Teaching English Without Experience

[MnParaPalermo]

Hi expats,

I was going to post this in the Jobs forum but that seems more about offers and advertising. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone here has earned cash through lessons in English. As of right now, I am in the process of getting my DNI and applying for Universities here. In the meantime, I figured I could make a few pesos by offering private, budget-priced, lessons. I have no experience or certificates but I am sure with the right price I can find customers.

Any experience on this?

 

[nyer4ever]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but teaching a language is not an easy task. A good language teacher spends about 20minutes planning a class with an outline. If someone wants convere you a grammar wiz? Do you know the rules of the English "Passive Voice?" The rules to using the Future Perfect Conditional, auxilary verbs, etc. Yes, you speak English, but do you know the "rules" to the language? If you do ... awesome ... if not, think of another skill that you have that you can utilize here under to make money under the table.

 

[Ceviche]

but do you know the "rules" to the language? If you do ... awesome ... if not, think of another skill that you have that you can utilize here under to make money under the table.

What are you talking about nyer4 ever?

She/He is a native speaker.

Do you understand? N A T I V E speaker!..The locals would be delighted to learn English from him/her.

 

[sesamosinsal]

I work in HR for a company that provides language training online. With regard to experience, sometimes we hire instructors who have very little experience teaching a language, but they have a strong background in another relevant area through work experience or education. A good company will train you adequately in its method. If you're independent, you'll develop your own method and teaching style through experience -- it's a catch-22, I know, but word spreads quickly if you're good at teaching.

Having knowledge about grammar is important, but you'll never have all of the answers. Being able to say, "I'll have to get back to you on that one," and find the right answer is more important. If you speak another language, you'll have a leg up on most language teachers out there.

If you teach private lessons, make sure your first lesson is geared toward assessing each client's needs. You can assess this through some sort of comprehensive exam or free conversation (if they have a conversational level). Exams don't let you establish rapport with clients. So, if I were you, I'd choose conversation. While you speak with them, you should listen carefully to their pronunciation and speech, while taking notes about their weaknesses. Your clients will already know that they need to improve their English; you need to tell them exactly what you're going to do to AND how you're going to do it.

Finally, what I always tell my new hires is that personality matters more than anything else. You can be God's gift to language teaching and grammar, but you'll have ZERO clients if you have a lame personality. Be out-going, be engaging, and smile.

 

[MnParaPalermo]

A basic & online TEFL course runs about 200 USD. Bradly, would you believe this to be beneficial in any way?

 

[nyer4ever]

What are you talking about nyer4 ever?

She/He is a native speaker.

Do you understand? N A T I V E speaker!..The locals would be delighted to learn English from him/her.

1. Not saying that this is the case for the OP, but there are a ton of NATIVE speakers with terrible grammar.

2. You can talk to a NATIVE for an hour or more and not learn anything from the class.

A conversation class with someone who is upper-intermediate is different than teaching someone who is a beginner.

I know a lot of language teachers that work hard, plan their outlines for 15-20mins, and keep a record of the students progress. I don't think it's an easy job ... it's hard and there are other ways to make a few pesos.

 

[MnParaPalermo]

1. Not saying that this is the case for the OP, but there are a ton of NATIVE speakers with terrible grammar.

2. You can talk to a NATIVE for an hour or more and not learn anything from the class.

A conversation class with someone who is upper-intermediate is different than teaching someone who is a beginner.

I know a lot of language teachers that work hard, plan their outlines for 15-20mins, and keep a record of the students progress. I don't think it's an easy job ... it's hard and there are other ways to make a few pesos.

What other ways? I know bars that are popular w/ expats like to hire those who speak english and spanish.

 

[Ceviche]

There are a ton of NATIVE speakers with terrible grammar.

Thanks for the affirmation!

 

[sesamosinsal]

A basic & online TEFL course runs about 200 USD. Bradly, would you believe this to be beneficial in any way?

To be honest, I don't pay any attention to certifications. They're nothing more than an indicator of intent for us. You can demonstrate intent in various other ways. Instead of a TEFL certificate, you might consider sending a sample lesson plan. No one ever does that, and it would certainly get attention.

 

[nyer4ever]

What other ways? I know bars that are popular w/ expats like to hire those who speak english and spanish.

The best easy money jobs are ones that you're naturally good at. What are your skills? What are you planning to study, can you do something in that area here/now?

Do you speak & read Spanish? Could you help people translate their blogs/social media? Could you be a 2nd "proof reader" for Spanish->English translations for film? Mixologist for parties? Errand person? Organization someone's clutter at home/office? Voice-overs?

There are plenty of ways to make a few pesos, it's when you want to make a lot of pesos is when it get's tricky.