Loading...Choosing the best tutor for your child is fundamental to the success of tuition. In school, your child is assigned a teacher which makes that relationship somewhat forced. However, at times children need extra tuition to realise their full potential.[/vc_column_text]
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As this can be a pricey exercise, why not make sure it is a fruitful tutor search. Through the School Entrance Tests website, we have dealt with quite a few tutors, who have written guest blogs for us and built a relationship with us.
All of them are not only a pleasure to work with, but their results speak for themselves.
We are also proud of the fact that we have affiliate membership with The Tutors’ Association.
The Tutors’ Association is the only professional membership body for tutoring and the wider supplementary education sector in the UK.
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Choosing the best tutor
How can we help you find the best tutor agencies
We are confident that if you find the right support for your child, you will see the results in their grades and possibly their outlook on life. Success builds confidence and confidence inspires success.
Make sure to contact us on passedpapers@gmail.com for the best tutor recommendations and a direct introduction.
We aim to take the anxiety out of school entrance tests for children, parents and all involved. Below you will find some great further reading in our related blogs. Don’t hesitate to contact us for some great recommendations.
Finding top English tutors
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An English teacher who is a foreign language expert will help develop the student’s verbal and written comprehension skills.
There is a global supply given that English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
English is widely considered to be the major language for higher education. Hence, the most famous global academic institutions, such as Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and MIT, only consider students who can speak good English. It is also vital for admission to all the American Ivy League universities.
English as a foreign language teachers can:
- Identify elements impacting the performance of learners or students.
- Improve both written and oral communication.
- Enhance overall learning.Â
Teaching English – EFL tutors – EFL teachers
Qualifications of an English language teacher
There are various qualifications needed to acquire before teaching English to people who use it as a foreign language.Â
TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language): TEFL programs are designed for teachers/educators who plan to go overseas to teach students in a nation where the primary language is not English. The standard requirements for work in TEFL are a university degree and a teaching qualification. The person needs to have a TEFL certification in order to teach EFL in private language schools overseas or private language educational institutions in the UK. These applicants do not require any formal experience or qualifications to enrol on a TEFL course. If a person can speak English well enough, they can easily receive a TEFL certificate.Â
TESL (teaching English as a second language): similar to TEFL, TESL prepares educators to teach English to non-English speakers. To qualify as a TESL teacher, the individual will need at least a postgraduate degree in any discipline, a degree in language or linguistics, or a TEFL certification. Good knowledge of vocabulary and grammar is also desirable. However, there are no fixed criteria as different countries have different requirements.Â
To receive a TESOL certificate, the individual will need to:
- Complete TESOL training.
- Communicate in native or near-native English.
- UK bachelor’s degree, a first or upper second (2.1) classification.
- Or the equivalent for an overseas qualification.
- Minimum of two years’ full-time English teaching experience.
Teaching English – EFL tutors – EFL teachers
Finding the best TEFL teacher
Well qualified
An important aspect to look at before hiring an English teacher of a foreign language is their level of qualification. Check whether the teacher is qualified in TEFL, TESL, etc. and always ask for certification so that the genuineness of the qualification can be verified.
Qualifications criteria will also illustrate whether the teacher is ready to take responsibility for teaching English as a foreign language to non-native students.
Experienced in dealing with non-native speakers
A teacher of English as a foreign language should have experience in dealing with students. Having the proper amount of experience enables the teacher to learn how to address the student’s nerves and to know where the student needs to improve.
The experience also helps improve communication skills. Sufficient experience will allow the teacher to notice certain facets about the non-native English learner, which inexperienced teachers of EFL may not understand.
Knowing multiple languages
A sign of a good teacher of English as a foreign language is knowledge of diverse languages and cultures. This way, the student will feel confident communicating with the teacher.
Knowing different languages helps the teacher to be empathetic towards their students as they can connect linguistically. All problems that the student may face can be easily resolved once the teacher knows the language, and as such there will be no problems while the lessons are being taught.
Teaching English – EFL tutors – EFL teachers
Length of course
A non-native speaker usually has a time limit when they learn English as a foreign language as they are learning for a purpose. Hence, a good English teacher of a foreign language should have plans for teaching English within various different time-frames.
They should also be able to switch between their techniques for teaching English based on the demands of the foreign students. This way the student will be able to finish their English course on time.
Teaching English – EFL tutors – EFL teachers
Learning English
The first stage is data collation and this will involve asking students individually the reason for their usage of the English language. The reason may vary from person to person. In a school, a student will need to communicate with teachers and peers. Then again, in a business and professional scenario, an HR professional will need to hold the meeting and get issues addressed and that can also be the reason.
