Common Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Out as an Online Teacher

When I started teaching Spanish online, I made many mistakes. I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help you avoid the same difficulties and make your journey as an online Spanish teacher smoother and more successful.

Mistake 1: Not Accounting for Time Zone Changes

I live in Colombia, a country without seasons. When I first started teaching online, I missed several classes because I didn't consider the winter time changes in other countries. It was a frustrating and embarrassing experience. If you live in an equatorial region like I do, remember that many countries adjust their clocks according to the seasons, which can add or subtract an hour from the day. To avoid these problems, I recommend two very useful tools:

World Time Buddy: This site allows you to easily compare your time zone with others. Google Calendar: It allows you to schedule your meetings and invite your students so they know when they have class. You can add different time zones, making it easy to handle time changes automatically. Plus, it gives participants a notification 30 minutes before the class.

Mistake 2: Over-Personalizing Materials

When I started giving personalized classes, I spent hours creating specific materials for each student's tastes and experiences. It was exhausting and inefficient. Remember that personalizing doesn't mean creating or buying new material for each student but rather adapting the materials you already have to their learning pace, age, and needs. Gather classes and resources that you can reuse with different students. You can organize them in folders for easy access.

Mistake 3: Not Keeping Class Records

As I started to have more students, it became difficult to remember what topic I was working on with each one. One of the most embarrassing things that happened to me was starting a class and realizing after 5 minutes that I had already done that class with that student. To avoid this, you can use Google Keep or a notebook to keep a record of the classes you've done and take notes on their needs. Write down the date and what was done in class to avoid repetitions.

Mistake 4: Not Setting Boundaries

I've always had trouble setting boundaries, and this has reflected in my professional life. Although flexibility is one of the reasons students choose to learn online, it's important to set rules from the start to avoid financial loss, wasted time, and emotional strain. Set how far in advance a class must be canceled or rescheduled and what happens if the student doesn't show up. I recommend writing a list of boundaries and rules and communicating them to the client at the beginning of the process.

Mistake 5: Charging Too Little

As a Latina who grew up with little money, charging in dollars has been very beneficial for me. Sometimes, seeing the currency conversion, I think I'm charging a lot, but in reality, what I charge is reasonable compared to the costs in my students' countries. Research the rates of other teachers offering similar services and charge something competitive but fair. Remember to include in your rates the costs of the services you use to teach (electricity, internet, apps, materials) and international transaction fees. Don't forget that your experience, time, and knowledge have value.

Mistake 6: Not Being Aware of Legal Requirements

Not being aware of the legal requirements for freelancers in my country cost me a lot of stress and money. Research the legal requirements for freelancers in your country. In Colombia, for example, freelancers must pay health and pension based on what they earn each month and also keep up with income tax (declaration of rent).

Mistake 7: Not Keeping Up with Training

One of the worst mistakes I made was not being adequately prepared to handle students with special needs. I remember telling a student with attention deficit that he wasn't trying hard enough. It was a terrible comment, and I hope I didn't traumatize the poor boy 🙈 Nowadays, I understand that it was impossible for this boy to do the activity I asked because it wasn't adapted to his attention deficit. To avoid situations like this, it's essential to have ongoing training in anything that can help you become a better professional.

I hope these recommendations based on my mistakes are useful to you and help you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered when starting out. Teaching online can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it's important to be well-prepared and organized to offer the best possible educational experience. Good luck on your journey as an online Spanish teacher!

If you've made any mistakes in your experience as an online Spanish teacher, I'd love for you to share them in the comments. That way, we can learn together and support each other on this exciting journey!