How to accumulate loyal students?

In online ESL teaching, it’s not difficult to have and find students. Most of the ESL companies take care of finding students and provide them with a booking system where students can select and book the ESL teacher they think and probably hope match their learning styles. As one of the teachers/tutors, you will only have to have a nice and decent photo, and a written and recorded introduction that is so damn good they want to book you! What happens during your lesson, which is usually only about 25 minutes long, is what will make your students either want to book you again or go find another teacher/tutor.
The following have been proven and tested ways to keep your students.

1. Be confident.

   Confidence is the key to leaving a good impression to anyone you meet face-to-face or online. Being confident makes your students feel that you are indeed a subject-matter expert.

2. Be polite.

   Always address your students properly and greet them sincerely. Part of being polite is knowing what not to say to or ask your students such as age, religious beliefs, etc.. Keep in mind that you are speaking with a person from a different country and culture. Guard your reactions to whatever they share with you. As much as possible, remain neutral in your reactions.

3. Be professional.

   Always be on time – on time in starting and ending the lesson, as well as in delivering whatever you say you will. Never be absent without notice. Be professional in your speech, gestures, and appearance. Make time to put on a little make-up and dress well.

4. Be proactive.

   Do not wait for your students to tell you what they want or need. Give them feedback pro-actively. Volunteer other resources that can help them improve their skills.

5. Be intuitive.

   Being intuitive is knowing what your students want or need before they even tell you. You can’t be proactive without being intuitive. Prepare possible questions that students may be asking about the lesson. This will not only help you prepare for the answers but also help you in encouraging students to ask questions and help them say these questions correctly.

6. Go the extra mile.

   Seize every opportunity to go way beyond what you are paid to do. A lot of online ESL teachers complain about writing or proofreading requests from students thinking that that’s not part of the job but, as an English teacher/tutor, it is only expected that you also help your students in developing their writing skills. If you insist that it is not part of your job, then grab this opportunity to go the extra mile. In the end, you will realize that it is the extra miles that will take you ahead of the game.

7. WOW them.

   What better way to WOW students than doing more than just what you are expected to do. You don’t necessarily have to go the extra mile to wow your students. Sharing or teaching them bits of additional information about a word or phrase unfamiliar to them can easily wow them.

8. Be smart.

   Continue to learn. Read different books, current events, and world news. Be up-to-date with technology. You don’t have to be an expert in all fields but it’s always good to have something smart to say about a topic.

9. Be patient.

   You will encounter students with different levels of English, not to mention different attitudes. Some can really stretch your patience. Sometimes, it’s not the students per se that you have to be patient with but the same lessons you have to teach repeatedly to different students.

10. Be flexible.

    You’ve got to be very flexible in your teaching methods and styles. As mentioned, you will encounter students with different levels of English, different backgrounds, and varied ages. Being flexible also means you should be able to shift to different types of lessons that students prefer.

11. Good pronunciation and accent.

    Aside from being confident, you leave the best impression to your students if you have good pronunciation and neutral accent, if not American or British. ESL students may not know grammar or vocabularies very well but they sure can pretty much recognize good pronunciation.

I will be writing more on this topic with more specific details and if you want to learn more, follow my blog or better yet, join my group of motivated ESL teachers!