This is our fourth interview with teachers from 51Talk. Here is an interesting perspective from Katie, who is teaching children in China from South Africa. If you have any questions about teaching with 51Talk, please reach out to us. You can also apply to teach at this link: 51Talk Application

Katie, can you please tell us a little bit about your background?

I love to teach! I have spent 22 years teaching children grades pre-school through 12th grade. I have taught all elementary subjects as well as grades 7-12th English. For the past 17 years my husband, family, and I have lived in South Africa. I have had and continue to have regular opportunities during this time to work with children of several different ethnic and language groups. One of my favorite parts of teaching is the interaction with children. When I am not teaching, I enjoy reading, sewing, and crocheting.

How long have you been teaching with 51Talk and can you please share your journey toward this role?  

I have worked with 51Talk for 5 months. I was looking for a part-time job that I could do from home. 51Talk was the very first to pop up on my google search. I am very happy that my experience with 51Talk has been great!

What are two things that you enjoy the most about working with 51Talk?

I enjoy several different aspects of my job with 51Talk. Most importantly, I enjoy the flexible schedule and, of course, the interaction with the students. The opportunities that I have to briefly speak with the parents are also very rewarding.

Can you please share what a day in the life of a 51Talk English teacher may look like from beginning to end?

Since I currently live in South Africa, the 51Talk peak hours fall during my afternoon. My mornings are quite busy as I am homeschooling our remaining children that are still living at home. After an early lunch, I log on to my 51Talk page, overview any new lessons, and make sure all the technology is working properly. I usually teach around 3-4 hours. Then, I grade my own children’s school work from the day, start dinner, and enjoy the evening with my family. All this right from my home. I love it!

If you were to recommend this path for other teachers, what would you tell them?

Don’t be intimidated by the initial start-up process. In the beginning I wasn’t worried at all about teaching the lessons. I was quite concerned, however, that I would survive the different protocols for communicating with  teacher support and navigating the different modes of classrooms – AC, QQ, and Skype! My experience with online learning and technology, in general, was quite limited when I began. However, I was surprised at how quickly I became comfortable with the learning curve! If I can manage the computer skills necessary for online teaching, anyone can! I found 51Talk Teacher Support and other personnel very, very helpful and interested to answer my questions.

Can you please share something special that we may not know about 51Talk?

My experience with 51Talk has been the complete opposite of all the negative reviews I read previous to my interview. I have only experienced prompt and thoughtful help from the 51Talk support team. My whole experience with this company has been very pleasant and rewarding!

Thank you, Katie!

You can also apply to teach at this link: 51Talk Application!