EFL teachers
- EFL coaches / EFL teachers should be from the field of the student or the professional or else the importance of the right usage of words cannot be understood. The coach should be teaching students both soft skills and hard skills.
- Hard skills will include the IQ skills of understanding and communicating in the right way. Soft skills in the ESP field usually include the emotional IQ, communicating with empathy wherever required, customer relations, leadership, etc.
- Having effective soft skill training will equip the students to understand that how you say something is more important than what you say.
- In all professions, non-native English speakers use business English coaches. This is about learning and understanding English in the right way. So, not just textbook English. The real-life communicated form of English.
Online English Teaching
English teaching online takes all those benefits and throws another huge one on top. As long as you have a laptop and a solid internet connection – you can work anywhere in the world.
Why Teach English online?
For a start, there will always be a need for English teachers. English is a global language that allows people from anywhere in the world to communicate with each other, regardless of where they’re from. It’s normal, for example, to see tourists from all over converse via their shared knowledge of English.
Learning English is also seen as a sign of progress and advancement. Ambitious adults, the world over, want to learn English to further their careers and create more opportunities. Parents, meanwhile, want the best for their children, which often means learning English to improve living, studying, and work opportunities.
When it comes to teaching online, you have access to hundreds of millions of potential students around the world, from wherever you are – which is incredibly convenient. With no commute to and from work and no travelling between different schools or language centres, you can potentially recoup hours every day.
Also, if you were considering venturing abroad to become an English teacher, teaching online lets you dip your toe in the water before fully taking the plunge. It’ll allow you to see if teaching is for you before moving to another country – all while making a little extra money.
What You Need to Teach English Online Â
Fortunately, you only need a handful of things to get started as an online English teacher.
Laptop or Computer
First, you’ll need a desktop computer or laptop. Now, while it is indeed possible to teach on a tablet or smartphone it limits both your options and effectiveness as a teacher. If you plan to teach while travelling, however, a laptop is your best option. Also, on the subject of hardware, you’ll also need a headset with a microphone.
Good Internet Connection
You can teach from anywhere – as long as you have a reliable Wi-Fi connection. Without one, you’ll experience lag, disconnections, and it’ll be less productive and more frustrating for you and your students. When you apply for an online English teaching role, a test will be conducted to determine your connection’s strength.
Teaching Qualification
You’ll need to learn how to teach by studying for an English teaching qualification, like a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Now, there are tons of websites out there offering courses, so how do you choose?
Look for providers that are reputable, well-known, and recognised by employers – they offer the best quality courses. The TEFL Org is a great example, as they’re the UK’s most accredited course provider. In fact, they’ve helped over 120,000 students accomplish their goal of becoming an English teacher! Choosing the right TEFL course not only gives you credibility with employers and students, but it’ll also increase your confidence as a teacher.
Video Conferencing Software
You’ll need an app to communicate with your students. Zoom is a popular choice and is used by many online English schools, while Skype is also a great option.
Teaching Materials
- This includes, at minimum, lesson plans, learning materials, and exercises for your students.
- These could be provided for you.
- Or you can provide your own, we’ll look at this in more detail below.
How to Teach English Online
You have three main options for teaching English online:
o   Find a job with an online teaching company
o   Freelancing on a teaching platform
o   Start your own teaching business
Let’s explore each in greater detail.
Finding a job
Finding a job with an online teaching company is the simplest way to get started as an English teacher. With a huge number of companies serving the Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japan, and South Korean markets, they’re always in need of competent, well-trained, English teachers.
The main advantage of working for an online English school is everything, from finding students to planning and creating lessons, is done for you. All you have to do is show up and teach! The downside, however, is that you have less control over who and when you teach and how much you earn.
Freelancing
Working as a freelancer on teaching platforms such as Italki and PalFish is similar to working for an online teaching company – only you’re responsible for finding your own students. Fortunately, some of these teaching platforms are well-known and get a lot of traffic, but it’s up to you to stand out from the pack in order to generate an income.
The main way to market yourself is with your profile, on which you can list all your skills, qualifications, and experience. One of the best ways to distinguish yourself from other teachers on the platform is to have a niche – an area of teaching in which you specialise or are strong at. This could include teaching students of a certain age or focusing on a particular aspect of English (e.g. writing).
Although new teachers do go down the freelance route, it’s more suitable for teachers with a little more experience, who understand their strengths. It can also act as a bridge between working for an online teaching company and setting up your own online teaching company.
Our related EFL teachers content
Teaching English – EFL tutors – EFL teachers