10 Actionable Steps to Help New Online Teachers
Howdy! It's been a minute but Teacher Steph's here with a post for all the newbies in the house. Can I get a "WOOT! WOOT!" First of all, CONGRATS! You did it! Your contract is signed and you are ready to start teaching those cute students on the other side of the planet. It can be a bit overwhelming as a new teacher so this post is here to help you navigate the new world of being an online ESL teacher.
I have 10 tips to help new teachers feel empowered as they start their journey as an online teacher. They are based off of this video from teacher Nancy, but the opinions are genuinely my own. Check out her advice in the video by clicking the image below.
Connect with the Teacher Community:
The first 3 tips are all about getting to know your co-workers and future friends. This is a great resource when you have questions about something strange happening in class, getting free resources or seeing popular reward trends. Connecting with other teachers will be a great life line for your business.
1- Connect on Social Media
There are a lot of Facebook groups associated with teaching for VIPKID. A great group is the official VIPKID Facebook group. I would also suggest looking for a local group to your area. For example, I am following a Utah group. I also like looking into groups with specific areas of teaching: rewards, backgrounds, workshops, etc. It gives you access to free resources that others are sharing so you don’t have to recreate the wheel.
Another great part of the Facebook groups is the search function within the groups. You are able to look for advice on your questions with a simple search and I’m sure you will find answers most of the time. Believe me, so many teachers have the same questions and it’s nice to be able to search through these when something happens to you.
I have loved meeting new teachers and referring interested teachers via Instagram @teachingstephanie. It is nice to see different teaching strategies, hear funny classroom stories, trendy reward systems and enter to win giveaways.
2- Hutong
Don’t have Facebook? No problem. We have the Hutong. This is a community platform created by VIPKID. As a teacher you will have access to this through the portal. This is similar to the Facebook groups in that you can search for your question (or post one yourself). They also have fun community building posts to support holidays or incentives. It’s a great place to find assistance from your colleagues.
3- Support Center
When you need some official help from the company it can be daunting to figure out the terms and conditions in your contract on what kind of pay you get for a short-notice class that the student didn’t show up to. The Support Center is a place for you to submit ‘tickets’ to the company to address any concerns. You can also search commonly asked questions to find answers to your questions even faster. This can range from disputing IT problems to inquiring about a pay raise. This is the place you go to get official answers. You can also find access to this in your teacher portal under the 'Support' Tab.
Education is the name of the game.
Yes you are a teacher but that doesn't also mean you quit being a student. The best way to make yourself better is to add to your skills by taking new classes and researching the best techniques and strategies. Steps 4-6 tell you all about ways you can learn to be a better teacher while you wait for bookings.
4- Library (Workshops and Academy)
One of the many things on my long list of things I love about VIPKID is the free teacher development courses offered through the portal. To access this, click on the 'Resources' tab then 'Library'. There are so many helpful courses that I still attend even 4 contracts into teaching to improve my game on this teaching biz. Don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of material they have to offer. I would suggest starting small, perhaps looking for an answer to a particular aspect of online teaching and go from there. Lucky for you they have a search bar for you to find just the class you need. Might I suggest the ‘New Teacher Kickoff’ Workshop to get you started.
Pro tip: When I attend the live workshops via the Zoom app, I usually turn off my camera and listen as I drive or clean the house, kind of like listening to a podcast. I will also do screen shots of important info I want to remember as a way of note taking throughout the workshop.
5- Certifications
The second half of the resources tab is all about certifications. These are courses that you can add to your profile as classes you are trained to teach in. Some are on different levels and others are on different topics. You can get as many as you want to have. I only had levels 1-3 on there for a year and my schedule was full the majority of the time. I recently decided to add more and it has been fun to see these new classes on my schedule. These classes can be more fun like "Voice of VIPKID" or more work like "Phonics". I wouldn’t worry about getting them all at once but I would encourage you to get more certifications as it does increase the number of courses you can teach, therefore increasing your odds of getting booked. This is great thing to do when you don’t have classes scheduled; use your time to get more certifications.
6- Classroom Refresher
So you got through the rigorous application process, signed your contract, set up your classroom space and have the cutest rewards. But you forgot how to enter the classroom! Eeek! This can be a very common fear for most new teachers. Here is a quick reminder to help you out…
In the teacher portal starting from “home”. Click on the first line on upcoming classes.
Choose the correct class by looking at the date and time then click ‘classroom’.
When you are in the classroom, you will see the lesson overview, your student’s screen is blocked, and your screen and mic are off. When you click ‘start class’ this opens your camera and your mic (I like to do this when the clock hits 10 seconds before class or if the student isn’t there I do it and then turn off my mic and camera again until time starts). Be sure to enter the classroom early on your first class to review the classroom functions, chat box, fireman drop box and camera settings.
Marketing the Product: YOU!
Parents are shopping for the perfect teacher to match up with their student. Steps 7-10 show you how you can show these parents that you are the mac to their cheese.
7- Bio on your Teacher Profile
This is very important when it comes to bookings. Parents will be reading this to see your education and your experience with children. Be sure to be friendly and include any special certifications (such as a TESOL). I made sure to add characteristics that are my strong suit such as “patient” and “offers positive correction”. I try to highlight all of my experience with children, such as teaching 3rd grade and motherhood. I also want to impress the parents with my education. This is why I chose to get my TESOL certification (read more about that here).
8- Intro Video:
Parents will definitely want an experienced professional but they also want to know if your personality is a good fit for their student’s needs. The video is where you show them who you are. Be sure to speak slowly and show yourself teaching in your classroom. Make it personal with hobbies you enjoy or special interests. If you love Star Wars you should show that! There will be a baby Yoda on the other side of the screen waiting their Mandolorian to show up in the perfect Intro Video. Has anyone else been binge watching this on Disney+? No? Sorry, sidetracked here.
In my classroom, I love to be silly and playful. So I tried to show that in my video. At the beginning of class, I showed a few clips of my baby, toddler, oldest son and even my dog pretending to teach in my classroom. Then I mashed together a bunch of footage of me simply teaching. I held up flashcards, threw a ball, used lots of TPR and facial expressions, gave rewards, etc. I hope that this shows the parents that book me that what you see is what you get with me as a teacher. Make this video your own way of meeting your students!
9- Prep for classes:
As with most things, key to unraveling those nerves about a first class is preparation. Once you know the material you are teaching and feel confident about how you are going to do it, you will feel so much better. Once you get your first class, I would suggest prepping for it just like you did with the hiring process. Look at each slide, practice teaching. Get your props beforehand. Check you technology. Heck, why not even record yourself teaching the lesson on your phone first, then watch it over - taking notes on where you need improvement. This is also where the social media groups come in handy. You can ask for help or suggestions here if you feel stumped and there are so many kind teachers willing to help because, guess what, WE HAVE BEEN THERE! Don’t sweat it! You got this!
10 - Keep opening slots!
It can be so discouraging to not get booked week after week. Believe me! I know. There are peak teaching times like in September and March when all the students in China are in school and hitting their lessons hard. And then you have the low booking season (July-August for summer break and January-February for Chinese New Year). My advice to you is you keep opening slots. Open as many as you can handle teaching. Once you get your first class taught it really gets the ball rolling for others to come. You will get more interested students and some 5 apple feedback and soon you will be swimming in regulars. Just be patient and keep opening those slots. The students are out there, I promise!
So that’s it! 10 actionable steps to help new online teachers succeed in the classroom. I hope you enjoyed this post.
What helped you when you first started teaching? Please let me know your best advice for new teachers in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
--- Teacher Stephanie
