Remember the song that goes, ‘It’s not about the money, money, money’?
I don’t know much about the singer, but one thing’s for sure… she was NOT a teacher in business. Because as you and I know, it very much IS about the money.
As a caring, supportive teacher, you might want to serve as many students as possible, but you also need to get paid. Otherwise, this teaching business is nothing but an expensive hobby.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to earn money teaching languages online. And even if you’ve scoured the internet for inspiration, I bet that you haven’t used any of the strategies I’m about to share! 😁
Here are 6 ways to earn GOOD money in your online language teaching business.
#1: Teach groups instead of 1:1s
Firstly, stop filling your days with private classes and teach more group courses.
There are only so many hours in the day, teacher. So, unless you keep raising your prices, there’s an obvious limit to how much you can earn teaching 1:1s.
I’m not suggesting you ditch private classes altogether. Instead, try reducing the number of individual students you take and making this a premium offer to free up time and make more money.
I bet that some of your current students would benefit from learning in a group. Why not propose that they try? I know this can feel scary, but many of my clients have reported GREAT results from this simple, bold move, so there’s no reason you can’t too.
#2: Charge for lesson packages
How do you charge for your lessons right now?
If it’s by the hour or based on how many classes your students want to take, let’s change that right now.
Selling course packages is a super simple way to give you a more stable income and your students a more structured learning path.
I know it can be tempting to listen to what your students want to do but remember: YOU’RE the expert. You call the shots.
If you think your students will benefit most from studying for 20 hours, then that’s what they shall do. 😁
#3: Raise your prices
Yep, I said it!
If you’re like most of the superstar teachers I speak to, I bet that you’re not charging nearly as much as you’re worth.
You might worry that people will never be able to afford you if you charge XYZ. So, you stick to rates you *think* are more palatable even though you want to earn more. Am I right?
Let me tell you, teacher: there ARE people willing to pay a lot more than you think for your language classes. Your expertise is valuable, and you absolutely can reach your financial goals as a teacher, which you totally deserve, by the way.
#3: Create offers your audience needs
One of the biggest mistakes I see teachers make in business is creating courses they THINK their audience needs rather than what they ACTUALLY need.
It makes sense. As the expert, you probably do know what will benefit your people. But that doesn’t mean your audience knows that’s what they need. For example, they want to focus on grammar when you know they should be speaking.
Although you can educate them on what’s important and influence their decisions to some extent, you have to listen to what they want and build offers that answer their language learning prayers. Because that’s what’s going to convince them to sign up!
Of course, you can then integrate the language learning points they NEED in your classes so they get the best of both worlds.
#4: Run paid workshops
I’ve been working on this with the teachers in my Mastermind recently, and it’s proving to be a great strategy!
There will always be people in your audience who aren’t ready to buy your higher-priced offers (like your courses). Perhaps they’re new to your world and don’t know you well enough yet, or maybe they can’t afford your classes right now. And that’s totally ok – it takes time to warm an audience up!
But one great way to serve these people and earn their trust is to offer low-cost workshops that address a common challenge. An example? A French teacher for people who want to work in France could run a workshop on interviewing at a French company.
Make it super specific and relevant, and you could charge anywhere between $25-$50 depending on the topic, your expertise and your audience.
Let me guess… your gremlins are telling you that’s too high? I don’t know you, but I’m pretty sure that if you’re offering something your audience genuinely needs (and knows they need), there are people in your world who will pay for it. 😁
#5: Record and resell your courses
If you’re running live language courses, record them. Package them into digital courses. Break them into a mini-course. Recycle them in your next launch. Basically, use them again!
Smart teacherpreneurs (like you) know that time is money, and it’s necessary to save as much of it as you can.
You’ve done the work, and your audience has already found value in it. So it’s absolutely ok to sell your recordings again!
#5: Start an email newsletter
Ok, this one will take a little longer to start, but I promise you that it’s worth the time and effort.
Email is one of the best marketing tools available because it allows you to be more visible, build stronger connections with your audience and sell your offers more easily (and regularly!).
If you have a following on social media, no matter how big or small, I urge you to start a mailing list sooner rather than later.
Why not join MY mailing list for business and mindset tips AND inspiration on what to send your subscribers? It’s especially for teachers in business – you won’t regret it! 😉