How to Make Money Teaching English Online: Top Questions Answered

Online English teaching companies use the term "online teaching" as synonymous to "distance education." In actuality, though, they are different.

Distance education or distance learning refers to the field of education that focuses on providing education to a student who is not physically present in a classroom. In distance education, there is time and / or spatial "distance" or separation between the teacher and the student(s), and education is carried out using non-conventional methods such as via the following: videoconference, teleconference, and correspondence.

Most people think that distance education is something new, but its origins date back to "at least as early as 1728" when a teacher named Caleb Phillips posted an advertisement in the Boston Gazette "seeking students for lessons to be sent weekly (Holmberg (2005), as cited by Wikipedia.org)."

An older type of distance education is correspondence education, but through the years, with technological advancements, new types have emerged. And although some reputable colleges and universities have long embraced distance education, older delivery methods are still preferred over the newer ones. For instance, online education, a new type of distance learning that makes use of the internet, is still a hot issue for educators. There is still debate and experimentation as to whether online education is effective or not. This, however, does not seem to bother and stop some private schools and academies from offering degrees and courses online.

Online education is not to be interchanged with online teaching. Teaching is what you as the instructor do to impart learning to the student. Education, to put it simply, can be related to a degree. Companies offering "online teaching," therefore, offer neither formal education nor a degree.

So, if these online teaching companies do not offer education, what then do they offer? Let us just say they offer a high-tech version of tutorials. Make that 19 notches higher than tutorials.

The most popular classes taught online are online English classes. If you want to learn the English language online, there are companies and instructors offering their services. If you want to teach English online, you can get into a company specializing in online English teaching, or you can be a freelance online English teacher.

Why teach English? Why teach at all?

Teaching English is the most flexible job in the world, and it is probably the most rewarding. First, you can teach English to anyone anywhere in the world, wherever you are in the world. Second, teachers earn extra money, but teaching English does not have to be a full-time job. You can keep your day job, but if you want another stream of income to satisfy or sustain your whims, you can make extra money from online English teaching. Third, since in teaching, you learn, you will gain more than whatever monetary reward you will potentially get. You will be surprised at what you can learn just by teaching students online. You will learn a new culture, pick up a few phrases or expressions of your student's language, or even find love -- who knows?

Also, if you are one of the many brilliant teachers who are having a difficult time finding a job as a teacher, perhaps being a web English teacher is one option. Teaching careers are not just confined in the classroom as you can teach English to anyone using the internet. 

So, having said that, you may want to teach English online as soon as you can because there are many students who want to learn English now.

There is no written rule that says English or teaching English is only for native speakers, but if you are a non-native speaker, before joining on line teachers, you should assess your English skills. Can you write, read, and speak English better than most people? How's your grammar? You may need to brush up on what you know about verbs, nouns, sentences, and prepositions. How are your voiced /th/ and short /i/ sounds? You might want to perfect these sounds first before you can start looking for students.

Remember, in teaching English, you cannot teach what you do not have. It is, therefore, not enough that you have excellent usage of the English language. You should also know the technicalities of the language. Your students want to know the difference between "say" and "tell," between "It's fine with me" and "It's fine by me," so you should always be prepared.

A certificate or degree in English or education certainly gives you added credibility in teaching languages, but if you do not have any of them, it is fine. You actually do not need them right now to teach foreign languages. All you need to have is the knowledge and the desire to be an English language teacher. If, along the way, you realize you want to carve out a career in English teaching, then you can go back to school to earn teaching credits or a degree in education, or enroll in a reputable academy to obtain a TESOL certificate.

Online English teaching companies have two types of online classes: phone classes and video classes. These classes can follow the one-to-one or one-to-many approach and can be conducted over the phone (phone classes) or via videoconferencing (video classes). They can also last for 10, 15, or 20 minutes, or even an hour everyday, twice a week, or thrice a week.

Classification of online English classes in these companies is therefore based on the following:

1. number of students per class,
2. technology or equipment used to teach,
3. frequency of the class in a week, and
4. study minutes.

The diagram shows how you and your student(s) interact during the class. Using IM applications like Skype and Yahoo! Messenger, you can conduct a class anytime, anywhere.

While some online English teaching companies have a software especially designed for their needs, you can use instant messaging (IM) applications as your primary aid in teaching online. Yahoo! Messenger and Skype are just two of the several free applications that have features that can help you deliver whatever learning you want to impart. If you do not have any of those applications, download and install them now.

Aside from an IM application, you will need a good headset. Your hands will be busy typing or clicking a file to share with the student, and the headset provides you with the functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation.

You will also need a good webcam. Understand that you can buy a functional webcam for less than $20, but if you want good results, go for the ones with extra features and good resolution. Although they may cost more than $500, these better webcams are a good investment.

