Hiring

How to make the ultimate online English teaching introduction video

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A good online English teaching introduction video can be 50% of what gets you hired teaching English online. Why? Well, with a good script, a few pieces of budget technology and a bit of planning – you’ll be showcasing your skills and personality in the most professional and captivating way. Keep reading to find out how.

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out. 

WHAT TO SAY

Write a script (with bullet points).

As a general rule, it’s best to include (some or any of) this information:

  • Name and country of origin or location;
  • Education (brief and relevant is best);
  • Relevant experience;
  • Languages spoken;
  • Teaching strength/s or specialties and how you can help students with these (concrete examples are best);
  • Showcase teaching props or materials;
  • Examples of how you’ve helped past students;
  • Showcase your teaching style – fun, energetic etc.
Short and succinct is best. 

Practice a few times in front of a friend (or the mirror). Remember, it will be watched by non-native speakers so keep the language simple, clear and speak slowly. Try and talk 50% about you and 50% about how you can help your students. Especially for private students, remember the WIIFM principle – students are asking “What’s in it for me?”. 

Extra tips

Treat the camera lens like the eyes of the student. Look at them. It makes a world of difference. If unsure, try and keep your video short and concise. Research the company and include what’s relevant to the learners that target. If for private students, focus on a particular area of teaching or student and try not to be too broad. End your video with a call to action (CTA) asking them to book a class with you or to send you a message.

TECHNOLOGY

Whatever your budget, buy a few items of technology to improve the way that you are seen. Camera, microphone, headset, adapters etc. can make an enormous difference to how the recruiter and student will hear you. Read the post below for our guide (on a budget)!

Lighting.

A well lit teaching space makes you instantly look more professional. “The more lights, the better” is a good general rule but mindful that lights pointed directly at your face can wash you out. Lighting at 10 and 2pm (clockwise) is recommended by experts (read more here) so two covered lamps on the table or desk in front of you can work as well as a ring light, which is what I use and recommend. Avoid overhead or ceiling lights. Natural/window light is best when behind your camera and shining on your face in the middle of a fine, non-cloudy day. 

Editing.

If you are not technologically/design/video ‘minded’, ask a friend. Free programs like iMovie (iOs) or any free (safe) Windows Movie Maker-esque programs will do. No need for complicated editing. You can hire a freelancer on Freelancer or Airtasker to help for a fee.

Add subtitles, if you can.

Free programs exist to add subtitles to your video. This is worth the extra step. Remember, your audience is not fluent in English and this particularly appeals to parents, young learners and beginners. Search for “add subtitles + program” or get a freelancer to add these.

Extra tips

Shoot your video horizontally (phone turned sideways). Record in the quietest place you can – preferably inside. If it’s really noisy you can record your video on Zoom with background noise suppression turned on. Use a headset or microphone if you can for the best sound. If not specified, the most common video formats are .mp4, .mov or mpeg-4.

Use TPR if appropriate.

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a popular modern technique. If you are working with younger learners, you may need to demonstrate that you can implement TPR strategies. If you can’t – you may need to study a TESOL or TEFL certificate before teaching a class. A certification with Premier will set you up for success.

Summary.

Your teaching introduction video is your opportunity to showcase your teaching talent. Don’t worry about how you will be perceived. You cannot know that, no matter what that anxious voice says is true. Relax, take a deep breath and speak naturally, following a brief outline. Edit until you have a concise video that displays your strengths. Take note of any size/length specifications from your hiring company.

If you follow the steps from our article today, you will be able to make the ultimate online English teaching introduction video. Creativity and personality make up for technical know-how much of the time, so let your imagination go wild.

What tips or tricks can you share about introduction videos? Comment below.

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out. 

How do I write the perfect resume for teaching online?

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How do I write the perfect resume for teaching online, you ask? Are you telling prospective employers, “Hi, I’m currently (or will be) a great teacher”? From formatting, to language skills, work history and background research; here are 10 questions to consider that will highlight your positives…. and get you hired.

