fbpx

5 Things You Need To Be An Online ESL Teacher

Online ESL teacher

5 Things You Need To Be An Online ESL Teacher

Now the cat is out of the bag, there’s no slowing down online English teaching. Both students and teachers have realised that online education is the future of learning. With the TESOL industry continuing to boom, you’re in the right place land your dream teaching English online from the comfort of your own home! Keep reading as we go through 5 basic things you need to get up and running as an online ESL teacher:

1. TESOL Certificate

Study 100% Online

A high-quality TESOL certificate is the most important thing you will need to become a TESOL teacher. This is fundamental for your ability to teach English — as it will give you the skills and confidence to be the teacher that every student loves and every school wants. It’s best to choose from a reputable provider who has decades of experience in the TESOL industry (TESOL Australia).

Study time counts, so we recommend a minimum of 200 nominal study hours with real training and observation videos from in-class lessons and with real teaching practicum included. Teaching practicum helps you experience what it’s like to teach English online first-hand with actual students. It’s a great confidence booster and is sure to stand out on your resume. It doesn’t end there, if you’re a graduate of TESOL Australia, you’ll have access to our job support team. Our team will help set up job interviews for you through our extensive network, so you can easily land that dream job of teaching English online.

2. Computer

Laptop or Desktop

If you’re reading this blog, it’s more than likely that you have a computer (or phone). Whether it’s a laptop or desktop, as long as the screen is big enough to properly engage with students, you’re good to go. We recommend a minimum screen size of (13” / 33cm). A keyboard will also be necessary, as you will need to type from time to time. If you’re worried your computer might be a bit old or slow, test it out on a Skype call with a friend. If it can handle a long call without crashing or getting buggy, it will be fine for teaching.

3. A Stable Internet Connection

A Smooth Teaching Experience

Whether you’re teaching from Medellin, Colombia or Melbourne, Australia —  a stable internet connection is a must for obvious reasons. It’s important that your 1hr lesson goes smoothly without internet disruptions. The occasional dropout is expected every once in a while, so schools allow for this. But, if this happens consistently, you will need to look at upgrading your connection, so you can provide a smooth teaching experience for your students.

4. Headset

A Good Headset Goes A Long Way

Audio quality is paramount so you can hear your students and vice-versa. Although most laptops and computers these days will have an inbuilt mic, sometimes they aren’t the best quality and they pick up an echo in the room or ambient noise. That’s why we recommend buying (normally a requirement) a good headset with a mic. This provides extra clarity and sharpness, so you can pick up on those pesky little pronunciation issues and help your student to hear you clearly.

5. A Clean Room

Minimalist Background

Although you may have your pyjama pants on while teaching online (don’t worry the camera is from the shoulders up), schools still want to see professionalism from their teachers. It’s arbitrary, but remember your student can see whatever is behind you in your room, so clean up any mess. Normally, most schools will recommend a blank white wall or something very minimal behind you. However, if you’re teaching young children, it’s acceptable to have props and posters in the background. 

Get in touch with us today if you have any questions!

Comments are closed.
Testimonials

Testimonial by Kylie
Kylie H
"Recently I completed a 140-Hour International TESOL course with the director of studies Ms Lynette M. Kim. She is an...

Kylie H

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:22:11+10:00

Kylie H

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Kylie
Kylie H "Recently I completed a 140-Hour International TESOL course with the director of studies Ms Lynette M. Kim. She is an excellent teacher enabling her students through sharing her 
Testimonial by Shaune
Shaune R
"This is a quick note to say thank you to the TESOLAU team for all the assistance I received through...

Shaune R

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:23:41+10:00

Shaune R

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Shaune
Shaune R "This is a quick note to say thank you to the TESOLAU team for all the assistance I received through my TESOL journey (140hr International TESOL Certificate). Assignments 
Testimonial by Jonathan
Jonathan N
"As a full time worker, I was very happy with the practical and efficient 140 hour online TESOL Certificate provided...

Jonathan N

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:25:11+10:00

Jonathan N

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Jonathan
Jonathan N "As a full time worker, I was very happy with the practical and efficient 140 hour online TESOL Certificate provided by TESOL Australia. They have experienced staff who 
Testimonial by Meg
Meg Y
"Thank you for all of the practical instruction throughout the course. The videos are so great and very clear. They...

Meg Y

International TESOL Diploma

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:26:49+10:00

Meg Y

International TESOL Diploma

Testimonial by Meg
Meg Y "Thank you for all of the practical instruction throughout the course. The videos are so great and very clear. They ensured I knew how to study the course 
Testimonial by Ross
Ross C
"I am still in China, having taught English here at a University for one year and am now settled into...

