Choosing the right ESL teacher for your child is a big decision. I get it.
Not only is it an investment, usually upfront, but it can be a make-or-break opportunity for your child to learn English.
Of course, your child can learn from any teacher, or even pick up new words from YouTube songs and online games. But the right English teacher makes a whole world of difference.
By selecting the right teacher to suit your child, you can expect:
- Your child to develop a positive relationship with their teacher
- Your child to be motivated to learn and study with their teacher and even be excited about their class
- Then to progress better than if they were studying with a teacher who didn’t suit your child
- Potentially even want to study outside of their class because your child has developed a love for learning English.
So if these are the things that can happen if you choose the right teacher, what could happen if a match isn’t obtained:
- Your child may lack motivation in class as the class lacks engaging resources, which can lead to negative behaviors
- Your child may make excuses not to attend class as they don’t like their teacher or sadly, may feel their teacher does not care about them
- Your child will not make good progress and might even start to resent learning English.
Here’s the issue, not all ESL teachers are created equally. With large ESL companies hiring just about anyone, it’s made it easy for so many people who aren’t necessarily right for the job to jump through application hoops. Many teachers haven’t had prior experience, are unable to be creative on the spot to adapt to their students, and don’t have relevant qualifications.
So how can you decide which ESL teacher is the best choice for your son/daughter?
Well, don’t worry as I have you covered!
Keep on reading to find out what exactly you would be looking for and considering when choosing an ESL teacher, not just limited to qualifications but personal skills also.
Professional Background
The professional background of an ESL teacher refers to items they would list on their resume e.g. their relevant qualifications, teaching experience or experience working with kids, and their English capabilities.
Qualifications
Although many online teachers do not have specific qualifications relating to the industry, it is beneficial and noticeable when they do.
A teacher who has studied the field of education or child development, or even better, has a teaching qualification, more likely than not they will have gained hands-on experience working with kids.
Qualified teachers have a better appreciation of how children learn as well as being able to adapt to students’ needs, rather than students adapting to the teacher.
This is a really important consideration and should be an essential part of how teachers run their classrooms. No two learners are the same and everyone has their way of processing information. Two children will understand a concept using different methods and at their own pace.
If a teacher is aware of this, they can adapt and adjust their lesson materials and teaching style to suit each learner and provide the right support to maximize a learner’s potential progress.
Not to mention, if an online teacher has a relevant qualification, it shows they are more dedicated to their selected field. They probably take pride and joy in what they do (I know I do!) and are also more likely to stay in the industry for a while.
Experience
Similar to qualifications, teaching experience or at least some form of experience working with kids is a huge bonus.
ESL teachers who have this experience know how to interact with children. They know that children do not learn just by being spoken at and can adjust their style, classroom environment, and materials.
For example, most children learn best in a fun, positive environment with engaging, resources in a range of formats. Children have a short attention span, so incorporating a range of stimuli will help retain their focus and improve their experience of learning online.
Good English
The last one for a teacher’s professional background is an ESL teacher’s level of English. Now, this does not mean I am saying you should only pick a native English speaker to tutor your child – not at all! There is a lot of value in hiring a non-native English teacher.
However, it is no good choosing a teacher who is not an experienced English speaker, who is fluent and has a deep understanding of English phonics and grammar.
Not all native English speakers understand each element of English aka phonics, reading, speaking, listening, grammar, and comprehension. But, the benefit of a native English teacher is that your child will be taught with a teacher who has an authentic English accent and natural speech.
Non-native English speakers, on the other hand, have gone through the learning process themselves and are aware of the challenges your child might be facing when learning English as a Second Language.
So definitely do not discredit someone whose first language is not English, but keep in mind both a neutral, easy-to-understand accent, along with someone who has a high level of English knowledge and speaking ability.
Personal Qualities
Unlike a teacher’s professional background, the personal qualities you look for in a teacher may vary depending upon the type of person your child forms a relationship with best.