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out. 

Is my resume well formatted?

A resume for teaching online needs to have the grammar and spelling must be “on point”. You are applying for an English teaching job after all. Download a free app like Grammarly and/or ask a friend to review your resume before you send it.

Find a clean, simple template (a free template from Microsoft Office is more than sufficient) and keep it to 1-2 pages.

You should also put in a few things that you don’t when applying for a job domestically:

  • Put your time zone, with the GMT+number code, e.g “GMT+10:00 (AEDT)”. This helps the interviewer schedule a time with you.
  • Skype ID (Optional). This is the most common way for online interviews to be held.
  • Phone number, including country code, +61 Australia / +64 New Zealand (Optional).
  • Photo (Optional). While there is A LOT of debate on whether or not to include a photo, we recommend that you include a small, professional-looking head shot. If a company is going to reject me based on my looks, I’d rather they do it before wasting my time in an interview. This is optional though and completely up to you.

Who is reading my resume?

Keep language simple and clear. Many staff members speak excellent English but don’t assume this to be the case. Consider the person reading your resume. Are you using any colloquial English that someone from another country wouldn’t understand?

Is my resume focused?

Make sure that your resume is focused on teaching or your professional history. Keep personal history relevant to your job only. Languages, qualifications, short courses etc. are great – when relevant.

If you are a new teacher, consider how your previous work experience can directly help you teach (good organisation, people skills etc.) OR how you may be able to teach related English. The main complaint that we hear is that newbies often just put a list of the previous jobs that they have had, in chronological order. Try and keep it related to teaching-adjacent skills as much as possible. Probably best to keep that job at McDonalds back in high school off your resume!

Emphasise non-teaching experience only when relevant to to the English that you will be teaching. Stand back from your own experience and consider what your student might need. Use key words and phrases for the area in which you wish to teach. IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Adult, Business, Career, Health, Psychology, Exam preparation, high school etc. Make your experience in these areas CLEAR.

Is my resume highlighting my positives?

If you are from a non-teaching background, this is A POSITIVE. If you have skills sought by others in common or popular professions such as medicine, business, any professional skill such as accounting, finance and media – this makes you stand out.

How do I highlight my positives?

What is your mission statement?

Teachers are often humble folk and the idea of a mission statement seems to them self-promotional and marketing a terrible beast to be best avoided. While we understand this feeling, it cannot be further from the truth. In order to attract the highest salary, you must be able to quickly and succinctly tell a company that you are worth the amount that you are asking for by highlighting your strengths – in all areas. Students must be immediately attracted to what you are doing, so spending some time really thinking about a teaching niche for yourself from a larger range of broader teaching areas, such as IELTS etc – we have found – means that you can be teaching part-time almost immediately with a regular student base.

This can as simple as:

“I am name. I am from x. (My mission statement is) I help students to manage anxiety in IELTS speaking tests. This comes from my own experience of anxiety in international language testing and speaking which I successfully overcame (FOR EXAMPLE).”

NOT

“I teach English.”

(c) Pexels

Who are you?

Humble teacher, You are full of positive attributes. Highlight your positives in a brief fashion, ask for a salary that provides you a comfortable living wage. Negotiate and ask for more. Assert your positive strengths and give an approximation of your available hours.

Do not consider anything a negative. You must sell and market yourself to the company. Bi-lingualism is a positive asset, as is international travel, study and exam taking. 

Is my resume truthful?

We often mistake what people want from us. This means that we use dishonesty to confuse or mistake our students. We can never know what people want so it is better to just be yourself. Do not lie on your resume. It never pays off.

Should I mention my language skills?

Multi-lingualism is a positive asset and a widely coveted skill. If you speak multiple languages, please let your interviewer/students/mentor/friends know. You should be paid more if you can attract students in more than one language. Sell your skills.

Have I put TOO much history?

