching English online requires more than just being a native or fluent speaker.
To be truly effective, you need strong communication skills, cultural awareness, and the ability to navigate digital teaching tools.
While certifications like TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA can help you get started, experience and adaptability will make you a great teacher in the long run.
Now that you understand the essential skills and qualifications, it’s time to explore the tools and equipment you need to teach online successfully.
In Part Three, I will cover the best tech setup, software, and resources to ensure smooth and professional online lessons.
