As a new education industry, online ESL teaching not only provides English teachers with a good educational opportunity (high salary and flexibility), but also uses a variety of novel teaching methods to help students learn English.
Specifically, what can students get from online ESL teaching?
In fact, it is difficult for most students (especially young ones) to maintain their attention for a long time, which is why students are easily distracted in the traditional classroom (1-1.5 hours), and why the school sets break time between each class.
Unlike traditional classrooms, online education platforms are generally one-on-one tutorials for students which last only 20-30 minutes.
It is obvious that within half an hour, the teacher focuses all his/her attention on one student, which enables the student to concentrate more on learning English and achieve the course goal. In addition, many education platforms develop private courses for each student according to their learning abilities and interests, which greatly improves the quality of the courses.
Taking ESL courses for Chinese students may also be a new adventure for you. But unlike traditional adventures, you are able to reach students' living rooms, bedrooms, balconies and even high-speed trains in seconds (if your Internet speed is fast enough) by using the Internet.
An online classroom with only two people can help teachers and students build a closer relationship (such as trust and empathy) and make your class happier. (A happy time that only belongs to the two of you.) Besides, a happy class will make students look forward to every coming lesson and give you a sense of pleasure in your job.
As an ESL teacher, you will give English lessons to students from all over China. Unlike the well-known big cities in China, small towns and rural areas usually lack educational resources (such as funds, teaching equipment and foreign teachers), so for students in these areas, you are the only chance for their exposure to Western culture (or learning authentic English) I believe this is a great career for every teacher since you take great responsibility in some students’ future.
Generally speaking, schools will require teachers to formulate specific teaching plans based on the syllabus. What annoys most teachers is that students don't often follow the perfect plan in teachers’ eyes. In a class, the teacher ought to not only focus on teaching, but also need to prevent certain classroom disturbances, such as naughty students' pranks. Usually after a day of teaching, many teachers feel that they are more tired than running a 5-km marathon.
If you have had a similar experience like above, there is good news. Online teaching can help you get rid of all these troubles. There is no complicated teaching plan (almost all online education companies will provide for teachers), and you only need to focus on teaching, which means that your students also enjoy the best education since you are at the peak of capability.
CONCLUSION
Giving students an online course not only provides teachers with an attractive career path, but also students gain a lot from high-quality online courses. They have the opportunity to enjoy a happy class, to get in touch with the western cultural world, and to lay a good foundation for their future. Maybe it’s just a 30-minute lesson for you, but it means a lot to them.