“No one should teach who is not in love with teaching.” – Margaret E. Sangster
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you enjoy teaching. In its most common form, “teaching” as a profession involves instructing many students in a traditional classroom. Nowadays, there are many variations on how someone can work as an educator, including teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) online.
Online ESL instruction is a rapidly growing field with many companies to choose from, such as VIPKid, Gogokid, and dozens of others. This field offers a diverse range of companies, student ages, and scheduling options, as well as secondary positions, such as hosting workshops, mentoring, reviewing curriculum, etc. It also allows for varying teaching styles and personalities – there’s a niche for many people both with and without formal classroom experience.
But what does this mean for you?
How do you get into this field if you’re:
- Anxious about the thought of teaching students virtually?
- Introverted and need time to recharge?
- Apprehensive about whether your personality matches what companies are looking for?
- Excited about the idea of teaching at home but unsure how to balance online teaching with your current job/other responsibilities?
Or, if you’re already an online teacher, how do you find your niche and turn this growing field into a sustainable, long-term career?
I previously taught middle school Spanish to 125 students/year while working towards my M.Ed. – I knew I loved educating but struggled to maintain the energy needed to be a consistently engaging classroom teacher. Another concern was wanting the flexibility to take off or adjust my work schedule depending on what came up in life, such as raising children. I spent some time tutoring independently and working as an hourly Home and Hospital teacher until I heard about VIPKid and online teaching. 3 years, 3,000 classes, and 997 students later, I work as a teacher and Mock Class Mentor solely online and am able to balance meaningful work and side projects with my introverted needs!
This blog is for people who:
- Are current or prospective online teachers/”eduprenuers” who want to stay up-to-date about the world of online ESL teaching
- Genuinely enjoy teaching and helping others but not at the expense of your own well-being
- Value autonomy and fueling your own success through research, trial and error, and self-reflection
- Want to create and maintain a healthy work-life balance that works with your natural energy levels as an introvert (or extravert/ambivert!)
- Enjoy continuously improving in all areas of life and making connections with other like-minded educators
In this blog, I will discuss ways to develop and establish yourself as an excellent online educator, regardless of which company or companies you choose to work for. Through resources, psychology and education research, and personal anecdotes, I will help you navigate the daunting field of online ESL and overall finding your niche as an introvert in the field of online education.
I also plan on creating props and rewards for classroom and/or online teaching that increases student engagement and facilitates conversation in the target language!
- If you’re interested in being updated of future blog posts, TpT products, freebies, and more, subscribe here to get 1-2 emails a month and no spam!
- To directly contact me and receive information on how to find your niche in teaching ESL online, please contact me at introvertedonlineteacher@gmail.com, through this from, or on Instagram.
- Ready to apply to VIPKid? You can apply here and enter my referral code IVANA0001, then email me for 1:1 mentoring and guidance.
Sincerely,
The Introverted Online Teacher