What You Need To Know About Becoming a Private TEFL Tutor

TEFL isn’t just about going abroad – you can stay at home, too. There are plenty of opportunities to tutor English privately either face-to-face or online. Private EFL tutoring has many benefits which will be highlighted below.

The Pros

• You are the boss of your own salary – you can expect to earn between £10-£35 a lesson depending on the level and ambition of the learner
• Bigger choice on your schedule
• Manage your own workload
• One-on-one lessons provide your students with the attention they need to achieve their full potential
• You can tailor your lessons to the individual’s needs – you don’t have to follow a set curriculum
• The learner has less reason to be embarrassed to ask and answer questions

The Cons

• You need to consider the time and cost to advertise and market yourself
• Salary and schedule may not be as stable as you would like
• Student might prefer to learn in a group
• Acquiring the right resources may prove more difficult than you would find working for a school

Tips for Teaching

• If you choose to become a private or online tutor, it is important to remember that you must advertise yourself. You can do this in a number of ways: online advertisement sites, create your own website, newspapers etc. will all help to put your name out there.
• Become TEFL certified. This will not only prove to potential students that you are indeed qualified, but will also endow you with the skills necessary to run lessons effectively and efficiently.
• Offer a free first lesson. This will encourage more people to try and book first lessons with you – if they enjoy it, they’ll be back for more.
• Let your student do the talking. Let them answer your questions whilst you ‘play dumb’. This will encourage your student to think about what they are saying and have to say next.

Tips for Online Tutoring

• Make sure to have all the necessary equipment available: webcam, mic, a laptop, and some sort of programme designed for video chats. Lacking these, you’ll be in danger of seeming unprofessional
• Speak clearly and be patient – faulty connections may create some lag time
• Dress respectably. The same goes for normal tutoring, too. It doesn’t have to be a suit and tie, but appearing on camera wearing your pyjamas may look like you don’t put any effort into your lessons
• Don’t be annoyed if something goes wrong with your tech – fix the problem and carry on calmly

Resources

Hopefully, some of these will provide inspiration for future lessons. It’s important to mix up your lessons a bit so as to keep your student’s attention.

Teaching Resources – /tefl-resources/ – For some truly high quality lesson plans and activities designed by expert TEFL tutors.

TEFL Org blog – /blog/  – Hopefully some of our blogs can inspire ideas for future lessons.

Video software – http://film-english.com/ – Use videos as a means to teach your students.

Worksheets – http://www.eslbase.com/worksheets – Print worksheets off or create your own.

All in all, private EFL tutoring, both online and face-to-face, can bring huge rewards for teacher and student alike.