Teach English in Bairuopu Zhen - Changsha Shi

An increasingly popular option for teaching and learning English has been online classes as compared to a traditional classroom. An increasing number of students have access to the internet, and thus, it is often cheaper and more convenient for a student to receive access to native speakers of English via an online classroom. Teaching English online does have advantages over traditional in-class teaching, but it still has some disadvantages and different aspects that must be accounted for in order to gain maximum benefits for both students and teachers. Firstly, there are several different paths to finding the right company to work for. Before one can teach online, they must first decide whether they want to teach independently, which is normally more difficult to in-class, or through an already established company. A major benefit to teaching independent is the amount of freedom you have in designing your own work schedule, class lessons, and method and ease of receiving payments. Downsides would include establishing credibility and finding clients. Following the path of working for an established company, it is important to have a resume or CV that stands out from the numerous other applicants probably also applying for a position. Once you have received and accepted a job offer it is important to make sure you have strong internet connection and web camera that is high quality enough that you can clearly and easily be seen and heard. Lagging web connections or grainy and unclear web cameras will be a large hindrance in your ability to teach English if a student cannot see or understand you. As mentioned, teaching online has benefits over in-class teaching. Scheduling is often more flexible as students can simply sign up class slots rather than having one set class time. Classes are also convenient because neither teacher nor students need to leave their home to attend or teach a class. Teachers can also provide an interactive experience through a virtual whiteboard or PowerPoint. On the other hand, there is a disconnect of an interpersonal relationship between a teacher and their students as well as student relations among themselves in a virtual interaction as compared to in-class teaching. There is limited interaction time between students and their teacher and the teacher’s office hours is normally more limited than at a brick and mortar school. Unlike in in-class settings, it is more difficult for students to work on group projects, homework, or study together because students are more likely to live farther away from each other. There are also more chances for a miscommunication to happen when you can usually only communicate through mail or a group chat. Even with a web camera, you cannot read a person’s body language. However, by altering some of one’s teaching methods, some of the difficulties one might encounter in teaching English may be overcome. Although there exists a physical disconnect between teacher and students in a virtual classroom, teachers can still utilize the resources they will have in any given lesson: their facial expressions, hands and voice. Because the focus of the web camera is usually focused on the face, it is especially important for teachers to use their facial expressions, head movements, and tone of voice to communicate. For example, if a student misuses an incorrect grammar tense, the teacher may tilt their head, make an exaggerated confused face, and repeat the tense in a questioning tone. Hand movement can help relay a visual image. If a teacher wants to convey that they are playing baseball, they may swing their hands in the position of swinging a bat. While these actions are still applicable for in-class teaching, they are especially important for online teaching. While students are unable to interact with one another in group projects or homework, having a virtual “white board” enables students to interact in a different way such as through games, communicating and asking questions in a group chat during the class, and being able to draw, write, circle answers, or insert pictures on a power point or virtual chalk board. In an increasing global society, it is increasingly becoming easier to connect with people around the world technology such as the internet. While traditional in-class teaching is still the most prevalent method of teaching and both online and in-class have their benefits, recent years have seen a surge of companies that strictly teach English online and teachers or even people that don’t have a degree or experience education applying for online English teaching positions. Thus, in order to enhance one’s scope of job opportunities it is advantageous to know how to teach English online.