Why is Teaching English a Legit Career for Moms?

Are you a mom considering a career teaching English? This blog post will provide you with valuable insight into why teaching English could be a great choice for you. Learn about the flexibility, satisfaction, and potential for growth that comes with this career and decide if it is the right fit for you.

Why is teaching English a legit career for moms

There’s no time better spent than the time spent with your child, but there’s a lot more to it than play time and cuddles. That’s because parenting – the hardest job in the world – can be very challenging: it requires infinite amounts of time, effort, care and – of course – love! But the real challenge is the rising cost of living, which can make raising children a real struggle. With this in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise that more and more parents are looking for an extra source of income while staying at home and homeschooling their children.

Despite your best efforts, however, finding a job that is equally fulfilling, financially worthwhile, and flexible enough to suit your hectic lifestyle can be a struggle. Luckily, technology nowadays is at everyone’s fingertips and it’s a great tool that can be employed to earn money from home. Currently, the work-from-home opportunities have increased dramatically, allowing busy parents to generate a steady income or make money on the side.

A very popular option is to generate money as a blogger. It’s a creative and flexible job that allows you to write about what you are interested in while taking care of your children and to make money along the way. Although the advantages of remote working are appealing, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you feel that you are better suited for a role that requires human interaction with people from all over the world and that is mentally and emotionally stimulating, perhaps teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) online could be just the job for you. There’s little doubt that you might already be equipped with the personal traits required: empathy, time-management, and patience – you are a parent, after all!

You might still be wondering if you have enough knowledge of the English language to actually teach it – don’t worry, help is at hand. Rest assured that the number of people worldwide looking to learn or improve their English language skills is growing and you could be the one to help them achieve their goals, as long as you are a proficient English speaker.

How to start teaching English online

The first step to take in the TEFL direction is to successfully complete a 120-hour TEFL course. This is a necessary requirement for a number of reasons. First of all, finding a TEFL job without a relevant qualification is almost impossible. The few jobs for unqualified teachers available are often offered by less-than-ideal companies.

Another reason why a TEFL course is crucial for your teaching career is that it will give you a clear and in-depth insight to what teaching English to international learners is all about. There are many online TEFL courses available, but any accredited course will cover areas that go beyond the language – e.g. grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing). During your 120-hour course you will also learn how to create engaging materials, develop effective lessons, identify your learners’ needs, and manage your classroom.

Once you’ve passed your final assessment – with flying colors, of course! – it’s time to start looking for work. The most straightforward way to get teaching English is to work for one (or more) of the many online language schools available. Each of them have different requirements and offer different perks. What they all have in common is the advantage of a flexible timetable that can be set up to suit your parental needs.

Here are some examples of what you can expect by teaching for an online school through their platform:

Companies that could be suitable for you:

• Are you unsure about your technical knowledge of the language? Go with Cambli, where you can deliver conversational classes to learners who already have some knowledge of English to a certain extent.
• On the other hand, if you are a pro at any other language than (or as well as) English, try Italki. There you have the option of teaching conversational classes or more structured lessons.
• Similarly, with Lingoda, you can teach English and/or other languages to mainly European students. This online school provides you with teaching materials that can save you lots of prepping time.
• If your passion is to teach young learners, Landi is the right option for you. They believe that building a relationship of mutual trust between teachers and students is the key to language-learning success.
• If you happen to be interested in teaching Chinese students, take a look at your teach English in China guide, packed with useful information about teaching English in this sector.
• Topica Native specializes in teaching English to students from South-East Asia. They welcome non-native English teachers and guarantee a minimum of 20 teaching hours a month.
• Interested in teaching another subject? LatinHire gives you the opportunity to teach South American learners school subjects, like Biology, Chemistry, and Marketing, as well as English.

What you will need to teach English online

There’s no need for you to spend a fortune on technical equipment. A pc/laptop with a built-in camera and mic should be sufficient to get you started – you can upgrade these at any point should you feel the need to. However, it is recommended that you invest in a headset to reduce distractions from background noise.

Your setting is also important. Find a quiet and well-lit area to dedicate to your screen time. Don’t worry if you don’t have access to natural light – a carefully placed lamp should work just as well. Think about what’s behind you. A plain backdrop is ideal to hang some language-related posters, like the phonemic chart, for example.

A money-making-parenting machine

Being a parent is exciting, exhausting and overwhelming at the best of times – it doesn’t need to be a penniless affair too. Set yourself up for a flexible and rewarding career in TEFL without compromising on the time you spend with your children. Start on the right foot by getting that all-important certificate and get ready to find a teaching job with a well-established online school.

Forest Rose

Forest Rose is a God Loving, Blessed Wife, &  Mama to 3 girls. She’s passionate about lifting moms out of the trenches that are discouraged, overwhelmed, or feeling alone or isolated. Her hope is to point them to Christ and equip them to rise up with a newfound hope and joy within, that He alone can provide. Besides blogging, she also loves to create printables!