Work remotely

8 reasons why you should become an Online English Teacher

Joanna Horanin

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Hi there! 👋 I’m Joanna, author of The Blond Travels. If you find my articles helpful, I’d be happy if you could follow me on Instagram, or . Support from readers like you means a lot to me and helps to keep this website alive. Thank you! 🙏

When I started working as an online English teacher I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that it was going to be better than working at a school, or for a big corporation. I wanted to be independent and wanted to be my own boss. So, I took the leap and I have been working as a freelance teacher for over a year now. At the moment I see lots of benefits and only a few disadvantages of being an online teacher.

If you are thinking of becoming one too and are not yet convinced, here are the reasons why you should teach online.

It gives you a lot of freedom

If you want to become a digital nomad and travel the world while working, then online teaching is a great option. All you need is internet and a few ideas for your lessons. If you work for a company that  provides you with students, then you don’t need to plan your classes either!

You are your own boss

Even if you’re hired by an agency you are still your own boss. You decide when you work and how many hours you do. You can take holidays whenever you want or you can work your butt off if you wish so. You are in charge of your time and that’s a very liberating feeling.

You don’t need to wake up early every day

This was my main motivation to become an Online English Teacher and one of the things I love about it – I don’t need to get up early unless I want to. I start my day at 10 each morning and I enjoy having a lot of time for myself and for my blogging before I start work. It’s a perfect job for a sleepyhead like me.

There is no dress code

I struggled a little with the dress code in Thailand. Thais are crazy about wearing appropriate colours and at my school each day had a different dress code. I was tired with being careful what colours I wear. It’s a great relief that I no longer need to do it.

If you use a camera then of course you must look professional and well groomed, but you don’t need to wear shirts, suits and heels. You can just put some casual clothes on and sit in your slippers. It’s a very comfortable way of working.

Your students really try hard to learn

People who pay for private lessons tend to have more motivation to learn. They are determined and hard working. You can see the results and at the end of each class you feel that it was time well spend. I am always happy when my students ask me questions at the end of each lesson. This means that they listened and are interested in studying further. Online lessons give them more opportunity to do so and even the shyest students become a little more eager to inquire about things that they want more information on.

There are no discipline issues

If you’ve ever taught in a school, you know how much time you need to spend to stay in control of the students and the lesson. Many times you have pupils, who just refuse to study and don’t pay attention. At the end of the day it leaves you exhausted and demotivated. That’s why online lessons are much better for both the teachers and the students.

During my online classes I never encounter rude behaviour. I can spend all my energy on making sure that the student follows the lesson and absorbs the most important points of the class.

Nor tests to check

When I worked as a teacher in Thailand most of my time was spent on lesson planning and checking tests. I often had to take them home with me and spend evenings going through them, correcting endless errors and giving grades. These times are over. Nowadays I don’t do anything except my lessons. I don’t even need to do lesson plans, which saves me a great amount of time and effort.

You can talk to people from all around the world

Even if you can’t travel and explore the world, then let the world come to you. During my private and group classes I ask my students about their countries. I google different places and plan trips for the future. I find out a lot about other cultures and we often spend quite a lot of time just comparing our countries and talking about traditions and customs. Sometimes you can travel without leaving your home.

Online teaching is not the most exciting job in the world and you can’t become a multimillionaire doing it, but it is rewarding, gives you a huge amount of freedom and  saves your energy that you can spend on something you really like doing.

In my next article I will tell you how to become an online English teacher.

I work for Education First – an American company that employs teachers from all over the world. If you would like to know more, or if you would like to apply for a teaching position with them, please follow this link http://teachonline.englishtown.com/. In your application put Joanna Szreder as a referee. 

More interesting articles:

Get to know my story and become an online English teacher
Do your TEFL course and become a teacher in Thailand