Habits of highly successful online language teachers aren’t some mythical unattainable thing. It’s easy when you know what they are and how to apply them to your own teaching. Take a look at these 4 habits of highly successful online language teachers and see if you can make them part of your work too.

As an online language teacher, you have a lot on your plate. You need to make sure that the language lessons you give are fun and engaging for your students, but also effective (and efficient). In addition to all of this, though, there are some simple habits that highly successful online teachers have in common—habits that can help set them apart from their peers and provide an edge in their business. If you want to take your career to the next level, here are four key things that successful online language teachers do:

Get good at knowing your schedule and availability.

Routine. Maybe that word makes your heart sing. Maybe it makes your heart pound.

No matter what routine looks like to you, it’s a core habit of successful online language teachers.

And the good news is that it’s what you decide. Your routine can look like you want it to.

If that’s 5am alarms and mornings in the gym, that’s great. If it’s 10am starts with a solid breakfast before work each day, then that’s good too.

The key here isn’t me saying “get up at this time!”, “start work at that time!” or “you just HAVE to use this app!”.

Instead, it’s all about you knowing yourself, your schedule and your availability.

Know when you’re most productive, creative, energetic, relaxed, and focused. Fix your routine around that rather than trying to squeeze yourself into a hashtag friendly routine the internet says leads to optimum productivity.

The best online language teachers know this.

Related: How Organizing Makes You a Better Online Language Teacher

Have a designated workspace in your home.

It might not be possible to have your own room dedicated to your home office, but if there’s at least a space that’s your ‘workspace’, then you’re onto a winner.

Make it a place you enjoy being, a place you want to work in.

It might be the ritual of lighting a candle you love each day before work. It could be the right soundtrack to your working day. Perhaps it’s a cute houseplant on your windowsill.

Whatever it is for you, know your boundaries for work time, and stay out of this space as much as possible when it’s not work time.

Not got a space for this at home? How about a local library or coffee shop that you can find a regular cosy spot in?

Related: Master the Art of Teaching Languages Online: How to Create a Rewarding Online Teaching Business.

Have a system for new students.

The first impression is the most important one. It’s when you set the tone, establish a relationship and make it clear to your students that you care about them as people.

This will look different depending on how you teach online. If you have a digital product or online course, you want to have a good automated system in place for new enrollments. This ensures students get access to the right things, are appropriately logged as a student of that product, and all in all are happy with the process. Test run your setup once it’s in place too before hitting the ‘publish’ button!

Alternatively if it’s live lessons you’re offering, as part of that automated system, you may want to think about including the chance to book in the first lesson automatically too.

Not only does this level of automation save you time and brainpower every time a new student enrols, it also helps to impress students and make them feel they’ve made a good choice to start learning with you.

Related: How to Find New Students When Teaching Online

Set boundaries with your students.

Another habit that’s worth laying down right at the start, and successful online teachers do really well, is setting boundaries.

Be prepared to say no, yes and everything else in between.

You’re a professional teacher and you need to act like one at all times – especially online. This means setting boundaries with your students so that they know what you expect of them and vice versa.

If you have an open-door policy where it is okay for students to contact you outside of class time then make sure that this is the case! However, this might be quite a big ask for many – myself included! You should think carefully before offering ’24/7 access’ to yourself or your team members. In Language Life, we have one day a week when I’m available for 1:1 support during office hours.

Any limits to contact outside of lesson time? Let students know from the get go.

Got a particular platform you will reply from and one you won’t? Tell them this too.

Related: Confident Pricing for Online Language Teachers (+ What to Do When Someone Says You’re Too Expensive)

Become aware of the habits that highly successful online language teachers have in common, and do what works for you.

If you are or want to become an online language teacher, it is important to know what habits will make you successful.

Many times, we are unaware of our own habits until someone points them out. Becoming aware of the small things we do every day can help us improve our lives.

Try keeping a journal where you write down everything that happens during each day for one week straight (there’s plenty of apps for this). By doing so, you’ll start noticing patterns emerge from which point forward it’ll be easier for you identify when negative behaviours arise again without having someone else point these out first.

The main takeaway from this article is that there are many habits to be aware of when it comes to being a successful online language teacher. Some of these habits will work for you, but others might not. The key is to find out what works for you and your students so that everyone can succeed!

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