What makes a good online English teacher?
So you have decided to take online English classes, but now you need to choose a school or a teacher. What kinds of things should you look for?
Experience
Experience isn’t everything. There are some teachers who have been teaching for a long time, and they are great in the classroom, but they don't have much experience with online teaching. There may be new teachers, who have very little experience in the classroom, but who have a natural ability to teach online. When choosing your teacher, don't just choose the person who has been teaching the longest.
On the other hand, there are a lot of online teachers out there who are just getting started and don’t know much about the English language or how to work with language learners. It takes a couple years for most to get the hang of it.
We suggest looking for teachers with at least 3-5 years experience. Should be a little bit more knowledgeable, and they are also more dedicated then someone who is trying out online teaching to see if they like it.
Qualifications
There are many types of certifications for English teachers out there, but not all of them are the same. Many teachers get certified online, without any practical teaching experience or an assessment of their teaching abilities. There are certification courses out there for teachers, which have higher standards. You should ask your teachers what kind of certification they have. The most recognized certification is from Cambridge University and it is called the CELTA. Cambridge University also offers a Delta certificate which is even more difficult to earn. If your teacher has earned either a CELTA or a Delta from Cambridge University, you can be more confident in their abilities.
The CELTA is a difficult course for anyone to pass, so you can be confident with any teacher who has a CELTA certificate. However, exceptionally good teachers can earn a distinction in the course. Those teachers get either a Pass B or a Pass A. If you can find a Pass A teacher, you can pretty much be guaranteed they will be outstanding.
Use of Technology
As I stated before, just because you are a good classroom teacher doesn't mean you will be a good online teacher. Part of being a good online teacher is knowing how to use technology to improve the learning experience for your students. Someone who is not comfortable with technology or does not know how to use technology in a way that improves the learning outcomes for students will not be an effective online teacher. A good online teacher will be able to tell you which tools they use and how those tools help you learn.