Online EFL teaching requires a different set of skills and traits in teachers mainly because of the technology involved. Read about them in this blog.
At first glance, physical and online teaching may seem the same. After all, they have the same objective, which is to help students learn.
However, paying attention to the specifics of the different modes of teaching will tell you that teaching English online is very different from teaching in a classroom. There are things an instructor can do during face-to-face instruction that is just impossible for an online EFL teacher to achieve in distance learning. Conversely, there are advantages one can enjoy in distance learning that cannot be found in face-to-face instruction.
Online teaching requires different skills and traits in teachers. Instructors who have excellent teaching skills in the traditional classroom environment may already have some of these necessary characteristics for effective online teaching.
However, because these two instruction modalities are dissimilar, there are some additional qualities that teachers must possess if they want to pursue and succeed in their online teaching careers. Read on to learn the essential traits and soft skills in online TEFL.
As you teach English online, you spend most of the time (if not all) verbally communicating with your students. Considering this, you must have not only a clear and accurate pronunciation but also good verbal communication skills to relay the lesson comprehensibly.
You must also be able to use the appropriate nonverbal cues, actions, and gestures to keep your learner engaged and enthusiastic throughout the lesson.
An essential factor that distinguishes online teachers from classroom teachers is that the former rely mainly on technology during lessons. Without a fast Internet connection or a properly functioning computer, online teachers will not be able to perform their roles at all.
For this reason, you need to have a certain level of technical know-how to be an effective online EFL teacher. Throughout your career, you will be working on various software applications and you will be needing particular hardware to be able to conduct your online English lessons. You also need to have at least a background in troubleshooting problems with your computer or laptop and Internet access to ensure smooth and uninterrupted lessons for your student.
Most online teaching platforms do not implement rigid teaching schedules or a set day and time for you to give your lessons. If you are teaching with 51Talk, you are required to teach during peak hours but you determine the specific time slots you want to open for booking. Moreover, you are in control of the number of lessons you will give per day and per week as long as you reach the required number of teaching hours per cutoff.
Given this freedom over teaching schedules, you must have time management skills to manage your teaching blocks, be punctual, prepare for each lesson well, and still have enough time for rest. You cannot be effective at what you do if you cannot organize your activities and endeavors wisely; you will find yourself constantly rushing to the next lesson or cramming your preparations.
The students you will be teaching are most likely young English learners. Being a teacher, especially to children, requires positivity and enthusiasm.
Teaching in a physical classroom requires a positive mood, but giving online lessons requires another level of energy and enthusiasm. You must be cheerful and put that extra effort to make up for the lack of physical movement and being in the same space. As an online teacher, you will encounter shy and silent students. You should be able to encourage interaction and empower them to speak and participate in the activities despite the lack of physical interaction.
It can be exhausting, but you have to make sure the lesson is fun and enthusiastic from start to finish to keep the students engaged.
During your EFL teacher training, you were probably oriented about the different cultures of the top countries in need of English teachers. The students you will meet and teach come from a cultural background that can be poles apart from yours, so you must always be discerning and tactful when it comes to these cultural differences.
You should be respectful not only because it is the proper thing to do, but also because it helps make your students feel safe and welcomed. Consequently, this helps them overcome their shyness, allowing them to enjoy the lesson and participate in the activities with confidence.
Most importantly, you have to have a passion for teaching to be effective at it. You will be facing young English learners with different attitudes and attention spans every day, and you will always have to deal with a new challenge every time. There may even be instances where you will find yourself at your wits’ end trying to get your student to focus and pay attention to you.
Teaching online is not an easy job. If you are not fully committed to it, you will not probably survive in this field. Remember: teaching is not only a job for a living, but it is also living for a job.
Online teaching has become an attractive field especially during this time of uncertainty and instability. It’s a great home-based job that allows you to earn a living without having to be away from your family or loved ones. However, online English teaching is not for everyone.
Aside from the usual traits and characteristics helpful in physical teaching, online teachers must also develop other soft skills to be effective when teaching online. As an online English teacher, you will meet new challenges and you will have to pick up new skills, but for those with a genuine passion for teaching, this will surely be a highly rewarding experience.
51Talk is looking for thousands of home-based online teachers to give one-on-one English lessons. You can earn up to Php80K as a full-time teacher and enjoy a wide range of perks –