Only put relevant jobs. One page is enough. Even for experienced teachers. 20+ years means 20+ years. No need to elaborate. Time is a premium in hiring offices.

Will my resume get me an interview?

As any novice teacher will tell you, it is the interview stage where you will quickly need to step out from behind your resume. You will now be assessed on your ability to teach English online in an engaging, fun and enjoyable way.

Questions interviewers/hirers/HR staff ask themselves:

  • How do you present to camera?
  • Do you smile while speaking?
  • Are you engaging and approachable?

A resume is only ever a summary document. It can only tell an interviewer so much. How you act in front of a camera will ultimately weigh more than pure experience. Don’t be afraid to apply at more than one company, with experience comes a confidence in teaching. Find your teaching niche, market yourself and be clear in who and what you wish to teach …and charge accordingly.

Want to stand out even more? Do your research!

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out. 

Do you have any other tips form creating a great resume? Comment below.

How long are online English teaching contracts?

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With online English teaching companies, many will ask you to sign a contract – stating the salary, required hours and conditions of your employment – with the average length of a contract being 6-12 months. Here are a few things to be mindful of before signing on the dotted line.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out. 

A common question many soon-to-be teachers ask is “How long are online English teaching contracts?”. A long contract can be a help or a hindrance depending on what you’re looking for when applying for an online English teaching job. The security of a one-year contract might be reassuring for you and provide a degree of security but it may also make you feel locked into one position, so it’s an important consideration before applying for a job.

From our research, the average length of a contract is around 9 months, yet many companies will hire you as a contractor with an ‘open-ended’ agreement that specifies required working hours and requirements but with no specific length. Companies that assign students for a designated period of time are more likely to ask you to sign a contract in order to ensure that students stay with the same teacher for a specified teaching period (for one semester or level, for example).

Some things to think about before signing your online English teaching contract:

    • Can you teach for other companies?
      Although rare, some companies ask you to sign an agreement saying that you will only teach for them. As it is common to teach with multiple companies, please be aware of this before signing. We would only recommend that you sign an agreement of this kind if the company can guarantee your required teaching hours and can ensure a full schedule.

    • What are the termination conditions?

      Unfortunately, due to the nature of teaching English online, companies can terminate your contract at their own discretion. We advise carefully reading your contract and making notes of what conditions the company can terminate your contract (for example, negative feedback, absences and/or cancellations) and being aware of these before starting.

    • What penalties (if any) apply for circumstances such as technical difficulties, illness and negative feedback?

      Although reliability and consistency are an important part of being a good teacher, some companies can be harsh on teachers in circumstances that happen to even the most prepared. We recommend that you consider these circumstances before starting and having a plan in place, such as learning to screen record any computer/browser difficulties, having a mobile phone hotspot in case of wi-fi issues and knowing how to upload a doctor’s certificate in case of illness. Planning ahead can prevent many issues relating to the expectations of your contract.

    • How can you terminate the contract?

      If you are not happy at your company, or get a better offer, you can usually terminate your contract with a specified notice period. Make note of this period and any penalties that may be applied before signing.

As you are likely signing a contract with a foreign company, it is especially important to read your contract thoroughly before signing it. Contracts translated into English may not always be as clear as if written in a native language. If you are confused, you may have more luck asking for a copy in the native language of the company and running it through an online translator. If you can find somebody who speaks that language to translate for you, that is even better. Contracts and working conditions may be very different in the country in which your company operates. If you don’t agree with the terms of the contract or you are uncomfortable with its contents we highly advise you not to sign it and to consider another company.

If you want to ‘lock-in’ a job for six to twelve months, a contract may be the way to go. With a little bit of research and a quick read of those dreaded ‘T&C’s”, you can ensure that you have a stress-free contract period. Good luck and happy teaching!

Do you have any experience with online English teaching contracts? Comment below.

This post is part of our “Ultimate teach English online guide“. Go check it out.