Hi everyone, I’m new to this sub and totally unfamiliar with teaching English so I would really like some perspective and advice on some freelancing teaching I’d like to do here in Tokyo.
I’ve been here on a spousal visa for a year now and decided it was best that I formally start trying to find a job. Because of the pandemic, I left the US in a rush before the borders continued to remain closed indefinitely and didn’t have a chance to finish my bachelor’s degree, so teaching at an eikawa or language school that requires a bachelor’s is not really an option for me at the moment; this is why I decided to try for freelance teaching or tutoring – specifically I’ve chosen Hello Sensei to advertise lessons.
As I mentioned already, I have no experience whatsoever teaching and am not quite sure what kind of lesson plans to create to effectively teach English. I was thinking of planning lessons for each student on individual needs (help with homework, a conversational partner, etc.) but I know that I need a basis for those that might be totally new to the language. Has anyone had experience with Hello Sensei or freelance tutoring, and what kind of materials have you used to teach? Thanks so much!
Edit: Thanks again to everyone that replied to this, you’ve all given me a lot of perspective and solid advice. Now I feel like I have lots more options should this not work out. I should’ve explained that I wasn’t working for a year because my husband was making enough for both of us for me to stay home and do the housework (as well as study Japanese). Since then we’ve both just thought it was better for me to get a job so we can start adding money to our very rapidly dwindling savings and for me to interact with others. I was under the impression that my options were limited because of the bachelor’s degree but now I’ve been told otherwise. Either way, I have no experience in teaching so I was trying to get a feel on what materials (in terms of textbooks) I should study and use on prospective students. I want to make it worth their time! Even if it’s just chatting casually I hope they take something away from it, and hopefully over time I learn to become a better teacher as a private tutor or as a worker in an English school.
7 comments
Apply for an eikaiwa anyway. If you’re on a spouse visa you’ll eventually find a place that will take you.
Nobody here of adult age is “entirely new” to the language.
You can set your own textbook and put that in your profile, or ask students to choose their own textbook. Free talk is also good. For 4 skills lessons I like to use Pearson’s Cutting Edge (3rd Edition) textbooks, and for grammar focus I use Cambridge’s English Grammar in Use (5th Edition).
If you have no experience with teaching, the Cutting Edge series includes a teacher’s book with Lesson Management Plans (LMPs) which is useful for beginner teachers. They also include a lot of extra material like activities and games.
Both of the book series have interactive eBook versions available which is great for students on Zoom or Skype.
/Also worth noting that both of these are British English, but they have an American English version of Grammar in Use and Pearson has similar textbook series for US English if you check their ESL website.
Check what kind of juku’s and eikaiwas are around you, can apply there or check out their pricing and base your prices off of that. Schools use different books, poke around at the book store and see what they’re using if you want to teach the school kiddos. You could also look at doing Eiken lessons, practice Eiken interviews etc, Eiken is an English certificate a lot of high schoolers take outside of the school curriculum, you can find some Eiken past/ practice exam books at the book store easily and do lessons out of them. Eiken exams focus a lot on case studies and multiple choice, as well as a written part at the end in the first phase, then an oral exam in the second phase if you passed the written part.
I get you are just trying to make a living, but dude – there are books on the market meant specifically to teach beginners about important aspects of language teaching, and you’d do well to learn a bit about the work that you are asking people to pay you for.
An easy, quick read is Jim Scrivener’s Learning Teaching. After you get through that, pick up some of the “How to teach ~” series, e.g., “How to Teach Gammar” by Scott Thornbury.
Meanwhile, I’d suggest investing in a number of textbooks, looking though them, and making note of how the lessons are laid out. You’ll at least not go totally off the rails if you follow a textbook.
Obviously, if the person just wants conversation, you can simply chat with them. Just remember to let them do most of the talking. 🙂
“I’ve been here on a spousal visa for a year now and decided it was best that I formally start trying to find a job.”
First, why the wait? This is rather confusing.
Second, apply for anything. Some places want a bachelor’s specifically for the visa requirements, others want applicants to have them no matter what. I’ve met many foreigners in your situation who get jobs that “need a bachelor’s”. Keep in mind that it’s not going to be a great number of employees, but still…
There’s no harm in applying and being denied.
I met 6-7 people on Hello Sensei over the course of a year and they were all middle-aged married women with the exception of one middle-aged single dude. All any of them seemed to want was to buy me coffee and talk for 1-2 hours once or twice a week. All I did was show up, sometimes not even on time. I’d aim for that demographic if I were you.
Not sure if it has already been said, but download some textbooks like English File etc, and some self-study grammar books like Murphy’s. They are tried and tested and will give you a great understanding of foundation grammar. Some students/clients will want conversation practice, which is great, but isn’t really sustainable if you want to keep hold of students long term.
Note: I only moved to Tokyo 2 weeks ago and am only speaking from experience teaching in other countries (9 years) so am not 100% sure how things work here, but the bones of grammar and vocabulary should still be part of any private teacher’s armoury.
Good luck!