Benjamin studied French and German in the University. Upon graduation he decided to be an independent teacher of French. He ran some ads and told all his friends about it. But every time he got course applicants, they learnt with him for a month and stopped. It’s already over a year and Benjamin is starting to give up on his dream of becoming a language entrepreneur.

Any advice for Benjamin? Well here’s mine.

To teach a foreign language is to craft a new mind. To craft a new mind is to be a creator with working tools to chisel through. With these tools, you are well on your way to becoming an authentic language teacher with students across the globe.

Who is a global language educator?

A language teacher is one who helps students gain insight into other cultures through language education. With students, language educators share the gift of communicating thoughts in a different language. A global language educator does the same thing on a global scale.

Is this what you want?

Then you must know your audience. You’d need to define your target audience by asking the following questions. Who am I teaching?(Professionals, adults, children, immigrants) What’s the major area my course is focused on (communication, grammar, creative writing, comprehension) What are my strengths in this field? Who would benefit from this? What problems am I looking to solve?

When you have completely defined your target audience, know where the shoes pinch. WAIT! This is not the time to sell your course or prove that you’re a great teacher. It’s the time to lend your ears to the many concerns of prospective students in local and international communities. To do this, you’d have to join language learning groups and platforms as a language teacher and observer. Don’t be too thirsty! Remember, it’s not the time to sell your course.

Now that you know the language learning difficulties peculiar to your audience, you must learn how to set the hook and line. Use the pain of the student to your advantage. Tailor a lesson that suits the need of that student. Prepare to proffer solutions- OFFER VALUE. Avoid making unrealistic promises like: Learn Spanish in one week. Be a PRO in 15 days! There’s a high probability that the learner has been there….done that. Set a time-frame and see to it that results are produced.

If you constantly offer value, you’d definitely enjoy the ripple effect. Because of how effective your teaching is, your students-(national/global)would unconsciously get you clients as they talk about their progress in the language. Let’s call it free marketing. This is why it is essential to do whatever it takes to keep the student coming back for more.

In all of this, one thing is important to note; language teaching is a noble profession. Your goal as a global language educator should be to help people around the world learn how to interact in another language. Placing money before this, is a sheer misplacement of priorities. Join the community of language teachers where we share learn and grow together. projectlingo.com/