In an increasingly globalised world, more and more people are turning to online teaching as a source of income and even a full time profession. People with very little experience in teaching are joining tutoring platforms and trying their hand at teaching others. In my case that was teaching English. But after 3 years of teaching English and along the way becoming certified, how do I measure my success rate? How would I define a success story? Online teaching doesn't have inspections nor does it have fixed teaching standards and pass rates. So, how does an English teacher measure their success? In this post I will try to define success for an English tutor.
What are my students' goals and have they achieved them?
This question must be answered in two parts. Firstly, identifying my students' goals. This is quite simple. Students' have ranging goals and reasons for learning English. Some wish to learn for work while others choose to learn because they need to pass an exam. The spectrum of reasons is large and varied but at least the goals can be defined. However, to answer whether they have achieved their goals is more of a challenge.
For example, one of my students started learning with me 1 year ago. They wanted to improve their English for work. At the beginning it was quite clear what I needed to do, for example, teaching them vocabulary related to working in the office or business etiquette in the UK. This was very straight forward and I was able to plan my lessons around it.
If we fast forward to 2025, I am teaching the very same student but we're discussing entirely different topics. No longer are we discussing "where is the printer?" or "can you send me an invoice?" but rather we're discussing current affairs, geopolitics and more.
But does this mean the student is now able to recite every word they learned a year ago? The answer is no. But does it mean that the student has improved enough to feel comfortable speaking English at work? The answer would be yes.
One of the keys, I believe, to measuring success is to ask yourself and more importantly the student if they feel more confident and comfortable, compared to a year ago. If the student answers yes, then I believe it is a clear indication that you have successfully worked with your student, despite the fact that they still are unable to memorise and recite all vocabulary related to the office.
Don't be so hard on yourself
People change and so do their goals. Students are not different.
There is a lot of pressure on teachers to make sure their students are getting value for money and the dilemma teachers often have is whether they can say they have successfully delivered this value.
A teacher must always remember that they are in the control of the lesson and sometimes it requires you to deviate from the main goal. Don't be afraid to challenge the student with spontaneous topics. For example, a student with the goal of learning English for work can also be asked questions about the news or holidays. The lessons don't always have to follow a strict plan in order to help the student successfully reach their original goal. By getting students to talk more frequently and use vocabulary unbeknownst to them, you are helping the students in more ways than one.
To conclude this post, I would say the most important way to measure your success is to evaluate whether your students are motivated and confident. Try not to feel pressured into teaching a "correct" way and follow your instincts. Remember, students are more often than not simply happy to talk to a native speaker and every lesson with you is a step in the right direction.
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