Start With the Right Foundations
Here are some practical suggestions to help you build a successful online English teaching business.
I’ve been teaching for over 20 years and have specialised in teaching English online for more than 13 years. During that time, I’ve learnt what attracts students, what keeps them engaged and what helps a small teaching business grow.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the move to online teaching. Today, online English lessons are firmly established, but competition remains high because teachers can work with students anywhere in the world.
The Three Basics
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01
Strategy
Decide what you’ll offer and how you’ll reach students.
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02
Brand
Create a clear identity that people can remember.
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03
Niche
Focus on a specific group, goal or teaching strength.
1. Strategy
How will you get started? What will you teach? Where will you advertise? What multimedia will you use? Which video platform and teaching tools will you need?
Fail to plan, plan to fail. Put your ideas on paper and turn them into a practical plan of action.
Advertising and Marketing
Years ago, Gumtree was my main source of students. Renewing an ad would often bring one or two enquiries within a day. Over time, that changed as more tutors entered the market and students began searching in different places.
That experience taught me not to depend on one advertising channel. Test suitable platforms, ask students how they found you and concentrate on the methods that bring genuine enquiries. Referrals, useful content and strong reviews can be just as important as paid advertising.
SEO and Your Website
A clear, search-friendly website has consistently been one of my most effective ways of attracting students. It gives people a place to understand your teaching style, specialist services, experience and prices before they contact you.
Search visibility takes time. Build useful pages around the questions your ideal students ask and keep the information accurate, specific and easy to understand.
2. Build a Memorable Brand
What do you think of when you hear “Big Mac”, “The Whopper” or “Just Do It”? Strong names and phrases immediately bring a brand to mind.
“Joe Bloggs English” may not create the same reaction. Your name, visual identity and message should help potential students understand what makes you different from the next teacher.
Keep it simple. A good teaching brand should be easy to remember, relevant to the students you want to attract and consistent across your website, profiles and lesson materials.
Going Solo
After trying several online English teaching companies and feeling unhappy with the pay and conditions, I decided to work independently. After a lot of thought, I chose the name Simple English because it summed up what I wanted to achieve and how I wanted to teach.
I built a website, created a logo and started advertising. It was meant to be a sideline and progress was slow at first. Gradually, the number of students increased, my confidence grew and my teaching resources improved.
I made mistakes and learnt from them. Within a few months, I was able to teach as many hours as I wanted and it became my full-time job. I could finally work for myself and focus on teaching real English.
3. Find Your Niche
In a crowded market, focusing on a particular type of student or lesson can make your teaching business easier to understand and easier to find.
Target Your Marketing
A defined niche allows you to write more focused adverts and avoid spending money trying to reach everyone.
Build Student Confidence
Someone preparing for IELTS is more likely to contact a tutor who clearly specialises in IELTS preparation.
Compete With Larger Schools
Independent teachers can offer focused one-to-one support that a large general language school may not provide.
Focus on a Speciality
Your niche could be pronunciation, business English, exam preparation, grammar, interviews, presentations or conversation.
I started by teaching general English in language schools and online, but soon realised that many of my students wanted to focus on pronunciation. This fitted my belief that pronunciation provides an important foundation for confident communication.
We learn to speak before we study written language. English spelling can then be surprising because many familiar words aren’t pronounced as they appear on the page. Grammar and vocabulary matter, but students can still struggle to communicate if listeners can’t recognise the words they’re saying.
Why I Chose English Pronunciation
In language schools, I was often frustrated by lessons that spent most of the time on grammar and only five minutes on pronunciation. When I struggled to understand a student, pronunciation was often the problem rather than grammar.
Some advanced students knew grammar extremely well and had a wide vocabulary, yet still struggled to communicate with native English speakers in day-to-day situations. This led me to study why learners struggle with particular sounds, consonant clusters, word stress, rhythm and intonation.
Over time, I built a collection of methods and resources that help learners improve their pronunciation in a clear and practical way.
What’s Your Niche?
Pronunciation is my speciality, but it doesn’t have to be yours. Think carefully about your experience, your strongest teaching skills and the students you most enjoy helping. Focusing your effort makes it easier to improve your expertise and explain why students should choose you.
Keep watching changes in education, employment and immigration. Some UK visa and citizenship routes may require applicants to prove their English level using an approved Secure English Language Test, although the exact requirement depends on the route. Always direct students to the current official guidance.
Digital Learning Is Part of Everyday Education
Online teaching is no longer an unusual alternative to classroom learning. Digital tools are now part of how many teachers engage students and how learners continue studying outside formal lessons.
These figures don’t guarantee that every digital lesson will be effective. They show why online teachers need to understand the technology, select useful resources and keep students actively involved rather than simply transferring a classroom lesson to a screen.
Teachers See Greater Interest
In the OECD’s TALIS 2024 survey, 85% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that digital tools develop students’ interest in learning.
Teenagers Learn Digitally Outside School
Across the OECD, 84% of 15-year-olds spend at least two hours per week using digital devices to learn something outside school.