Who Are the People Who Teach Languages Online?
People who choose to be language teachers are often some of the most interesting people you can speak with. Meet a few of them.
As one of Langu’s cofounders, one of the greatest pleasures of my job is screening and interviewing our teachers. This means I get to hear their stories, learn about who they are, where they come from, and how they got into teaching.
For some, the story is quite clear — they have always been language enthusiasts and teachers, and have many years of experience helping students succeed.
For others, though, the path to teaching was less clear. We get a lot of applications to teach on Langu, so one thing I like to see from prospective teachers, in addition to solid teaching credentials, is an interesting career path that allows them to bring something unique to the table. We do this because we believe all language learners are different, and the more common ground you have with your teacher, the more likely you are to stay focused and stay motivated.
For some teachers, having this diverse background means they have gone through some kind of career change. For some people, it’s clear early on that they want to teach for a living. But for others, it’s only after years of often gruelling work in other fields that they discover the joy, gratification and freedom that comes with teaching (and in particular, teaching online).
Let’s take a look at just a few of our teachers who came from other careers:
A California native, Jeffrey spent over 30 years as a practicing lawyer in the US. He also earned several advanced university degrees in the legal field — including a PhD in taxation! He’s now mostly retired from practicing law, and lives with his wife in Ecuador. He stays busy by teaching English both online and in local language schools. As a teacher, he’s a great pick for just about anyone, but particularly for those who are students of law or who work in the legal profession and need to improve their ability to work with English-speaking clients.
Suzanne, from the UK, is a qualified nurse, and spent several years working in hospitals in London. But it was there she picked up a travel bug that she’s found difficult to shake. So she picked up a CELTA English-teaching qualification and set out for Guadalajara, Mexico, where she teaches English both in a local school and on Langu, where she specialises in IELTS preparation as well as helping students who work in medical professions.
Our new teacher Barney comes from Australia, where he worked in the mining industry for many years — but now teaches English online from his new home in Peru.
Heidi, who was born in the UK but grew up mostly in Germany and learned both languages natively, studied for a qualification as a designer. But for the last 10 years, she’s been a teacher — not just of English and German, but of yoga and pilates as well!
Fun fact: Our teachers are often quite enthusiastic language learners as well. Heidi, was introduced to Langu by our Spanish teacher Mònica. They have been meeting online every week: Heidi teaches Mònica German, and Mònica teaches Heidi Spanish!
Langu teachers are an impressive and inspiring bunch. They understand both hard work and work-life balance. And since language learners are very often people who are seeking new experiences — whether they be new places, new people to talk to, or new opportunities — many teachers actually consider themselves more as coaches than as teachers. They love the long and rewarding journey.
— Travis Wentworth is the cofounder and CEO of Langu.
Originally published at heylangu.com on November 27, 2017.