Teachers and online tutors are in high demand all over the world. However, the advent of technology and the current pandemic have made online teaching much more common if not a necessity. Unlike most other jobs, online teaching has the added benefit of providing the individual with flexibility and room to plan your own schedules, ones that obviously work for you and your students.
Indeed, it is worth noting that online teacher jobs abroad are well paying, and you can teach anybody in any part of the world without leaving your location. In this regard, we have teamed up with experts from job aggregator Jooble to discuss the steps to becoming an online teacher abroad. Read on to learn more.
What is Online Teaching?
Online teaching is the act of imparting knowledge via the Internet and virtual technology to reach prospective students. As such, online teachers and students can be in any location in the world and still be able to interact and have a wholesome learning process.
Online teachers are not much different from regular teachers, except through the medium. Online teachers have to perform their job and meet the needs of their students virtually.That being the case, success in online teaching requires a slightly different set of skills besides the mainstream teaching skills. Online classroom management, technical knowledge, video conferencing, creating online presentations, designing instructional visuals, among several other practices, are all integral to the practice of teaching virtually.
Steps to take to become an online teacher abroad
If you are contemplating a job or a side hustle as an online teacher abroad, the tips below are definitely helpful.
1. Do Your Homework
Obviously, the first thing to do is to do your homework. In other words, you must conduct extensive research into everything related to online teaching, its theory, pedagogy, and the requirements and skills needed to join and thrive in this field.
Sometimes recruitment agencies for online tutors require specific kinds of skills and technical abilities. It is your responsibility to make sure you possess these skills before you apply. The onus lies in finding out what skills companies are looking for in online teachers and working on having them.
2. Embrace Digital Tools
One requirement that will help you become an online teacher is your knowledge of e-learning tools. You should know how to operate a computer and use it to prepare and deliver the course contents to students.
You need to develop a working knowledge of the different applications and softwares needed for the conduct of online teaching. For instance, you need to familiarize yourself and have at least basic knowledge of how to operate video conferencing tools such as zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, among others. While they differ in terms of the features they provide, but the operating principle is the same. You will learn how to share your screen with others, how to moderate a room, how to take part in synchronous text chats, upload materials, and many more.
Because everything is done on the cloud, you need to make sure your Internet connect is not only stable and secure but also runs on a higher bandwidth otherwise interruptions will disrupt the flow of your online teaching and, in worst cases, abort it wholly.
Virtual teaching also requires that you have a webcam that supports both audio and video recordings. There should not be any problems with the quality of sound system. You need to be able to clearly and lucidly articulate your messages and establish good communication with students. Poor sound quality disrupts students learning and negatively impacts their understanding and overall focus.
3. Get Certification
There are a couple of necessary educational qualifications you must possess before you can become an online tutor. However, this requirement can be different depending on your location. But generally, you are expected to have a good grasp of the area you want to teach. A bachelor’s degree in education or related fields is vital in today’s job market.
There is also the opportunity to enroll in short-term courses, whether physical or online, to prepare you for the job and give you the necessary certifications to land good jobs. Conduct thorough online searches to find such courses and benefit from them. Coursera, edX, Udemy, are good places to start looking for specialized teaching courses.
4. Find A Niche
The next thing you need to focus on is finding an area of study and developing yourself to teach that subject. Being an expert in a field is essential as it enables you to help the student through any challenge and proffer a long-term solution.
5. Join An Online Teaching Platform
There are plenty of online teaching platforms you can join to start your career. Some of these platforms are looking for teachers to join their websites. All you have to do is fill in your credentials and provide your resume and personal information. If you meet the requirements and your application is approved, these platforms will set you up and find students willing to learn from you. Sites like tutor.com and UP Skills can give a perfect launch for your career.
Conclusion
Online tutoring has grown considerably over the last five years, thanks to the fast development of technology and increased Internet speed worldwide. Students and tutors have taken advantage of these developments to improve the learning process.
Online teaching is especially ideal for individuals who want to work from home and prefer a flexible or non-traditional work environment. Prospective teachers in challenging job markets can improve their resumes by gaining experience from teaching online and also earn extra cash after school hours. Teachers with teaching experience are always in highly demand; you just need to find the school or platform that matches your preference and needs.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Jooble
