How to Run an English Course From Your Home
Teaching English from home is an affordable and relatively simple way to start your own business. The most important requirements are an in-depth knowledge of English grammar and the ability to teach vocabulary and grammar to non-native speakers. If you have those skills and some basic teaching supplies, then you can teach from almost any type of house or apartment. Learn how to run an English course from your home by developing a suitable course structure, designing a teaching room that's conducive to learning English and filling your course with students.
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Instructions
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Select your target market. Review the English course offerings of local colleges and language schools to find out what kinds of courses are in demand. To limit competition, look for an English for Special Purposes (ESP) subniche that you can tailor your course to, such as business or medical English. Clearly define what your students will learn from the course. This might be an overall level of skill, such as reaching intermediate (B1) level. It might also be a specific set of skills, such as interviewing for jobs or giving presentations.
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Develop your course. Decide how long your course will run and how often you'll have lessons. The average English course runs for three months and meets for 90 minutes twice a week. This allows most students to advance a full level on the Common European Framework. In contrast, an intensive course might meet for eight hours once a week or four hours every weekday. A course with a very narrow focus, such as telephone skills, might run only one month. Choose an appropriate coursebook. Create a syllabus that outlines in detail every lesson in your course.
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Set up a teaching room in your home. Stock your home classroom with a whiteboard or large flipchart, tape player and computer. Also have English-teaching supplies such as Cuisenaire rods and flash cards. For older students, include some language-related board games such as 20 Questions, Bananagrams from Bananagrams International and Don't Say from Pressman Toys. Collect extra worksheets for topics that challenge English learners, such as the present perfect tense, continuous tense and prepositions.
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Advertise for students. Start at least a month before your course begins, so you'll have time to find enough students. Find the most effective places to advertise by noting where local private language schools advertise repeatedly. Look for foreign local language newspapers to place ads in. Find stores, cultural centers and other locations that speakers of other languages frequent, and ask the managers if you can hang an ad flier.
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Lay the groundwork for success from the start. At the first lesson, use ice-breaker activities like "Find someone who..." and "Two truths and a lie." to help students get comfortable with each other. At the end of this lesson, hand out a form that asks about learning goals, past problems with English, preferred learning style and hobbies and subjects of interest. This information tells you how to tailor the course to your students' needs.
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Tips & Warnings
Tell your students in advance if they need to buy their own textbooks. Check your local zoning laws and look into permits required to run a home-based business. If you live in an apartment complex, clear your idea with the superintendent. Tell your neighbors about your plans and ask them to tell you if any problems arise. They'll be more likely to overlook occasional noise or crowds if they know that you respect their needs, too. The Common European Framework uses six skill levels, A1 (breakthrough) through C2 (mastery), to rate fluency in a language.
Prepare in advance for disagreements over payment and other issues. Decide on your course policies in advance. Using simple English, write up your policies on payment, cancellations, missed classes and code of conduct. Have each student sign a copy. Lack of parking places can cause problems for students and neighbors. Before the course begins, tell your students where the parking area is.
