How To Make A Kickass Teaching Demo Video For Teaching English Online

Thinking about teaching English online but confused about a teaching demo video? 

You’ve come to the right place! Let’s go.

How to make a kickass teaching demo video 

Even though the internet has been around for ages, talking to someone online can still feel unnatural.

It can take a while to get used to.

You rely on facial expressions, body language, gestures and props more than you would in a normal conversation. 

Then, talking to someone online is very different to teaching someone online. 

Let’s be real: teaching English online can be weird!

So when you’re asked to put together a teaching demo video for teaching English online, you might not know where to start.

To help you, we’ve put together our top tips on how to make a kickass teaching demo video for teaching English online.

Read more: Teaching English Online

What is a teaching demo video?

When you join an online company, or you sign up to a teaching platform, you fill out an application form.

After that, you’ll probably need to do a demo teaching video. Essentially, a recording of you doing an online lesson.

This is so your prospective employers and students can “meet” you, see your face, and watch your teaching style.

Sometimes it can be just an introductory video. But sometimes it needs to be an actual lesson – live (with a genuine student or an interviewer pretending to be a student) or pre-recorded.

What’s the difference between an introductory video and a demo video?

Many online teaching companies require potential teachers to send in an introductory video. This is not a teaching demo video. Rather, it’s a short video describing yourself and your teaching qualifications and experience. 

In an introductory video, you’ll:

• introduce yourself and where you’re from,
• detail your TEFL qualification,
• mention any other qualifications,
• talk about your teaching experience (if any),
• talk about your interests and hobbies, and
• speak about why you enjoy teaching.

The teaching company will review your video to ensure you are a good fit for their platform. But more importantly, English language learners will watch your introductory video to decide if they would like to book an online lesson with you. Which is ultimately the aim of the game!

How to make a good introductory video for teaching English online

Make sure you:

• speak in a clear accent,
• don’t rush,
• let your personality shine, and
• don’t forget to smile!

A lot of your video depends on whether you want to teach Young Learners or adults. With Young Learners, your background can be bright and colourful. For adult learners, you can speak more calmly and have a neutral background. 

Top tip: Be careful of what’s in your background – no need to show off your unmade bed! 

Your introductory video is likely to only be a minute or two long, so be sure to include all the important stuff.

Read more: 7 Companies to Teach English Online to Adults

A demo video for online teaching

Now onto the teaching demo video. 

A teaching demo video is important.

This will be the reason companies hire you or not (or give you a higher rate of pay). They’re a big deal.

For the companies or schools, they use demo videos as a way to see your teaching style, lesson planning abilities and professionalism in action. 

Some companies might make these demo videos available to students. In these cases, students will choose whether or not they want to have lessons with you based on your personality and teaching style.

No matter what it’s used for, a demo teaching video is your chance to shine!

Read more: How Much Money Can I Really Make Teaching English Online?

How to start a demo lesson

A very common issue is how to start a demo lesson. But it’s quite simple.

Start your demo video by introducing yourself. This shouldn’t take long: just your name, where you’re from and what you’re going to be dealing with in the lesson. 

For example: Hi, my name is Kirsten and I’m from South Africa. Today we’re going to talk about sports. 

Now let’s look at some tips for the rest of the demo teaching video.

Teaching demo tips

Have a plan

This is basically the first rule of teaching: be prepared! You can’t ignore lesson preparation and lesson planning, even for an online demo lesson.

You should be given a level, topic and/or language structure or you could be asked to choose your own. 

If they provide you with materials, use them appropriately and effectively, but don’t be shy to adapt them to suit your needs.

Either way, have a plan for every step of your demo.

This doesn’t need to be written down in detail on a formal lesson plan, as long as you can remember it! Sticky notes work well for some teachers, while some prefer notebooks or pieces of paper. You can write it on the back of a cereal box for all we care, as long as it is written down somewhere!

Keep it simple

Don’t choose materials or activities that are too complicated. When you are employed you may be given lesson materials so the focus of the demo is more on you and your teaching than the teaching materials.

Make sure you are familiar with your materials before the lesson and are comfortable giving clear instructions for them.

Read more: How Should Teachers Give Instructions

Practise makes perfect

You might feel ridiculous but do a run-through of your lesson beforehand.

No matter how well you have a lesson planned in your head or on paper, voicing it out loud can be very different. Going through the lesson a few times will help you remember the steps and help the lesson run smoothly.

If possible, do the lesson in front of a mirror so you can see what your students will see, or ask a family member to watch you and give you constructive criticism.

Testing testing 1,2,3

Imagine this: Your camera battery dies mid-recording! Or your microphone isn’t working – and you only realise afterwards! Or you record your demo and you’re halfway out the frame! 

There’s nothing more frustrating than technology glitches.

Check and double-check your technology and equipment so that everything is perfect before the lesson.

Be yourself

It can be difficult to come across as friendly and personable on a screen. A sure way to let people know that you are happy to be there (even when you aren’t!) is a smile.

You don’t need to be cheesy the whole time, but a resting you-know-what face is not a good idea in these circumstances. Especially if you’re teaching Young Learners, you might find you need to over-exaggerate your facial expressions to communicate more effectively.

Finally, try to relax!

Personality is so important when teaching English online.

Your teaching demo needs to show off your fun-loving and energetic personality. It needs to show you’re passionate about teaching.

Even if you’re nervous, fake it and give a big smile and soon you’ll probably find that you actually are enjoying it! Good luck!

Looking for an online teaching TEFL job? Check out our jobs board to see what we have on offer!