When you are first starting out as an English teacher, there are so many options that it can be hard to choose. Should you teach English in a classroom or online? Although both options allow you to travel the world, there are several distinct differences between teaching English in a classroom and teaching online. When considering both options, it is important to see which better fits your lifestyle.

Preparing Lessons

Before any class, you will have to prepare for the lesson. This remains true whether you are teaching in a classroom or online, however, what you must prepare will differ. Generally speaking, when you teach a class in-person, you are responsible for developing the entire lesson plan. This can include warm-ups, lessons, games, power-points, and preparing any props you may need. All of this requires a decent amount of time to prepare.

On the other hand, if you are teaching online, more often than not, the company prepares the lesson. The company that you work for will create the power-points, with the warm-up, lesson, and games. As the teacher, you will simply run through the slides with the student. However, before each class, it is important that you review the slides and are prepared before the lesson.

Working Hours

Generally, the hours you will be working as a teacher will depend on where you are located and what age groups you will be teaching. If you are teaching English in a classroom, the majority of the time you will be in a regular school with the hours of 7:45-3:00, Monday to Friday. Or perhaps a language school with similar operating hours. This means that you will not be able to determine your own schedule and will be working from 7:30 until roughly 3:30, depending on the school. Your days off will be Saturday, Sunday, and any holidays that the school recognizes.

Teaching online gives you more flexibility in choosing your schedule. However, time zones definitely come into play. For example, if you are working for a company that teaches students located in China, and you are located in Europe, the majority of your hours will be during the day. This will be because their time zone is six hours ahead and generally the classes are held at night. If you are located in Southeast Asia, then most of your classes will be held in the evening. As an online teacher, you will have the ability to choose your class times and how many days a week you will teach, allowing you more flexibility over your schedule.

Class Size

Another important difference between teaching English in a classroom and online is the class size. As a classroom teacher, your class sizes can range from small classes of 12 to larger classes of 50! This can vary depending on the school and what country you are teaching in. The larger the class, the more difficult it can be, especially for a new teacher. However,

Unlike teaching in a classroom, online English classes are generally one-on-one or with a handful of students. This will differ depending on which online company you will be teaching with. However, the majority of online companies’ classes are with one student.

Interactions With Students

A major benefit of teaching English in a classroom is the ability to interact with your students. Generally, you will see your students once a week, if not more. This will enable you to develop a rapport with them. You will also be able to play more physical games with them during the lesson. In addition, you will be able to interact with your students outside of the classroom rather than being limited to the time in your class.

One of the major drawbacks of teaching English online is that it can be difficult to get to know your students. Having a computer between you and your student limits the ability to interact with them. In addition, before you have regular students (i.e. students that you see and teach each week), you will be teaching students randomly. This means you will only be able to interact with them once or maybe twice and will not be able to get to know them as well. However, once you have regular students, you can begin to develop a relationship with them.

Although there are several differences between teaching English in a classroom and online, both options allow you to travel the world! In fact, many teachers actually choose to do both.

What are you thinking of teaching?