So I have steered clear of personal qualities as their style of teaching e.g. incorporating humor, strictness, or a bit of both. Only you and your child, if they are old enough, can decide on what qualities you are looking for.
Here, I have kept personal qualities very generic that every professional teacher should possess.
Communication Skills
A teacher should be able to effortlessly communicate with your child, even if your child speaks little to no English.
Communication isn’t just verbal, it incorporates TPR (total physical response) with movement and hand gestures. The teacher you choose should be able to communicate with your child confidently and positively.
Building a relationship with your child is crucial for your child’s success. An ESL teacher should be able to develop a professional and positive rapport with your student early on, not necessarily within the first class, but after the first few classes at least.
Plus, as ESL teachers, they should be able to communicate what they mean so that your child can understand no matter what level their English is. It is no good choosing an ESL teacher who can’t demonstrate what a cat is or explain what adjectives are and how to use them.
Flexible
I can’t speak for other teachers, but every lesson, and I mean every lesson I teach to my students, we go on a tangent. Now I know what you are thinking, that’s just bad timing and organization, but hear me out for my reasons.
Your child is not going to learn each concept a teacher has within that lesson planning to the T. Unfortunately, I have worked with a few large ESL companies whereby teachers had to get through x amount of slides before the lesson time finished.
This led to unnecessary pressure on teachers and students not having the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of, well, anything!
I was crushed when I would teach certain students who just needed that extra practice or time to see a second example. But due to the time and company expectations, we would have to move on, and that students just did not progress well or would completely forget covering a specific concept.
Now that I have my own business, I can almost ‘go with the flow of my students. Here is where I want you to hear me out for a second as to why this is a good thing.
Every student learns at their own pace. Some students will be quick readers, others confident speakers. But every student faces challenges and needs time to listen, observe, and practice something they find difficult.
By going with the flow of the student, the teacher provides that flexibility and takes away unnecessary pressure from themselves and your child.
The focus is then solely on your child’s needs, how the teacher can support them in class and ensure they progress at a pace that suits them.
So yes, lessons should be organized and planned in advance. But, flexibility is needed for teachers to adjust to the needs of your child.
Creative
Following on from the point above, it is a good idea to choose an ESL teacher who is also creative.
Lessons most certainly do not always go to plan. Questions come up, students attend in different moods e.g. if they’ve had a bad day at school, or a student might find what has been planned incredibly easy and flies through the materials created.
This is where being a creative ESL teacher comes in extremely handy and valuable to you and your child.
By selecting a creative teacher, you can feel confident knowing that every second you pay for your child to study English with them is being put to good use.
A creative teacher comes up with a range of questions and activities almost on the spot. Usually, creative teachers are those with a little bit more experience. They understand and appreciate what students might struggle with or might find easy. They get to know your child to assess their ability and can challenge your child to check understanding and achieve mastery.
Not to mention that when ESL teachers allow the student to lead with their learning, it helps ensure students focus and attention is maintained and what they have to say is valued by the teacher as the teacher responds appropriately and often extends upon what your child might be sharing, turning everything into a learning opportunity.
Friendly
Being friendly or being approachable is a vital personal quality an ESL teacher teaching kids should have. If a teacher comes across as cold, uninterested, or impatient, then your child is not going to want to attend weekly classes with them.
It is a good idea to see how an ESL teacher interacts with your child. Do they smile? Do they show genuine interest in what your child is communicating, whether verbally or visually? Are they positively engaging your child’s attention?
All these questions are really important to consider and watch for when choosing an ESL teacher.
Unfortunately, not all ESL teachers are approachable, friendly, or even have a genuine interest in your child’s progress.
It is ideal to find an ESL teacher who is passionate about their work, goes above and beyond to ensure your child feels welcome and supported, and is keen to support your child with their English education.
