Ready to Start Teaching English Online?

Be Fluent in English

The first and most core requirement for teaching English online is to be fluent in English. It can take time and work for anyone to be comfortable enough with English to teach, but there are no specific barriers to stop anyone – even non-native English speakers can build up a career and develop the skills to thrive.

Get Your TEFL Qualification

You don’t technically need a TEFL qualification to teach English online, but trying without one is like trying to row a boat without a paddle. It’s going to be an uphill battle, so it is worth getting qualified as soon as you can to make the process a lot easier on yourself. Working with us is a good idea – we’re happy to support you and deliver a quality education for anyone who needs it. 

Set up Your Equipment

You will need the right tools for the job if you’re going to be an online English teacher. We recommend investing in a strong, stable internet connection and the right equipment to teach.

Working from your home in Canada is the best way to teach and is the easiest to start your career with. We suggest a webcam with good resolution, a powerful desktop computer for the processing power to handle multiple tasks, and a headset with a microphone, preferably a wireless one for ease of use. 

Ensure Your Software is Installed

As a teacher working online, you’ll use different tools in different situations. The company you are hired by may have specific rules for classes, whether it is working on Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. You may even have to use in-house software, which needs to be installed and set up on your computer. As a freelancer, your best bet is to pick something accessible to bring students to you. 

Build Your Online Presence

If you want to work online as an English teacher, then it is heavily recommended that you build up a proper presence on the internet and establish yourself to succeed. As is the case with any type of career, you will need to do things like build up your resume and develop your experience and network. If you build up an online image specifically to sell yourself as a teacher, it’ll help a lot with retaining students and drumming up more work.

You should make an online profile which details your achievements and strengths as a teacher. If you don’t already have a full set of social media platforms and a dedicated email address for business enquiries, it is worth obtaining these to help your career.

Set Up Your Payment Channel

Working online demands the use of a payment channel and platform to get your earnings paid into your account. You need to be able to take payments with as much ease as possible, be it as an employed teacher or an online freelancer. PayPal is usually recognized as being a good, reliable option in this regard. Not only is it used around the world by many, but it is also a secure platform which is easy to work with. However, don’t feel this is the only option – you are free to set up whatever payment schemes you feel will work best for you and choose something which best suits your needs.

Find Work!

Once you have successfully set everything up for working online, you’ll need to start looking for work to become a proper English teacher. We are more than happy to work with you, and we offer you access to our job boards, which will help you search for first positions. However, there are many different platforms and boards for online work on the internet, and you’ll need to pick what works for you. Watch out for scams, however – they are everywhere and can look convincing. 

Start Teaching English Online

So, that’s it. You are ready to start teaching English online. We’re always here to support you and want to see you grow, so please keep in touch once you’ve graduate