ESL|EFL Teachers/Tutors: The Business of English Language Teaching?
By
Is Teaching English As A Second Or Foreign Language A Business?
Professional ESL|EFL|ESOL teaching involves intellectual & hands-on preparation, certification, experience, time & money….
Many English language tutors, teachers, trainers, coaches got into the TESL|TEFL|TESOL profession for various resons – but we’ve made a
career of it & earn our livelihood from it – so, yes, it is a business.
How Are We Involved In The Business of Teaching English?
Now some ESL, EFL, ESOL professionals work for state schools, private schools or language institutes with an established contract and salary.
Other members of the TEFL, TESL, TESOL profession are free-lance and have varying forms of contracts or arrangements with language schools or institutes. Members in this group may also work as tutors taking on individual clients and students, personally arranging with them the rates and conditions.
For this last group, in particular, teaching English as a second or foreign language is a business and they need to run it as a business endeavor.
The Internet Has Opened Up New Opportunities
With the internet revolution and the advent of social media, ESL, EFL, ESOL salaried and free-lance teachers, tutors, trainers and coaches can now reach out to a world-wide field of potential students.
The big question is: HOW?
Over the next weeks and months I want to go more in depth on this topic of how to use the internet and, in particular, social media for:
- TESL and ESL marketing,
- setting up an online ESL business
- online ESL, EFL tutoring
- marketing an ESL, EFL, ESOL school or language institute
Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how TESL, TEFL or TESOL teachers, tutors, trainers, coaches can approach their profession with good business sense and practices? Any questions? Please feel free to comment or question in the comment box below.
Thanks and Enjoy Teaching English,
Eileen
19 Comments
May 7th, 2010 at 13:48
Wow Eileen, you can have class members all over the world and teach live web classes online. The internet was just picking up speed when I was teaching English in Asia.
Shane
Hypnosis – Change Your Thoughts and Change Your Life -
May 7th, 2010 at 14:42
Life is a business. So it makes sense that you have to teach ESL as if you were working on a business. The most important thing I’d stress to the new teachers is “customer service.” If you don’t solve their problem quickly, they will go to someone else that will.
Tim Van Milligan, helping you Make Money Online, God’s Way!
May 7th, 2010 at 14:54
Eileen,
It would surprise me if people didn’t look at this as a business and approach it as one. For people who enjoy it, this would be a rewarding and satisfying way to earn a living.
Steve Chambers
Body Language Expert
May 7th, 2010 at 15:08
What an opportunity to expand…even Haiti is getting “online”.
Sonya Lenzo
http://www.yourchanceforromance.com
May 7th, 2010 at 15:31
New teachers should set in place a business plan, it it they should state the hours they are willing to work how much they want to make and to get started how are they going to advertise and to whom. That is just to start.
If they start with a business plan they should start out looking at teaching as a business.
May 7th, 2010 at 18:47
It’s a great way to make a living!
May 7th, 2010 at 19:18
I think that this is an ideal business for students as well.
Plus, when you teach something you get much better at it too, so there is a double benefit.
Seize the Day,
Rob
Simple Family Survival Tips For Disasters and Emergencies
May 7th, 2010 at 20:46
I think it is very healthy to look at it as a business even if you’re with a state school because in business you establish some form of tracking your effectiveness and impact & those would be useful measurements to have so that you can continue to improve your teaching, no matter what environment it is in.
Just my two cents
Michael
The Success Secrets
May 7th, 2010 at 21:54
Its official you can teach just about anything to make some sort of money. That can be language, how to build something or even how to sell something.
Scott Sylvan Bell
Now go implement!
May 8th, 2010 at 01:36
I don’t have any ideas for you but I am going to read and listen to this blog because I’d like my daughter to think about doing something like this. She could teach English in Spain as she speaks Spanish and she is interested in traveling to Spain.
Peggy Larson
Quilting – Colors and Fun!
May 8th, 2010 at 03:03
It’s definitely a business. If you’re trying to make a living at it, it’s a business…
I have started using skype to do remote video sessions with clients. Perhaps this is a medium that would be good for ESL teaching? I remember that many of the students at the University I attended in Italy wanted to talk to the Americans versus someone with an English accent so there seemed to be a demand for it…They now have access to all of us here in America with skype!
Jen B
The Harwood Group – Tinnitus, Chronic Illness, Fears, and Anxiety
May 8th, 2010 at 04:09
I believe to treat it like a business one would want to:
* Set specific time aside to dedicate as business hours.
* Know the experience range of students they want to work with, narrow their market
* If there is going to be an exchange of currency, have a payment mechanism, a separate business account and basic knowledge of conversion rates and allowed countries for business (US limits or denies business with certain countries)
* Layout expectations for student and teacher/tutor
* Determine length of service
* Identify a resource provider if certain texts or materials will be used outside of personally crafted lessons
* a website…
well those are somethings that came to mind…
Mark
Direct Selling Advice, Leveraging Relationships for Long-term Profit
May 8th, 2010 at 04:39
This is so totally a business – and a great one too. I like Shane’s idea of having online classes so you can teach people all over the world.
Lisa McLellan
Babysitting Services, Nanny Services, and Nanny agencies
May 8th, 2010 at 06:46
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May 8th, 2010 at 06:59
Hi Eileen,
What do you think about online classes? Do you find the physical interaction to be a necessary part of how you teach presently?
And yes, it is a business. So are all schools, yes?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Cyberdating Expert and Online Dating Coach
May 8th, 2010 at 19:27
It seems as though this would be a great business now. Someone said you may want to look at an online business for this. Sounds like another great idea.
Mike
http:www.ColumbiaSafetyProducts.com
May 9th, 2010 at 05:22
Eileen,
This sounds really awesome. I’m looking forward to what you have to teach. I know some out of work teachers who could use your advice!
Sabrina Peterson, NASM CPT, CES
Corrective Exercise for Every Body
May 17th, 2010 at 06:51
I think if they keep in mind that they are a business, that will help. Perhaps suggest that they visualize themselves starting a company selling a service (like being a plumber, for example). If they take it out of the TEFL realm and put it into the real world, they should be able to see what needs to be done.
Michelle
Fun and Free Activities
June 28th, 2010 at 14:15
I think it benefits both educators and students to teach English using internet.Business is everywhere.
Great post.