english online tutors

english online tutors

Effective Strategies for English Online Tutors

1. Introduction to Online Tutoring Platforms

Now that the importance of online English tutoring has been recognized, some issues that tutors may care about will be discussed further. In the discussion, readers can decide whether they wish to go on reading detailed strategies. Given the popularity and prominence of online English tutoring, some problems and issues need to be discussed in relation to the teaching environment of VIPKID. Graduates, white-collar workers, housewives, college students, and retired teachers are all permitted to work as VIPKID tutors. Indeed, people in many other lines of work beyond teaching have tried part-time tutoring or switched their professions to tutoring.

In this age of communication and technology, the internet brings tremendous opportunities, including that of enrollment in online tutoring. Several platforms provide students with different options of learning such as Q&A platforms, platform support, essay checking, and platforms offering lessons. Talkingdata, a groundbreaking company providing big data services, has offered statistics that depict the burgeoning popularity of these platforms. Since these online tutoring platforms have developed rapidly over recent years, the demand for the teaching of language in online education environments has also increased, especially for the learning of English, which is considered the dominant global language. Therefore, this essay will offer useful strategies for those teaching English online – specifically on the platform of VIPKID.

2. Key Skills and Qualifications for English Online Tutors

Soft skills, or personal competences, for a calling as an English online tutor, to a certain extent, are as important as hard or professional qualifications. Applicants for an online tutor position should have an independent, diligent personality. What is also necessary is tact and politeness in any situations, patience and politeness. The ability to conduct dialogues, arguments and discussions in an exact and precise manner is also relevant. And the last essential feature of the applicant’s personality is a sense of humor, which is never superfluous in making conversation not boring and monosyllabic, especially at the beginning. Thus, to work in the above-mentioned capacity, an individual should be in possession of a basic skill set, which includes linguistic and pedagogical knowledge of modern English, professional skills of its teaching and a regarded set of personal characteristics and teamwork.

To become a competent English online tutor, a particular set of skills and qualifications are required. From a linguistic point of view, high proficiency in the English language is the first and foremost condition. But besides this, a good English online tutor should know all the ins and outs of the language. Proper knowledge of English linguistics, including phonetics and phonology, grammar, syntax, and lexis, is vitally important. A candidate should be aware of the most recent ideas in teaching English and some tried and tested teaching methods. Choosing the best and the most efficient exercises and conversation topics, as well as how to use the latest Computer- and Internet-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) tangibles will be relevant. A good qualification for an English online tutor is a TESOL/TEFL certificate, which stands for the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages/Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate.

3. Engaging Teaching Techniques for Virtual Learning Environments

To increase students’ linguistic and social skills simultaneously, cooperative learning is often seen as the key to securing impressive results. In the same vein, cooperative learning activities vary in form and function, but they all share at least one common core principle: an accountability to and dependence on one another. The teacher’s responsibility is to make sure that students can benefit from team learning. There are two types: competitive activities and substantive conversation activities. Gist, for example, can be used as a form of emphasis on the skill of reading or summarizing in a way that highlights what is most important about the text in one pass. The most powerful answer wins. It is particularly effective in helping students with limited knowledge, such as summarizing in a general frame. In summary, these strategies can also enhance the learning experience in the online environment if carefully designed for the virtual classroom.

To be an educator is to be able to take a learning concept and make it something that not only will be understood, but in many cases, enjoyable to learn about. These teaching techniques will make any classroom an enjoyable place to learn. Where possible, these strategies will be evaluated in the context of online learning environments. To pinpoint, some commonly known teaching techniques include creating clear goals, simplifying, connecting, involving, and explaining why. The strategies involve ensuring that the online environment is very interactive, inclusive, and conducive to strong learning communities through the collaboration of peers, teachers, and diverse media or text types. Through teacher-student interactions, it is easy to use the virtual classroom for explaining exercises, guiding relevant questions, clarifying doubts, correcting errors, and providing feedback effectively. Often, open-ended questions foster student negotiation of meaning because the response requires more than a simple yes or no, thus they are able to read, think, and write about the text under consideration. Besides, interaction is a purely verbal form. Writing, in the forms of chat rooms, message boards, or email, also allows for more participation, particularly for students who are wary of participating in more public forms of interaction.

4. Utilizing Technology and Resources in Online English Tutoring

Online teaching of English as a second language (ESL) is one of the sought-after jobs in various countries where English is an official or an important language of communication. With the pace of students getting enrolled in online courses increasing, the scope for jobs as academic facilitator or teacher has also escalated. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of tutors is projected to grow 8% from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Social media tech giant Facebook and internet connectivity service partner cited that the number of people interested in the online teaching of English grew from 21,000 in 2009 to over two million by 2019. English dominates the internet: slightly more than 25% of the world’s population can speak English. It is ranked third after Chinese and Spanish in terms of primary and associated languages. The key objective of any teaching is to increase the apprehension power of the student which is truly possible digitally. With the digital era advancement, acceptance of the English language, and software available for teaching are enhancing the quality of teaching.

In recent years, the importance of language learning has been increasingly recognized, and the number of people of all ages striving to learn a new language is escalating. The development of new technology means that anyone who wants to learn English can access digital tools and resources on a wide range of platforms. In online English tutoring, digital devices and the internet provide new opportunities that can be integrated into traditional lessons; freelancers or employees are engaged with interested learners on a one-to-one basis. This paper proposes effective strategies for successful English tutoring and critically examines the various choices available to make the session productive. The paper argues that technology is a reliable and successful way of increasing the quality of teaching and learning.

5. Building a Successful Online Tutoring Business

Many people do not know it, but ESL tends to be an upper-middle-class concern. It is the vision of your children going to an elite school in an English-speaking country. The parents of these elite children start them learning English before kindergarten. Getting into English Pre-k or cram English anyway you can is very much a rite of passage amongst this crowd. Now, it is just part of the path to an elite college in an English-speaking country. Many have absolutely no enthusiasm for being able to actually use the language. The construction we tend to use when we teach our online courses is an elite one. You would not believe how much of that secondary tuition is nothing more than memorization drilling.

One of the goals of this guide on being an online tutor is to give tutors who have proven themselves at their schools or centres the chance to explore a more entrepreneurial spirit. Many online teachers have split shifts where they are unproductive. During those times, many would love to tutor individuals or small groups. However, their schools own the hours a tutor is available. Not all tutors are business people, but this guide aims to help you set up and grow your business. I have included marketing tools to help with this, but a good many people find clients through word of mouth, so much of the book focuses on best practices: things to think about, how to get a personal website, when to have an open policy and when not to. Thus, at the core of my method is the aim of enabling tutors to explore an entrepreneurial side.