As we continue to navigate our way through this strange, strange year – it’s worth a quick look at what has changed – I should probably go with what hasn’t changed if I want a shorter list. My wardrobe? Funnily enough, buying new clothes hasn’t been a priority for working from the kitchen table followed by an evening’s entertainment on the sofa.
Anyway, let’s get back to the point. What has changed this year in the world of teaching?
Everyone has become tech-savvy
Whether you were a reluctant user of an electronic register or used a whole host of interactive teaching and learning resources in the classroom already, this year has moved us to uncharted online territory bringing even the least technically minded teachers up to date on e-learning to help keep our students going this year.
We’ve Got Used to Being on The Screen
Standing up in a classroom of students is a daunting task to many, but to us teachers this is water off a duck’s back. But throw in microphones and cameras, parents hovering in the background of lessons all the while you’re trying to work out how to share your screen and upload a video – well here we are again back to the feeling from those first days of teaching. However, like everything this year, we have adapted, and we have adapted very well. Gold stars all round thank you very much!
We’ve Created and Worked with A Whole New Set of Resources
Keeping students engaged in a virtual world demands different resources. We’ve re-designed our lesson plans, shortened our tutorial sessions, adapted our think-pair-share activities. Perhaps you’ve flipped your lessons, created and located more interactive resources, or filmed your lectures and mastered the online whiteboard and discussion forums. Either way, we know you’ve invested many hours into making this new virtual learning environment work for your students.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is also adapting to technology and indoor living.
Zoom meeting anyone? Well, that’s if you’re lucky, unfortunately, there have been soaring numbers of individuals impacted by the pandemic.
Another night on the sofa watching Netflix? You know what, I’d actually like to do something different now, I’ve watched everything worth watching.
So, here are my thoughts for you. You’ve been forced into the virtual teaching world. Maybe by kicking and screaming or perhaps with a great big hurrah? Either way, you have a whole host of new skills available to you that are in high demand, so why not use them to add to the bank balance!
Online learning has never been so popular, it’s been the only viable way for education to continue during the pandemic. Even before this, the global eLearning market was seeing huge growth with expectations of reaching $336.9 billion by 2026…if not sooner now that we have all been forced online with all generations embracing Skype and Zoom birthday parties, WhatsApp three-way calls, and even a little TikTok dance here and there.
$336 BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY – SIGN ME UP PLEASE, I’ll HAVE A BIT OF THAT!
Teaching can be a highly demanding job, but thankfully it’s also a job that is highly in demand! Financial freedom as a teacherpreneur can be your reality.
So here you go, you’ve had one challenging year, but here’s how you can use those skills and quiet nights to top up the bank balance while developing the minds of those looking to use this time to learn and develop their skills for the future.
Financial Freedom as a Teacherpreneur: Online Teaching
The options are plentiful, a quick google will reveal, but here’s a few options to get you started and give you an idea of what they’re looking for and how much you can earn. There are lots of teaching English as a second language options (not just for English teachers!) and there are subject-specific teaching opportunities too.
1. Teaching English Online
VIPKid: www.vipkid.com
What: Teaching English to 4-12-year-old Chinese children.
Criteria: Degree, teaching license, native English speaker.
How much can I earn: $7-9 per 25 minutes, with additional bonuses and most averaging $20 p/h
EF Teach Online: www.ef.com
What: 121 lessons for 5-10-year olds, with the same children each week across 54 countries.
Criteria: Native English speakers, TEFL course, experience in early childhood development
How much can I earn: Earn up to $20 per hour initially, the potential to grow.
QKids: www.teacher.qkids.com
What: Teach small groups of Chinese students with classes focused on gamifying the learning.
Criteria: Degree, US citizen, can teach 6 hours a week, teaching experience, TEFL desirable
How much can I earn: $16-20 per hour on average.
2. Teaching for other languages
Preply: www.preply.com
What: 121 lessons for anyone wishing to learn a language
Criteria: Teaching experience recommended to attract students, but no set criteria.
How much can I earn: You set your own rate and Preply takes 100% of your first lesson.
3. Tutoring Your Way to Financial Freedom as a Teacherpreneur
From tutoring in your local community through Skype and Zoom to advertising your services on various specialist sites there are lots of ways to pick up tutoring work. Some sites to consider are:
Wyzant www.wyzant.com
Tutor www.tutor.com
TutorMe www.tutorme.com
4. Sell your own course
Now this one’s for those who are a little more advanced on the technical side, but you don’t need to be a tech whizz, there are sites to make it easier than it sounds.
Teachable www.teachable.com
You can use this platform to create an online course. Over 10,000 people have developed courses on this site, and it offers payment processing, student management, and multi-media lectures.
Sounds good? Well, why not set up a custom domain, upload your resources, process your payments through PayPal, and off you go.
5. Teaching Specialist and Consultant
Thanks to freelancer sites such as Fiverr there is a place to sell almost every skill you can think of. But one ‘gig’ as they call it that is proving very popular on there is people looking for someone to write their lesson plans. So, if that sounds more appealing than yet more teaching hours, then this is the route for you. There are even sites specifically dedicated to teachers selling teachers their lesson plans. Get onboard the freelancer site train and add the cash to your online wallet.
Fiverr www.fiverr.com
Teachers pay teachers www.teacherspayteachers.com
So there we go, just a little flavor of what you can do with your new virtual skills and content development talents for you. The best news is you can dip in and out of this as you choose – so if you just want to top up the Christmas fund, then this is a way to do that too! So what are you waiting for? Get on your way to financial freedom as a teacherpreneur!
