How to Become a Remote Teacher

For many educators, virtual elementary teacher jobs pose new opportunities for how lessons are taught and how they manage their work-life balance. Continue reading to learn how to become a remote teacher, including the steps to take and how virtual classrooms differ from in-person.

In-Person vs. Remote Teaching

The most significant difference between remote and in-person teaching is how lessons are communicated and information is learned. Rather than using the traditional lecture format, online classrooms are much more hands-off. Especially for elementary teachers, virtual teaching consists of facilitating students and delegating lessons and assignments — though you'll definitely still need to tell kids to settle down.

Below are a few significant examples of how teaching in an online classroom is different from in-person:

• Interacting with students. When remote, you can't give students the personal attention you would otherwise be able to provide by walking from desk to desk. While this may help some students gain independence and improve engagement, others may feel disconnected from the classroom and lessons. 
• Finding time to help. When you notice a student struggling, you’ll need to schedule one-on-one meetings to determine where they're behind and what you can do to help. This drastically differs from in-person teaching, where these conversations with students can usually be held during or after class. 
• Controlling the learning environment. Often, a remote student’s learning environment is their bedroom or another part of their house. While in-person teachers can determine every poster, marker color, and class pet in their classroom, remote teachers have significantly less control over the distractions surrounding their students — which gets even trickier when students turn off their cameras. 

When you notice a remote student struggling, consider contacting their parents to see how they can improve their remote learning experience or help them with their lessons at home.

How Does Online Teaching Work?

Schools use online platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Edmodo, Blackboard, and Schoology to connect students and instructors virtually. While each platform is different, most allow you to host group video calls, upload lessons and homework, view completed assignments, reach out to students individually, and post grades in one place. 

Remote learning continues to evolve as technology advances, platforms increase their capabilities, and instructors learn more about what students need. While many early 2020 remote lessons were a hodgepodge of what teachers hoped to achieve in person, current lessons are specifically designed for the remote setting. 

Strategies remote teachers have adopted include:

• Screensharing lesson presentations
• Using chat windows for clear-cut instructions and individual messaging
• Putting students in small groups with their own video rooms
• Taking time for student feedback and questions
• Creating online discussion boards
• Assigning students video and presentation assignments 
• Encouraging peer feedback
• Using platforms such as Google Docs for online collaboration
• Giving more frequent quizzes to gauge understanding

Where to Look for Remote Teaching Jobs

While there are numerically more teachers today than before 2020, nearly every U.S. school faces a teacher shortage. Despite this, finding virtual elementary teacher jobs is still challenging for many educators — particularly jobs with respectable pay and benefits. 

The best way to find remote teaching jobs is through online platforms such as iHireElementaryTeachers. Tens of thousands of open positions are listed there, and the search filter lets you sort through specific remote jobs. Filtering through jobs using a hiring platform will narrow down teaching positions to those for which you meet the qualifications, and that also meet your goals. 

Virtual schools are another great place to look for remote teaching positions. Virtual schools provide different styles of classrooms, lessons, and teaching to meet students’ and parents’ needs. These schools pose many opportunities for aspiring remote instructors, especially as more institutions shift to hybrid and virtual models. 

By looking for virtual teaching jobs online, you increase the number of positions you may qualify for without needing to commute. Overall, you’re more likely to find a position whose skills gap you fill online than you are by searching schools in your area.

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How to Get Online Teaching Experience and Skills

A significant cause for the difficulty of finding a remote teaching job is that some teachers lack qualifications in areas that schools are looking for, such as special education, math, and science. If you lack remote teaching experience, consider starting with virtual substitute teaching and tutoring positions. Additionally, volunteering for nearly any group that uses remote platforms, such as nonprofit organizations and online communities, can be used on your resume to demonstrate you know how to communicate over video. 

Beyond other jobs and volunteering, you should seek online training courses and resources to enhance your remote teaching skills. Examples include teaching seminars, communication courses, and guides for using specific platforms. The summer is an ideal time to take on these training courses and tutoring jobs to expand your qualifications. 

How to Tailor Your Resume and Answer Interview Questions for Remote Teaching Jobs

Employers and schools use job platforms such as iHire to specify all the qualifications they need, such as experience with certain teaching platforms or a background in a particular field of study. Reviewing virtual teaching job postings will help you identify what to highlight on your resume and cover letter. For many teachers, this could be as easy as describing your duties during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the interview, highlight how remote teaching has impacted you and why you want to pursue it. For example, discuss how you handled the transition in 2020 or strategies you've learned for managing elementary students. When interviewing for remote positions, employers want to ensure you are strong-willed enough to manage an entire online class of elementary students, especially since there's no principal's office to send them to. Therefore, you should be confident and concise when answering interview questions. 

Finding Your Next Virtual Elementary Teacher Job Today

Whether in-person or remote, teaching is a rewarding career that plants the seeds for future generations to succeed. So, while the transition to virtual teaching may seem demanding, it's an important transition to make. For more job-search advice and help with expanding your teaching resume, visit iHire's job seeker resource center.