One of the biggest fears for any would-be-expat is throwing away the day job and moving overseas. Unless you’re well set financially then another source of income, however small, needs to be set up.
One great opportunity to earn a living in this area is by teaching English. As English speakers we are blessed to already know a language that is universal and many people are ready and waiting to learn it. There has been an explosion in this area in recent years and with the continuing evolution of the internet the chance to reach a captive market is getting easier and easier.
There are many misconceptions around this topic and today we speak with Jack Askew of http://www.teachingeslonline.com who shares his knowledge about the increasing demand from English learners, where the online opportunities are heading and what you need to do if you want to get started as an English teacher, either online or in a foreign country.
You can get some handy hints on getting started in this space with Jacks free e-book 15 Amazing Tools and Resources for Teaching English Online
Sit back with a good cup of coffee and here what Jack recommends you do if you want to get started in this space.
What I learned from Jacks interview:
1. Teaching English is easier than you think. You don’t need to be an academic to teach it, particularly in the online environment and you don’t need to have mastered a second language in order to get your point across. Most of the resources are available online that you will need and with a recent free British government course in teaching English having more than 1 million people sign up there is no shortage of demand
2. You need to find a niche in which to specialize. If you teach English generally you will be facing increasing competition from other teachers but diving into a specialist area and becoming the expert in it is the way to make a good income for yourself (Jack gave the example of helping Australian immigrants deal with passing the English test to be admitted as a citizen as an example)
3. Empathize with your learners. Learning language can be frustrating for people. If you have a good ability to listen and appreciate what they are going through then you will support them better and grow your business accordingly. Although learning a second language yourself is not necessary if you’re undertaking the expat lifestyle this could be a good skill to have and will help you understand the frustrations of your clients.
4. Start one on one. Although this doesn’t leverage your time as well as online can it will help you understand the needs of your market and hone your skills better.