Ross C

Certificate IV in TESOL

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:28:49+10:00

Ross C

Certificate IV in TESOL

Testimonial by Ross
Ross C "I am still in China, having taught English here at a University for one year and am now settled into my second year with an offer to extend 
Testimonial by Matteo
Matteo P
"The 140 hr International TESOL Certificate has been a valuable learning experience. I feel that over the duration of the course I...

Matteo P

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-11-27T13:56:28+10:00

Matteo P

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Matteo
Matteo P "The 140 hr International TESOL Certificate has been a valuable learning experience. I feel that over the duration of the course I have gained a lot of knowledge. Great material 
Testimonial by Justin
Justin M
"The course was invaluable, covering the fundamentals of teaching English as a second language. The course itself was well-designed, practical,...

Justin M

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2019-07-04T11:39:52+10:00

Justin M

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Justin
Justin M "The course was invaluable, covering the fundamentals of teaching English as a second language. The course itself was well-designed, practical, informative and fun!! Lynette Kim, the course instructor, 
Testimonial by Tom
Tom M
“Within minutes of filling in the contact form on their Web site, I received a phone call from Lyn who...

Tom M

RPL Certificate IV in TESOL

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:03:10+10:00

Tom M

RPL Certificate IV in TESOL

Testimonial by Tom
Tom M “Within minutes of filling in the contact form on their Web site, I received a phone call from Lyn who asked me about my background and said that 
Testimonial by Vickie
Vickie P
"The IELTS Teaching Certificate has enabled me to change my career path and given me the skills to gain employment...

Vickie P

IELTS Teaching Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:07:51+10:00

Vickie P

IELTS Teaching Certificate

Testimonial by Vickie
Vickie P "The IELTS Teaching Certificate has enabled me to change my career path and given me the skills to gain employment that is both satisfying and exciting. I was 
Testimonial by Zhara
Zhara L
"TESOL Australia has opened great opportunities for me and because of the training and ongoing support I have gained invaluable...

Zhara L

Certificate IV in TESOL

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:10:28+10:00

Zhara L

Certificate IV in TESOL

Testimonial by Zhara
Zhara L "TESOL Australia has opened great opportunities for me and because of the training and ongoing support I have gained invaluable experience as an ESL teacher. I’m currently teaching 
Testimonial by Renee
Renee W
"The TESOL Australia Certificate IV in TESOL has been great professionally and personally. I have a completely new career I...

Renee W

Certificate IV in TESOL

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:12:04+10:00

Renee W

Certificate IV in TESOL

Testimonial by Renee
Renee W "The TESOL Australia Certificate IV in TESOL has been great professionally and personally. I have a completely new career I absolutely love and will continue with for many 
Testimonial by Jed
Jed A
"The International TESOL Diploma taught me everything I needed to know in order to become a successful teacher in the...

Jed A

International TESOL Diploma

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:14:16+10:00

Jed A

International TESOL Diploma

Testimonial by Jed
Jed A "The International TESOL Diploma taught me everything I needed to know in order to become a successful teacher in the ESL industry. The integrated teaching approach struck the 
Testimonial by Dan
Dan Han
"As an international education agent, we have worked with TESOL Australia on numerous projects including short-term study tours and long-term...

Dan Han

Education Agent

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:16:10+10:00

Dan Han

Education Agent

Testimonial by Dan
Dan Han "As an international education agent, we have worked with TESOL Australia on numerous projects including short-term study tours and long-term teaching programs. The teaching quality of their graduates 
Testimonial by Christina
Christina G
"TESOL Australia has helped me live my dream! I can now travel and take my work with me! I've been...

Christina G

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:17:32+10:00

Christina G

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Christina
Christina G "TESOL Australia has helped me live my dream! I can now travel and take my work with me! I've been living in Mexico for two months and loving 
Testimonial by Simona
Simona C
"The program of the TESOL course was very comprehensive and Lynette managed to engage all of us in a very...

Simona C

140hr International TESOL Certificate

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:19:11+10:00

Simona C

140hr International TESOL Certificate

Testimonial by Simona
Simona C "The program of the TESOL course was very comprehensive and Lynette managed to engage all of us in a very productive manner. We were easily able to cover 
Testimonial by John
John M
"I have just completed my TESOL Cert IV online course and I loved it. The units where fun, informative and...

John M

Certificate IV in TESOL

TESOL Australia
5.0
2018-10-01T06:20:37+10:00

John M

Certificate IV in TESOL

Testimonial by John
John M "I have just completed my TESOL Cert IV online course and I loved it. The units where fun, informative and challenging. If I got stuck on a question 
5
16
TESOL Australia
Latest Posts