Is teaching online the future of education? The naysayers may have their opinions. But online teaching has become a popular career choice for teachers looking to expand their expertise and experience. 

Online teaching offers a number of unique advantages and challenges. This poses the perfect opportunity to broaden your skill set in such a high-demand career.

Are you considering venturing into the world of teaching online? There are a few important questions you need to ask yourself first. Learn more about what they are and the benefits of teaching online here…

An Overview of What Online Teaching Involves 

Many online teaching jobs still require you to have the same education and certification as physical teaching jobs. And yes, your responsibilities as a teacher are basically the same, only the environment is a little different. 

You’ll be required to prepare courses and lesson plans. Teach your students effectively, provide a certain amount of office hours, and grade student work.

Essentially, the difference is in the way you teach. But how is this achieved in an online, virtual setting

  • Your lessons can either be presented through pre-recorded video or live webinars 
  • Online teachers need to establish and facilitate discussion groups between students. This is usually done via online forums, Skype, IM or email groups 
  • You must establish whether you prefer to work in real-time or asynchronously, over a period of days 
  • You’ll need to be available at most hours of the day via email or other online communication tools 

Some important questions you should ask yourself before diving into a teaching career online include: 

  • Will I be able to balance my time and energy between my work and personal life i.e. how flexible am I with my time?
  • Am I open to learning new teaching techniques and changing my perspective on how to teach others? 
  • How comfortable am I with technology and am I willing to learn, if needs be?
  • Am I willing to invest more time and effort into lesson planning in order to help my students succeed? 

The principals of teaching remain the same. But your lifestyle may need to change drastically – are you prepared for it? 

The Undeniable Benefits of Teaching Online 

For a little added motivation, here are some of the benefits of becoming a teacher in the virtual world: 

1. Flexible Working Hours and Location

One of the best things about teaching online is that you get to make your own hours, convenient to your lifestyle. You also don’t need to waste time commuting to your classroom every day. This gives you more hours in the day to achieve your to-do list. 

You also have the advantage of being able to teach from just about anywhere, irrespective of where your students are based. This gives you the chance to connect with students from many different cultures and walks of life.   

2. Transcend Teaching and Cultural Barriers 

Online teaching breaks the boundaries of teaching to a specific race, class, geographical location and even those with physical limitations.

You have the chance to transcend your own teaching capabilities. You also have the opportunity to broaden your skillset by connecting with students from all over the country. The world even. 

3. Broaden Your Teaching Opportunities 

Teaching online gives you the chance to work through an education medium free from time and location constraints. Naturally, this offers up a whole new world of teaching time and opportunity to you. 

Due to the fact that you have such a diverse range of students at your fingertips, this gives you more opportunities to teach. 

4.  Reduced Administration

Unlike the traditional teaching environment, you don’t need to physically keep track of every student. And every teacher knows just how time-consuming physical administrative tasks can be. 

Everything is submitted online and at your disposal at the click of a button.  

5. Improved Organization

Online teaching tools and software of today is extremely streamlined and efficient. This only improves your organisation as a teacher. 

To add to this, you have the ability to automate certain tasks, quizzes, tests, assessments and scoring. This saves you time and the risk of mismanagement.   

6. Grow Your Own Teacher Network 

If you have a fear of becoming isolated as an online teacher, there’s no reason for this. There is a myriad of growing online communities for teachers that aim to provide support and communication. 

Popular websites such as TeachAde are also available for social networking, spreading the word of your services and resource sharing. 

7.  Simplified Access to Information

All forms of study resources or information are available in digital format for both you and your students. This makes it super easy to access and share, simplifying the entire process. 

You also have access to digital libraries, search engines, and social media outlets. This basically broadens your scope of information, second-to-none. 

8. You Get to Teach Students Who Need it the Most 

Do you have a passion for teaching people with learning disabilities or those who don’t thrive in a traditional learning environment? Then online teaching could be just right for you. 

Many online teaching jobs offer you the chance to educate students who just don’t have access to traditional schooling. They could be geographically isolated, physically disabled, ill, or at-risk students.

Online teaching gives every student an equal chance at a decent education- which is what every human deserves. 

Interested in Pursuing Online Teaching?

X-Cognition offers you the perfect opportunity to pursue your goals of teaching online and making a difference. 

We welcome all teachers who have proven qualifications and experience in their field. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or new to the industry, we provide you with the chance to build your career online. 

Learn more about our X-Cognition online teaching opportunities and put your knowledge to good use…