The first step to becoming an English teacher is to get a qualification from an accredited institution. It really is not enough to just be a native-level speaker, you need the right tools, knowledge, and practical experience. The diploma that I took (Cambridge CELTA) was thorough, tough and intense, and it made me realise how much skill there is behind teaching a language!
The second step is getting set up to teach. In Belgium, no matter how much you love your job, being a freelancer is hard work in itself. Getting registered initially, and then keeping up-to-date with the paperwork, as well as the high tax and social security charges, can be quite disheartening. It’s a case of taking it day-by-day, being organised, and probably above all, getting a good accountant. In terms of affording it all, it’s a good idea to diversify. In my case, I also do proofreading, editing, and translating, and once the pandemic is over, I plan to teach some basic IT and run an English learners’ book club.
So once you start to work out the paperwork/finance side of things, the next step is to discover the type of teaching you want to do. English teaching, yes, but…adults? Children? General English? Business English? Conversation? Aviation, legal, or academic English…? What size classes? Which levels? And so on. Perhaps the only way you can know what type(s) of English you want to teach is to try out as many different combinations as you can, and then see what you like most / what you’re best at. In this way, you can become an expert in one or two areas, rather than being OK at many. This will help you to be a better, and more focussed, teacher – and your students will benefit from it.
I learnt very quickly that I much prefer teaching either individuals, or very small classes (up to 4 people). Teaching individuals is great because I can really focus on the student, on their aims and needs, and the way they learn. When I teach individuals, no one feels like things are going too quickly, or too slowly, or gets bored because the lesson is related to a topic they're not interested in.
Another thing to consider is whether you want to find your own clients, teach in language schools, or do both. Language schools are good because they find students for you, and so you’re unlikely to be short of work. They’re a great way to start, especially if you find a good, and friendly, school. But the downside is that for the service of finding students for you, you get paid a lot less than when you find your own students. It also inevitably means more paperwork and perhaps also more general complications and negotiations, depending on the language school. But in any case, finding enough of your own students can be really tricky, especially during a pandemic! Which brings me to my final lesson…
Marketing. In a world full of English teachers, particularly now that so much is online, how do you stand out? How do you get new students to come to you rather than going to someone else? Well, partly it’s about building up your teaching experience, gaining specific expertise, and if you’re successful, having students who can recommend you. After that, I’ve learnt that the best way is through some online networking, advertising, and… being patient. No matter how good you are, it takes a long time to build up a good client network.
So there you have it – as you can see, teachers have a lot of learning to do too! If you’re a language teacher, whether in Belgium or elsewhere, I’d love to hear about your experiences. You can leave a comment below, or contact me via my contact page.
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