5 Benefits of Teaching Online
Conventional education generally involves a teacher and a student or group of students who meet in-person. The online teaching alternative allows for many benefits that you normally wouldn’t have access to with traditional teaching methods.
- Teach What You Love
The real beauty of teaching is sharing your passion with another person. Every person wishes to teach what they love but sadly, it isn’t always possible. Perhaps you live in an area where people simply aren’t interested in your craft or you wish to work with a specific type of student. Using Skype to teach online opens up endless opportunity to teach people who are truly interested in what you have to offer.
- Meet New People
The internet is the ultimate place to network with people. You might have noticed already that there is literally nothing you can’t find online. Even if you teach an obscure craft like tatting you are sure to find many people through online resources that are just as passionate on the subject as you are. Not only does teaching online link you to new students but also with fellow teachers who you can brainstorm with.
- Location Independence
Being tied to a classroom has many disadvantages, especially for those with busy lifestyles or who wish to travel. An obvious advantage of a virtual Skype classroom is that you only need your computer and an internet connection to teach. You can be on vacation, traveling for other business or in a coffee shop for example. The ability to teach where and when you want allows you to choose your own hours.
- Job Security
Regardless of how secure you think your teaching position is, if you’re working for someone else or are relying on rented space, it isn’t. Surprise lay-offs due to budgets are far too common and often strike during the worst times. If you rent space for your classes you may very well find yourself suddenly without a place if your landlord loses the building or otherwise must end your contract. Teaching online means you are self-employed. It is up to you to create lesson plans and find students but it also means that you’re responsible for your job security. No surprises!
- Efficiency
Rather than spending half of your day commuting from lesson to lesson; instead you can schedule lessons online back to back. All you need is enough time between lessons for a bathroom break and another cup of coffee and you are ready to go. Less time driving means more time teaching or having fun.
Conclusion
Online teaching means organization is even more important to ensure your students have all the material required for a lesson. You might need to invest in extra equipment, such as a webcam and headset, if you don’t already have them on hand. You will also need to setup safe payment process, like PayPal for example. Despite these extra steps, teaching online can be a wonderful, freeing process that can match any lifestyle. Even if you don’t wish to switch solely to online teaching, you might consider adding some aspects of it into your teaching lifestyle.