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Have you ever noticed that successful online English teachers don’t seem to run out of students?

They can open their huge schedules for two weeks out and have them them fill up almost instantly.

Some teachers can even go totally “short-notice” and fill their time slots for the next day within 24 hours, no matter when they open them.

What’s their secret?

I’ll give you a hint: it’s really nothing spectacular.

With a little bit of effort up-front, you too could be filling your schedule with students any time you open your slots.

Why bother to create a bond with your online students?

As much as getting bookings is important, you also have to make sure you keep your students coming back for more.

Always trying to acquire new students can be time-consuming and exhausting.

Whether you open your schedule weeks ahead of time, or you’re a traveller who only does “short-notice” classes, having a steady stream of “regular” students is the way to go.

Why?

Having regulars:

• allows you more flexibility with your schedule.

  You can open time slots anytime knowing your regulars will book in with you.

• prevents you from experiencing the ups and downs of online teaching “seasons”.

  Students tend to take fewer online classes if they are busy, on vacation, or stop taking online classes when their exams are coming up. If you’ve established a good relationship with a regular student, they are more likely to book your class, no matter what they have happening in their lives.

• saves you the time and energy of getting to know a brand-new student.

  If you already know your student well, you can spend less time trying to figure out what teaching approach works best for them and more time focusing on said teaching approach.

The challenge of building rapport with online English students

You may be wondering, “How can I build rapport with my students while sitting behind a computer thousands of miles away?”

In a real classroom, there’s no limit to how you can connect with your students through physical interaction. You can shake each other’s hands, give hugs, and even play tag to get the classes grooving. It’s just easier to connect with students when you’re in the same room as them.

On the other hand, in an online class, you are bound to teach and interact with your students from within a tiny camera frame. While you can still use TPR techniques to send non-verbal messages, a virtual classroom obviously isn’t the best setting to engage learners through a game of hopscotch. More often than not, you have to think of other ways to keep online students interested.

Being far away from your students also means that a real interaction outside class time is almost impossible. When an online class ends, your only chance to connect with them is by sending feedback, which is obviously just one-way communication.

13 Tips for getting and keeping your “regulars”

1. Welcome your students with a smile and be enthusiastic.

Creating a positive learning environment starts with a cheerful greeting. The mood you set in class instantly radiates to your students and affects how they respond to you, so always receive them with a happy, energetic vibe.

2. Add games and fun warm-up activities.

Sure, your student is there to brush up on his/her grammar, but who doesn’t like playing in class? Don’t forget to make having fun a priority in your classes, in addition to your students’ learning. Even if you’re not the over-the-top, bubbly type, there are certainly fun things you can do that fit your personality and teaching style.

3. Be genuinely interested in your students.

Don’t just let a student tell you he likes football - be curious about it and ask more questions! Instead of passively interviewing learners about their lives, show them that you really want to get to know them on a human level.

4. Keep track of your students’ personal details

It’s easy to forget or jumble the details you receive in all your classes. You definitely wouldn’t want to ask a student, “When is your birthday?” when he already mentioned it a few weeks ago. It helps if you make notes about what they’ve shared with you, especially the things you can follow up on with them later, such as their pets, family members, and special occasions in their lives.

5. Show empathy.

A student could show up to class looking tired, or maybe they seem excited about something. Be attentive to their mood and emotions and don’t be afraid to directly ask how they feel. Put yourself in their shoes. Sometimes, even just saying, “I understand” or listening to them helps.

Additionally, if you know that your student had a hard day, be conscious of not giving them difficult tasks or pushing them too hard. If you’ve got challenging activities prepared for the class, you can either tone down their difficulty level or save them for another day.

6. Relate to your students.

If a student’s crazy rafting adventure story suddenly reminds you of a similar experience, go ahead and share it! If you make a conversation a two-way engagement, it’s easier to find common interests between you and your students and feel more connected with each other.

9. Don’t be afraid to showcase yourself.

Your students are curious about you too, so why not introduce them to your world? Show them some photos from your last holiday or play your favorite song in class. They don't obviously need to know your entire life story, but they will appreciate you sharing some details about yourself.

8. Personalize classes to learners’ interests.

As you become better acquainted with your students, you will know more about their backgrounds, likes, and dreams. Take this chance to incorporate topics that could be engaging for them. For instance, if going to Thailand is on your student’s bucket list, you could share information or pictures about tourist destinations in that country. Or, if someone likes food, you can talk about international cuisine in one of your classes!

9. Do something interesting, even if it’s not part of the lesson.

While the first couple of lessons are structured according to a curriculum, you can take a breather from your study plan later on and enjoy an excerpt from a TV series or sing karaoke once in a while. 

However, be sure that you’ve already established a good relationship with your students (especially with children) before incorporating non-academic activities. The parents should like and trust your approach before you go “off script”.  Doing this too early in the student-teacher-parent relationship could cause negative reviews.

10. Motivate learners with positive in-class feedback.

Have you ever learned a second language before? It can be very frustrating and make even the most confident students feel insecure. A simple “very good!” remark on your student’s pronunciation can make them feel like a champion. Don’t end a class without praising your pupils for their victories, no matter how big or small they are.

11. Use feedback templates, but make sure to personalize them.

Templates speed up the process of giving class feedback, but you should always go a little beyond copying and pasting. Make your feedback more meaningful to each student by adding a few, small personal touches, like mentioning something special he/she learned in class, or giving fun study tips.

12. Inform students and parents of your availability 

Instead of making your regular students wait for an open slot in your schedule, you can tell them in advance when you plan to open classes. You can do this either through the after-class feedback or by sending cards or greetings on your teaching platform. You can also DM them if you have their contact details.

13. Don’t forget to actually teach! 

While having fun in class matters a lot, your students also need to progress towards their goals, especially if they’re not beginners anymore.

Make sure to give positive, constructive feedback about their language skills to keep them going. Both your students and their parents will respect you for it.

A little goes a long way

Creating a strong connection with your students may require a little upfront effort on your part, but going the extra mile is worth it. 

Use our tips to help you step up your teaching game, and you will have eager students lined up to take your classes! 

If you liked this article and want to take it one step further, check out our article How To Build Rapport With Your Students for more tips to building long-lasting relationships.