The 12-Month Chapter: My Remote ESL Experience

The 12-Month Chapter: My Remote ESL Experience 💻

Why I Started Teaching Online 📋

Aside from being a Virtual Assistant, one of the in-demand work-from-home opportunities is being an online English teacher or tutor. 
Many aspiring and wanna-be teachers, like me, want to start their ESL teaching journey, with or without experience. 

Social media is flooded with posts, videos, and reels of individuals who claim to be earning while staying home to care for their families. It's the ultimate dream...

But is it easy to become an ESL Tutor? 

Do I only need basic English knowledge to assist online students? 

How can I assist learners in developing their English fluency or proficiency? 

What about the technical requirements or gadgets I must use to teach online? 

Do I need to invest in equipment or gadgets to start my ESL teaching journey? 

These were the questions running through my mind...😕

English Learning Platform on Facebook: 📚

After more than one year of applying to various online and remote jobs, I was accepted as a part-time English Tutor when a former schoolmate contacted me by phone to verify if I would like to work at her English learning platform on Facebook. This learning platform teaches English to kids and adults, mostly to local learners, whether they are beginners or at advanced levels. 

She instructed me to watch Zoom-recorded sample video lessons of her teaching students to get an idea of how to start teaching English online. After watching the said videos, if I'm ready, she will assign a student for me to teach. Her IT assistant has set up a Zoom account and sent all the lesson materials via Google Docs. I was again instructed to browse and self-study the said lessons. There were sample corrections and comments that I had to follow when sending the video lessons to their Gmail address. And just like that, I'm now an online ESL Tutor. 

First Online ESL Teaching Experience: 📖📝

Online teaching for the first time was truly nerve-racking; good thing it was only a 25-minute Zoom class. The student is a 20-year-old male who wants to be a Customer Service Representative or Virtual Assistant. My first student was considered a demo class or mock teaching by the platform owner, and she gave me feedback after watching the recorded video. 

The following was her feedback: 

• She told me to practice my English pronunciation. 
• I didn't detect two mispronounced words by the student. 
• I have to speak pure English and refrain from speaking Tagalog words. 
• She reminded me not to be too early in starting the Zoom class because it is automatically recorded. 

The second experience of teaching online with the same student was unforgettable for me because I waited 15 minutes for the student, but he was a "no show", meaning he failed to attend a scheduled class or lesson without prior cancellation. I was both anxious and relieved.  Anxious due to nervousness about whether he would attend, and relieved because I was paid for waiting. The third Zoom class for the student was cancelled ahead of time, so I wasn't paid, and after that, he didn't renew his class. 

Why Local Students Matter in Remote Tutoring 👧👦👨👩

Finding a connection between a teacher and her student is a benefit of being an online ESL Tutor; it was fate to have a regular student and maintain a stable income. I'm glad to assist with her goals of enhancing her speaking skills and vocabulary as a VA to foreign clients. 

Our topics are everyday life situations, life quotes, and conversation topics. I enjoyed talking with her, and it's like we're having a personal Zoom chat instead of a class; the classes are more relaxed and engaging. For 2 months, she was my first regular student, and I am thankful to have an acquaintance and connection on LinkedIn while I'm her English tutor. 

During my second month of ESL teaching, I gained additional students. Most were Filipino adults between the Intermediate and Advanced levels of English proficiency. In other words, my specialization in ESL teaching became focused on adults and young adults who want to improve their English skills in connection to work or school qualifications. 

Second Regular Student for 6 Months: 👩

It was truly a blessing to have another regular student. She is also a teacher, but a religion teacher who spreads the Gospel to her students. She wanted to enhance her speaking and writing skills because her clients are foreigners. Our lesson material topics are everyday life articles and conversation topics. 

However, there were some challenges concerning her class schedule because she often changes it to fit her work schedule, which I understand. Still, it was stressful for the platform owner due to constant changes in scheduling since her IT assistant resigned. 

On the other hand, it was rewarding how the regular classes improved her English-speaking skills and gave her more confidence in conversation and writing. And I was a bit sad that she couldn't renew her classes due to a hectic work schedule in June 2025. 

Challenges and Struggles of an ESL Tutor: 📒

The technical challenges I faced as an English Tutor were:

• Unstable internet connection - dealing with sudden slow speeds at certain hours of the day.
• A clear webcam - my second-hand laptop only has a built-in camera. 
• Good headset - my headset is wired, so I had to adjust the connecting wire to the laptop to be heard clearly by the student.

My personal struggles as an English Tutor were:

• I have to be available or on call whenever there are newly enrolled students or students who abruptly change their schedules.
• How to smile while speaking? My inherent trait is that I look serious and nonchalant when I talk, and I rarely smile.

According to the platform owner, these are the reasons she couldn't give me new students. It was during this time that I had no regular students and no income for daily expenses. 

A Sad Reality of Work: 💔

After 12 months of online English teaching experience, I was advised by the platform owner that if I didn't improve my teaching style, she would ask me to leave, or I could be retained, but I wouldn't be given any students. Don't get me wrong, I will always be grateful for this opportunity she has given me. But her constructive feedback is straightforward and direct. So, it left me with no choice but to resign. 

Sometimes, as an ESL Tutor, one has to have another part-time job to make ends meet. I was too complacent to realize that I was dispensable after all. Lesson learned in remote work: you must have other skills or jobs to continue earning from home. 

Final Reflections on Virtual Teaching 💖

It isn't difficult to find online ESL teaching jobs because some platforms or websites don't require a college degree or a teaching certificate. Some international English learning platforms require community tutors to be fluent or near native speakers to assist professionals in their conversational skills. They also provide lesson materials that can be accessed by the tutor and student. 

A laptop with a built-in camera and a noise-cancellation headset are the basic necessities or technical requirements that I started with. But I still need to invest in the essential technical requirements of an online job: 

• a wired internet connection to ensure a smooth connection for foreign students, or better yet, reliable internet, and 
• backup power to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality classes for students, if there are power outages. 

Looking back, I truly enjoyed teaching English online, and the majority of the students were nice and friendly. I realized my specialization is in conversational English, preparation for speaking tests in CELPIP and IELTS, and assisting with the basic writing skills of adult English learners. God willing, I will be accepted into another ESL company as an online English Tutor.