Since your class is an online English class, make sure that your internet speed is fast enough, at least 1 Mbps. As for textbooks, you may or may not need them depending on the following: the type of class you want to conduct, the approach you want to employ, the level of your student, and the nationality of your student. For instance, if you want your English classes to be CLT-based, a textbook is not (always) necessary. If your students are Koreans, you might to give them a texbook they can study.

Last, you will need to consider how you will be paid, so you need at least one payment option. The usual payment options are via three modes: money transfer, wire transfer, or online payment transfer. In money transfer, students are given the option to pay through Western Union or establishments offering the same service. In wire transfer, your salary is deposited to your bank account. In online payment transfer, students pay via Paypal, Alertpay, Liberty Reserve, or Neteller. The last option is highly recommended because it is safe and convenient. If you plan to have this as one of your options, you need to register with these companies.

So if you have access the the internet and a good computer, you can teach or learn English online anywhere. Anywhere can be your virtual classroom.

To summarize, here are what you need to start teaching English online.

1. A computer or laptop
2. Internet connection
3. Instant messaging applications like Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Skype (NOTE: Skype is highly recommended.)
4. A headset
5. A webcam
6. Lessons or teaching materials
7. Student
8. Paypal or Alertpay account, bank account, or other modes of payment

From this point on, a clear distinction must be drawn between the terms "course" and "class." A "course" is similar to what you had back in college. When you enrolled in a course, you studied and focused on a particular subject or topic and attended a series of "classes." Remember the introductory course on Pyschology you were required to take?

Why this distinction?

Your students might be confused, so to prevent this from happening, these concepts should be clearly defined.

There are many topics and areas in English that you can choose to teach. But to help you decide what course to design and offer, assess your English skills. I said this before, and I am saying it again: You cannot teach what you do not know or are not capable of teaching. Are you good at grammar? Can you teach conversational English? Do you want to employ the CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) approach? Do you have good materials, or do you have the ability to create your own resources?

Here are some English courses that you can offer.

1. General English Course
2. Grammar Course
3. Conversation Course
4. English Test Review Course
5. Business English Course
6. Pronunciation Course
7. Writing Course
8. IELTS / TOEFL / TOEIC Review Course

And why should you offer courses?

Students want an experienced and highly professional teacher. A well-organized English course certainly gives a good impression, and its mere sight gains student trust.

It would be helpful to define and explain two concepts first.

"Study time" refers to the duration of an English class. The standard study time in online English teaching companies is 10 minutes, but freelance online teachers conduct their classes longer, for at least 30 minutes.

"Enrollment period" refers to how long a student intends to study with you. NOTE: If a student decides to study with you for two months, he may not finish the course he signed up for.

Whether or not you plan to use a textbook, the duration of your courses depends on two things: the study time, and how many lesson sections or pages you can possibly cover given the study time. It is, then, better to first decide how many minutes you would like your classes to start, and then you can work from there. As already mentioned, 30 minutes is the standard study minutes for freelance teachers. To be competitive, it is recommended that you stick to this number.

So, if the book you intend to use for your introductory course on grammar has 40 chapters, then it will take 40 classes (or meetings) to finish it. But then again, the number of pages and the study time should also have a say in how long it will take to finish the entire book. Does one chapter have 10 pages? Are the pages filled with a lot of information? How many pages can you finish in a 30-minute class?

Once you have considered and answered all those questions, you can start putting together those information for your course's syllabus.

Although not advisable if you are a beginning teacher, you can design your own lessons and activities. Pattern your syllabus from the course outline of one textbook, and design activities that will meet your student's needs. For example, in a Conversation Course, you may want to have a 15-meeting course that includes topics you think will help hone your student's English skills. Consider the syllabus below.

English 101
Description: A 10-meeting conversation course for children, beginner to intermediate. Each meeting or class lasts 30 minutes.

Meeting 1: Introducing yourself properly
Meeting 2: Telling yourage
Meeting 3: Saying greetings to a new friend
Meeting 4: Introducing a friend
Meeting 5: Greeting someone
Meeting 6: Describing the weather
Meeting 7: Describing how you feel
Meeting 8: Saying your favorite color
Meeting 9: Saying your favorite food
Meeting 10: Saying your favorite season

If you do not want to find students yourself, there are companies that do the work for you. Here are some of them.

1. VerbalPlanet.com
2. TeachEnglishOnline.net
3. TeachOnlineEnglish.com
4. oDesk.com

Or you can check job postings on the internet. Here are some useful websites.

1. ESLJobsWorld.com
2. Dave's ESL Cafe
3. ESLTeachersBoard.com

Or you can always advertise your services. You can create your own website or blog. You can ask your friends somewhere in Japan or Korea if they know anyone who would like to avail of your services. Join chat forums. Here are some teachers offering their services.

1. OnlineEnglishTeacher.com
2. NativeEnglish.eu