I’ve met my share of teachers who are uninspired and made the lessons torture because they weren’t teachers and weren’t passionate about teaching.
And I’ve met my share of teachers who engage me, care about me, and make the class time flash by with their teachings style and personality.
When it comes to hiring a language teacher online here a few things to keep in mind. This advice comes from my years of studying Hindi at schools in India, New Zealand, and online. Follow this guide to avoid the torture of a bad teacher!
Do they know how to teach?
This is the most important question. There’s no shortage of people offering language lessons online. But are they qualified? Are they passionate about teaching? Do they enjoy teaching? In most cases, NO.
Often it’s just someone who thinks, “I can speak Hindi, so I can teach Hindi easy!” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
A teacher should love teaching, they should be patient, caring, and engaging. If teaching is their passion, then they would’ve followed that passion by gaining a teaching qualification and sometimes also working at a school.
For example, in this teachers bio she perfectly explains her passion for teaching and respect for her students:
Currently teaching at a local school, I have been educating children for the past 20 years and have learned so much from them. I wish to continue to pursue this passion of mine and help students all around the world learn the Hindi Language in a friendly atmosphere.
Whenever I’m looking for a teacher online I make sure they have a verified qualification in teaching and have taught at a school before. If it’s not verified on the site, ask them to send you a photo of their qualification. Ideally, they have at least a few years of experience in language teaching too.
The amount of computer science, fashion, and engineer graduates pretending to be teachers concerns me. Sure some of them could be good teachers, but I don’t want to waste my time finding out. I’d rather go for someone experienced.
Read their reviews
After checking their qualifications and work experience, I review what students have said about their lessons.
The more reviews a teacher has, the better. Although don’t be put off by someone who’s qualified but only has a few reviews. Usually, they’re in the process of building their reputation on the platform and will be at a cheaper rate until they establish themselves.
A review like this is good:
I studied intermediate Hindi with ******, both as conversational spoken Hindi as well as correcting my written Hindi. She is a very good teacher, kind and patient. She allows me to speak without interrupting or finishing my sentences, and corrects my spoken and written Hindi very effectively. After trying other teachers I felt that she was the best teacher for me.
Take a trial class
Your first class with a new teacher should be a trial class. During this class, you’ll get a good idea of whether the teacher is suitable.
You’ll be able to recognise a good teacher easily. Is the lesson fun? Are you learning? Is their personality good? Is the teacher interested in teaching? You’ll get a sense of these things right away. If the lesson is instead torture, the teacher is uninterested, uninspired, and probably doesn’t want to be teaching.
Did I miss anything? Leave your tips for hiring a good language teacher in the comments. And leave your horror stories too 😄