Important Skills
Now that I have covered two of the most important elements that you should consider when choosing an ESL teacher, let’s take a look at essential skills every teacher should have without fail.
Lesson Content
EVERY lesson should be planned and contain content that is organized and at the appropriate level for your child.
It is a given that teachers should research, plan, and organize content. Not all teachers create their lesson content and will use pre-made resources and curriculums. Whether or not you prefer someone who offers unique content, or generic, that is a personal preference.
The important thing to look out for as a parent selecting an online teacher is to check their resources.
Are materials engaging, inviting, and appropriate?
Does the teacher cover what they say they will?
Are there a variety of stimuli used e.g.rewards, games, songs, slides, etc?
Is there too much text on each page leading to your child being overwhelmed? Or is the text well-spaced and concise?
Does the teacher offer clear learning objectives to achieve each week?
Does the teacher provide a review at the end of the class with feedback for your child?
Tech Issues
With taking lessons online, tech issues are bound to occur. Sometimes it’s out of a teacher’s control e.g. if the internet provider has a problem, this is not something an online teacher can control.
However, there are plenty of tech hiccups that a teacher can and should be able to fix.
Things such as:
- Ensuring their device has enough power or is plugged into a power source
- The WiFi is strong enough for a secure connection
- The programs they use are up and running ready for the class, and have been tested before the class begins
- Their tech has been tested in advance of the class starting e.g. headset, microphone, or webcam.
A teacher who minimizes the risk of tech issues occurring helps to retain your child’s focus, but also stops unnecessary wasted time during the class time, which you are paying for the teacher to teach, not run tech diagnostics.
Organization
I have touched on organization a little bit already in this post. But I am referring to it again in its section as it is an essential skill teachers should have.
Organization doesn’t just begin when students enter the class. But it counts towards planning lesson materials, managing their schedule outside of class time, providing regular feedback on your child’s progress, potentially creating additional resources for your child to do at home, and marking any homework submitted, plus, the actual live teaching time as well.
Teachers who are organized will:
- Show up to class on time
- Teach the right materials each week
- Created lessons to suit your child
- Have backup activities should your child find the materials too easy or challenging
- A list of time-out/break activities or rewards to re-engage your child.
Multi Stimuli Activities
When I mention multi-stimuli activities, what I am referring to is ensuring that the teacher you choose incorporates a range of stimuli for your child.
Children do not learn best being spoken at and viewing the same materials the whole time. They have a short attention span and need a lesson broken up into different chunks with different materials.
For example, in my classes depending upon the age and ability of my students, I can include the standard lesson slides, reward system, stories, songs, physical and virtual items, games, and interactive elements where my students can draw or can select different items.
This helps not only for me to connect with my students and make my lessons much more engaging and fun. It helps to retain my student’s focus and attention throughout because they are required to make choices, interact with the material, or carry out a given task.
Plus, students are more likely to remain focused and motivated to learn when they enjoy the activities included.
Not all elements of learning English are fun – I will be the first to admit that and I am an experienced ESL teacher!
But, mixing up activities and the resources I use, helps my students to develop a love for learning and this builds their progress.
As a parent myself, I understand how big a decision it is to choose the right teacher for your child. You want them to become more confident and improve their English ability to provide them with further opportunities with their education and future careers.
I hope that this list of things to look for and consider when choosing an ESL teacher helps you to feel empowered in choosing a teacher that is an excellent match for your child.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to a potential ESL tutor and ask them questions about their teaching style, qualifications, and their experience. Ask about the things that matter to you. What resources does a potential teacher use? How will they assess your child’s current English ability? What experience do they have to retain your child’s attention for a whole class?
You are paying for these ESL lessons, you must ensure that you are happy with the service provided for your child.
If you are interested in finding out more about the classes I offer, my current student’s testimonials, or even my qualifications, please feel free to reach out to me. You can either book a trial class here, or email me directly with your questions to hello@theonlineeslteacher.com.