3 Steps To Starting Your First Side Hustle As An Online ESL Teacher

Most people have no idea what it’s like to work online as an ESL English teacher and wrongly believe starting a side hustle teaching is going to be easy.

I was one of those people.

It’s been a long journey and I’ve learnt a lot. I’ve clocked up well over 10,000 online sessions. If I had to start over, there are 3 things I would want to know when starting out.

If you are thinking of starting a side hustle teaching online or want to get better results, here are 3 important lessons you need to master to succeed online.

1. Shift Your Mindset

It’s not just about the teaching.

You can be the cleverest, most knowledgeable teacher in the world, but if your customer service skills suck, you will not get students.

It’s a brutal lesson but it’s true.

Your business depends on your ability to interact positively with students. No one wants to go into a shop where the service is bad. It’s the same for students. People, like people who like them.

Make customer service your key priority.

As an ESL teacher, you are always going to have a constant supply of competitors. Whether you work for yourself or you work for a school, there is always competition.

Your competition isn’t just limited to humans. You will also face competition from language learning apps and websites where there is plenty of free stuff available.

People love free stuff. So, if they think they can improve their English by studying YouTube videos rather than pay you, they will do it.

When you deliver a good service, you have a better chance of engaging and retaining your students.

2. Prepare For Rejection

Being rejected is part of the game.

You can’t please all of the students all of the time and you really shouldn’t try to.

There are many reasons why students choose not to work with you. It’s not always about you, or a reflection of the quality of your work. It is often about money. Here are a few of the reasons why students might not choose you:

• They don’t have the money.

• They no longer need to study English.

• Their priorities have changed.

• They are playing the system.
• Your course doesn’t cover what they need.

It’s a very dynamic working environment and there are some very savvy students out there. They have done their homework on prices and checked out lots of platforms. Many are looking for cheap lessons.

If you start on a platform like Preply where you are obliged to offer free sessions, you will get students who know how to take advantage of the system. Their goal is to get as many free sessions as they can.

3. Prepare To Be Persistent & Consistent

If teaching is something you want to do long-term, then it’s worth taking the time to make a plan.

“If You Fail To Plan You Are Planning To Fail.” Benjamin Franklin

Consider when you can teach and how long for, and then make a firm plan around that.

Students like to see that you are committed. One way they check your dedication and commitment is by looking at your schedule. Just posting the odd hour here and there sends a signal that you are unreliable and not serious.

This is a big turn off for students. Think about your local shops, would you rather go to a shop with fixed hours or one that opened as and when they felt like it? Showing consistency gives students more confidence in you as a person.

When you show up consistently, you will be doing something more than most of your competitors and that’s when you can start to gain traction.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to do. I would always recommend you give it a try. Just keep these tips in mind, prepare yourself and give yourself a little time to gain momentum and you will be on your way to creating a nice little side hustle.