What it Means to be an Online Teacher

"What do you do?"

When I tell people I teach online, the reaction in their eyes says "Huh. Doesn't sound like a real job to me".

The first question is always about what I teach, the second is how.

The What

I teach English to people who are learning it as a second (or possibly 3rd, 4th, 5th..) language. Some students are learning just for the fun of it, others because their work requires it, and the rest, to take a test for University admission or emigration to an English speaking country. My current students range in age from 13 to 60, and are from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia. 

The How

I currently use two methods of connection with the students. One is by Skype, which works well for one-on-one students. The other is WebEx, which is an online meeting software, and is good for multiple student classes. WebEx is the more advanced of the two, allowing easy file sharing and a "whiteboard" that can be written on as if you were in a real classroom. 

The Subjects

My lessons with my students are less of instruction, and more of practice and explanations. With those who are studying business English, I follow course books about the subject and tie in modern day examples. For those students who are taking language tests, we first study the structure of the test, how to construct appropriate answers, and then practice, practice, practice.

The students who are studying general English have the most interesting lessons. I rely on the news quite a bit, as it provides recent and relevant language to normal conversations. A great resource is Breaking News English, which provides daily lesson plans for interesting news stories. Some students follow course books in their lessons, and some are purely open conversation. For these lessons, it is all about the student- they want to talk about it, we will. I currently have a student having lesson about Russian history- not something I expected!

The Ease

I will be the first person to tell you that my job is not rocket science. No tests to grade, no parents to deal with. Compared with the normal classroom environment, it is a walk in the park.  Gathering materials is super easy, because if I need something, I can Google it in an instant. I teach from home, most of the time not even changing from my pajamas. I've been on many "working vacations"- if there is internet, I can teach there.

The Difficulties

That being said, there are some difficult parts to my job. Most of those being the same issues that any teacher faces- trouble with behavior, motivation, attendance, and assignment completion. In some ways, they are bigger problems; trying to get a student to do homework when it has no effect on the grade is extremely arduous. And telling them to stop playing with their phone? Don't even bother. 

Intellectually, it can quite a strain. Short of translating something into the native language of the student, there are only so many ways you can explain something. For example: the word "naughty". You can't Google it to get a picture, because it give you something inappropriate. Googling "bad children" is better. But then, the student thinks that only that situation (say a child breaking something) is bad. So you must give more examples. Examples of adults. Examples of countries. Sometimes, acting it out helps, or drawing a picture. I've had experiences of 20 minutes of explaining a word. It gets to you after awhile.

Physically? It's killer. I spend between 6 and 12 hours a day staring at a computer screen. I know, I know, people doing office work do the same thing. But when you combine having to stare at a computer screen, listen to someone rattle on with a thick accent, write notes on mistakes and advancements, and correct grammar and vocabulary at the same time, it really takes a toll. Oh yeah, don't forget how often there are issues with Internet. No technical support at my "office"!

The moral of the story...

If someone tells you they are an online teacher, be jealous but also sympathetic. We have a great job that requires little planning and no travel time. But the job itself is taxing on the mind and body, and you will never know the true value of colleagues until you have only Facebook to talk to for hours on end.