From California to the World: My Journey as an Online English Teacher

Hey everyone! I’m Audrey (@travelrichmoneypoor), a 27-year-old Californian who traded her hairstyling scissors for teaching materials in Italy. Funny how life works, right? I started as a licensed cosmetologist, but a trip to Italy for a hair show completely changed my trajectory. At 21, I thought, “If I build a full clientele now, when will I ever get to travel?” So, I took what was supposed to be a three-month break… which turned into six incredible years in Italy as an online English teacher!

My teaching journey began unexpectedly when I worked as an au pair in Italy, teaching English to the kids I cared for. One day, I visited their school and witnessed an English class that, honestly, made me cringe. The teacher barely spoke three words of English, conducting the entire lesson in Italian (even mispronouncing the three English words)! That’s when it hit me – I could make a real difference. I got my TEFL certification and started teaching in a kindergarten until 2020 (we all know what happened then). After that, I switched online, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I’ve taught from everywhere – the US, Mexico, Greece, Kenya, and beyond. Who wouldn’t want the world as their office?

My first online teaching experience? Let’s just say managing 26 Italian kindergarteners on Zoom was interesting! But my first proper teaching experience was through Palfish, a Chinese platform that was perfect for beginners. They provided pre-made lesson plans and let me practice before classes, which was a huge confidence booster. For new teachers, I always recommend starting with platforms that offer structured lessons and handle student recruitment – it takes so much pressure off!

Adapting to different student levels is crucial. I always start with a trial lesson or placement quiz, but here’s the secret – I listen and observe beyond what students claim. I’ve had people say, “Oh, I just need conversation practice, my grammar is perfect,” while their sentence structure tells a different story. So, I sneakily incorporate all aspects of language learning – reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and conversation – into my lessons. If something’s too challenging, I’ll simplify it. If it’s too easy, I’ll add extra challenges. It’s all about finding that sweet spot where learning happens naturally.

These days, I’ve gone independent, using Google Meet or ClassIn for my virtual classroom. And can we talk about lesson planning? I learned the hard way that spending hours preparing custom lessons wasn’t sustainable. If I’m charging €20 for an hour class but spending two hours prepping, that’s not great math! Now I use ESL Pals for their amazing pre-made lessons covering everything from zero beginners to C1 level. For my advanced students, I spice things up with idiom quizzes, audios from British Council, news articles from Engoo Articles, and interactive grammar activities from test-english.com. Work smarter, not harder, right?

The most rewarding moments? Seeing those “aha!” moments when something finally clicks for a student. And having students who started with me in 2020 still learning with me in 2024? That’s just incredible. Watching their progress over the years makes all the hard work worth it.

Here’s my honest advice for aspiring online English teachers: This is a real job, folks! Don’t think that being a native speaker automatically makes you a great teacher. I started at €8.50 per hour, and now I charge €40, but that didn’t happen overnight (it took me four years). I worked my booty off, recorded my lessons, critiqued myself, studied teaching techniques on YouTube – basically, I invested in becoming better. When people ask me why they can’t charge €40 right after getting their certificate, I ask them: What value can you offer? What materials do you have? Why should students choose you?

Teaching English online is an honor – students trust us with their time and money to help them achieve their goals. Take it seriously, keep learning, and remember that success comes from dedication and continuous improvement. The world really can be your office, but only if you put in the work to make it happen!