I am not going to sugarcoat this for you, so let’s not pretend. Working as a business English trainer today is not an easy matter. The industry has changed a lot in recent years, but not really for the better. If you are considering a career in this field, you need to understand the hard truth.
The biggest issue today is pricing. As language training has moved online, trainers from around the world are competing in one big global market. Trainers in lower-living-cost regions like South Africa or the Philippines can offer prices that more established trainers in Europe or North America simply can’t match. Many companies look for the cheapest options, buying on price and not quality. The big language training providers are forced to cut rates to attract new clients. The price of training spirals down, and this hurts everyone.
When I started working as an English trainer, most people would start out in a traditional brick-and-mortar language school. You are able to observe experienced colleagues, share ideas, and learn from direct face-to-face feedback. Today, those face-to-face learning opportunities are rare. Many good language businesses are now either partially or fully remote. The risk associated with this “digitization” of language training is that it has turned language training into a very fragmented and isolated profession. Often, trainers are left working in their own online bubbles, with little support or collaboration. It is absolutely essential that language services provide training and support online, which is not always the case.
In addition to the problem of isolation, a plethora of “platform businesses” are now offering low-cost lessons. These platforms function like the “Uber” of language training, matching learners to available trainers and getting them to compete on price. These platforms are backed by investor capital and, in some cases, take up to one-third of the trainer fee. They have created the new gig economy world of language training. Even the British Council, once one of the best employers in the industry, has started employing English trainers in this manner. Last time I had a look at one of these platforms, the majority of the offerings were below the minimum wage in Germany. If you just sign up for platforms, you will probably end up spending years teaching random lessons for €10-15 an hour with no real career progression. It seems more like a hamster wheel than a real profession from which you can live.
If you want to build a career in language training, it is best to specialize. You will hear words buzzwords like “customization,” “tailor-made,” or “niche,” which all encapsulate the idea of adapting your training to a group of customers. This is a way to create value for your training and make it stand out from the masses. If you’re serious about doing this, here’s what you need to focus on:
- Network
Join professional teaching associations and online groups. Go to conferences and seminars (even online ones). Connect with other trainers on LinkedIn and find out what that “niche” you are interested in really is. Ask questions and share your materials. Learn who’s doing interesting work in that area. Build relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs) in the industry. - Market Yourself
Nobody teaches you this as a trainer, and it is where a lot of good trainers fail. Create a professional website and a “verified” LinkedIn profile that clearly shows who you are and what you do. Be prepared to explain why someone should choose you over the hundreds of other trainers. - Specialize
This is the most important piece of advice. Don’t just be another general Business English trainer. Pick the “niche” that you are good at. Learn about that sector’s communication style, vocabulary, and business practices. Position yourself as someone who understands their world. This will require staying up to date on developments in that industry. - Keep learning
Invest in professional development and keep track of trends in Learning and Development (L & D). There are plenty of teacher training courses, online communities, and certifications that help you sharpen your skills and stand out. Avoid the temptation to just stay in your comfort zone. You are going to have to leave that because a lot of trainers are stuck in their ELT bubble. They focus only on delivering lessons and don’t pay attention to how language training is evolving in the context of L & D. I think this is a mistake because you will never be able to understand the business side of training. You will also need to look beyond teaching and develop skills in curriculum design, materials development, and language assessment. Personally, I would recommend a deep dive into instructional design, too, because that can unlock another world of learning that TEFL tends to ignore. - Find your place in the EdTech world
It is tough to break into the EdTech and technology world as a freelancer language trainer. The big edtech companies are building complex learning products. They have access to teams of instructional designers, UX experts, product managers, data analysts, IT developers, and generative AI experts. It can feel like a closed shop. My advice to people is to:- use low-cost, subscription-based tools that can enhance your offering without involving development costs
- follow industry news and stay up to date with what’s happening in digital learning and corporate L&D.
- learn the basics of instructional design to help you understand learning design theory and how products are planned, tested, and refined.
- connect with people outside of ELT like EdTech founders, publishers, L&D professionals.
- get comfortable with learning technologies and learn how learning platforms work
You will need to think outside the box. If you only think like a teacher, you’ll limit yourself to low-level pay forever. If you start thinking like someone who helps build learning products, you’ll open up new paths and opportunities for yourself. This industry isn’t going to get less competitive. So, you need to set yourself apart from other trainers. It’s not easy, but it is better than getting stuck on the gig-economy hamster wheel.
Image credit: DALL-E
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