How to Create a Self-Introduction Video for Teaching English
Are you a freelance online English teacher?
Trying to launch your classes online and wondering how to grasp the attention of potential English learners?
Although there is an ocean of online teachers out there, there is also ample opportunity awaiting you. All you need is a well-crafted introductory video to showcase your skills and talk about yourself. Your introduction is a great opportunity to connect and engage with potential students who are looking for an online English teacher.
Here we will cover, what you must do to get that video right, and how you garner maximum attention from potential students.
What is a Self-Introduction Video for Online Teaching?
If you are trying to promote English lessons online, potential students would like to know you better and learn about your teaching style. Your introductory video online can be more like an interview, where you talk about yourself, your skills, qualifications, and personality. A well-made video will help you stand out from a large number of teachers.
- 72% of companies in America believe that online learning encourages a competitive benefit.
- The online education market is forecasted to reach approximately $350 billion by 2025.
- 75% of online students and professionals prefer to learn a new language or skill through e-learning.
To increase your online reservations, you need to share your teacher profile with parents and students. Video introductions are the best marketing tools where you can give an overview of how your classroom works.
Why an Introductory Video?
As facts state, several parents and students are on their phones. Post-pandemic, the relevance, and significance of online classes have come to the surface, and many feel how critical these extra classes can be for their education, personality-building, and scores.
Video is therefore the most effective and fastest way to give an idea of who you are and how you teach. An introductory video about your profile instantly creates a more personal connection and a strong bond with students looking for a teacher.
Here are some reasons why you need to consider a video introduction that you can post online on multiple channels:
Talk about your unique features
Students and their parents are attracted to USPs, especially English teachers who are passionate about their subject and about teaching online.
Substitute for Interviews
Many online businesses simply watch candidate introductory videos for recruiting purposes. Go through the points that are covered in your resume and take them up in your video.
Show your Personality and Learning Style
It’s an opportunity to pique the interest of your prospective students. Explain what you have to offer in a fun and enthusiastic way.
Showcase your Key Qualifications
You can talk about your educational qualifications, certifications, experience, and achievements.
Tips for Making a Great Introductory Video for English Teachers
- Keep that smile on, while making your video and display a radiating and friendly energy.
- Use items and decorate your background by going super minimal and opting for something like a completely simple and clean white wall. If you decide to use multiple embellishments, be careful not to leave your background look too cluttered.
- Speak clearly and slowly as many of your students may not be fluent in English. Pronounce your words correctly and use very simple language.
- Body language should be relaxed and natural, passing on a warm invitation to students.
- Although you don’t have to dress professionally, you must look presentable. As a general rule, if you plan to teach children, go for bright or pastel colors, or child-friendly colors and avoid dark hues.
- Film in a quiet environment without any distracting background noise. Check in to a clutter-free space and eliminate all distractions behind you.
- You don’t have to buy an expensive podcasting microphone, but you should make sure there is clarity in your speech by using the right equipment. Avoid wearing headphones in your intro video.
- You can record in high definition or 1080p resolution with a quality digital camera, smartphone, or webcam.
- While it is helpful to write a script in advance, practice ahead of time so you don’t have to read it while you register. Try to speak naturally.
- Most online English training platforms have the teacher’s video feed in landscape mode, so shooting in the landscape allows you to use your video with multiple applications.
- Use a tripod to avoid unwanted shakiness in your video.
- You can even use slideshow templates and make a video to showcase your work or even for a quick highlight for your video.
- Keep in mind that your introduction should not be more than 2-3 minutes, so try and cover up the maximum in this duration. Plus, there’s no specific structure to customize an intro video, so be creative, edit your video well, and let your personality shine through!
Steps to Make Your Introductory Video
Keep the following points in mind while shooting and creating your introductory video:
Your Basic Information
Share your details, hobbies or interests, professional experience, and any previous teaching experience.
- Talk about the other languages you speak and what your online lessons look like.
- Emphasize what you love about teaching English, the types of lessons you offer, the activities you do in class, and the materials you use.
- Specializations – Talk about areas that you specialize in like – special exam preparation, TEFL, IELTS, TOEFL classes, etc., incorporating your specializations into your video will give you a head start.
- Educational resources – Talk about the technological tools you will be using while taking online classes, for example, Zoom, Skype, or other apps.
Edit Your Video Well
It’s only natural that you don’t create a perfect intro video to teach online the first time. Use a professional free intro maker online to fix anything and improve your video. These Intro Maker tools usually come with many pre-made intro templates to make your job easy. Check the background, music, speech, and clarity, and make necessary edits.
Why Students Should Choose You
This is your CTA, encouraging prospective students to book classes with you. Whether it’s for fun in the classroom or a special method you use, point out why you are the best teacher for them! Tell your students that you can’t wait to talk to them soon. Invite prospective students and parents for a free demo or to book classes with you!
Save and Share Your Video
Now that you are satisfied with your introductory video, you must save your video in .MP4, MPEG4, and .MOV. forms. Upload your video on multiple channels like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc., and keep your video’s privacy setting public.
Make Your Upload SEO-Enriched
After uploading your video, create a keyword-enriched title and video description to get more views. Don’t forget to keep your introductory video length to 2-3 minutes. The title should not be more than 65 characters, because Google and other search engines truncate page titles around the 66-character mark and display an ellipsis at the end.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a freelance English teacher or a passionate tutor who is trying to promote services in the teaching market, you must follow the above-mentioned guidelines to harness the power of a great introductory video to introduce yourself. Now your CV, photo, diploma, and certificates are not enough to make you stand out from the crowd. You must create an exceptional introductory video to engage with your potential students. Along with a well-designed introductory video, a dedicated online English teaching resume can do wonders.
