How to Stay Sane as a Busy Online Tutor

Online tutoring has always come with its fair share of stress, and the past few years have just piled on more!

In light of Stress Awareness Month, let's take a step back and reflect on ways to manage our stress levels. Here are five ideas – and lots of tips from fellow Engoo tutors – to get you started.

1. Schedule Breaks

One of the biggest causes of stress is teaching too many lessons without taking a break. In the beginning, all this teaching feels productive. But it's not sustainable.

At some point, the quality of your lessons drops, you get cranky at your students, and you might even end up with complaints – all things that'll make you more stressed.

I once tried tutoring six hours straight. By the last few lessons, I was on the verge of snapping at my students!

Tutor from Serbia

So make sure you know your limits and schedule breaks well before you reach them. For reference, the tutors we spoke to teach sets of four to six lessons (two to three hours) and take half-hour breaks in between each set. To find your sweet spot, experiment with taking a break every two to six lessons.

What works for me is four consecutive lessons, a half-hour break, and another set of four lessons.

Tutor from the Philippines

When I taught eight hours a day, I stuck to a "6+6+4" schedule: i.e. two blocks of six lessons and one block of four lessons, with a half-hour break in between each block. There was something nice about the last block being shorter. It made me think, "12 done, only four left – piece of cake!"

Tutor from Bosnia & Herzegovina

2. Take the Right Kind of Breaks

Did you know that taking the right kind of break can boost your productivity and make you feel less stressed? Here are some break ideas that do just that.

1. Move around: Pick some of your favorite physical activities (stretching, lifting weights, walking, jogging, dancing, yoga, etc.) and do them during your breaks. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, so these exercise sessions will help you stay focused and think more clearly during your lessons.
2. Take a power nap: Napping can improve your mood and help you recharge. But don't sleep for too long! The ideal length of a nap is 10-20 minutes. Any longer than that and you'll end up groggy – not refreshed.
3. Eat a healthy snack: Healthy snacks include fruits, vegetables, nuts, health bars, and dark chocolate. Avoid snacks that are too sugary (e.g. ice cream, foods with lots of added sugars), as you'll get sugar spikes and feel more tired.
4. Meditate: Meditation can calm your mind and help you let go of negative energy. To get started, check out these guided meditation sessions and this guide to meditation for teachers.
5. Have a laugh: Laughter relaxes your whole body and makes you breathe in more oxygen, both things that reduce stress. So put yourself in a good mood before your lessons with your favorite comics or funny videos!

Before my classes, I usually watch a short video from the Youtube channel "Daily Dose of Internet." Those videos help me feel less nervous about my lessons and also give me ideas for topics to talk about with my students.

Tutor from Romania

3. Manage Your Energy Levels

Another way to manage your stress is to keep your energy levels in mind. For example, avoid scheduling lessons at times when you're usually low on energy: e.g. too early in the morning, too late at night, or right after lunch if you need to take a nap.

In addition, make sure to adjust your energy level for different types of lessons. For example:

• Lessons with kids can be draining, because (among other reasons) you need to exaggerate your voice, facial expressions, and hand gestures. So after a kids lesson, remind yourself that you can relax a bit and take a break from over-the-top reactions. There's usually no need to tire yourself out like that with students who are adults.
• If you have a free-talk lesson with an intermediate or advanced student, ask simple follow-up questions to ensure they do most of the talking. This way, you'll have enough energy for free-talk lessons with beginners, which are more tiring.

Simply put, save your energy for the lessons that really need it!

4. Make a Pre-Lesson Checklist

There are many ways a lesson can go wrong: e.g. your laptop might die, you might lose your voice, etc. In fact, lessons can go wrong before they even start if your computer decides to install updates for hours instead of letting you teach!

Unpleasant surprises like these add to the stress of online teaching, so make sure you do everything you can to prevent them. We recommend making a list of everything you need to do at the start of your day or before each lesson. Here's a general checklist to get you started.

✅My laptop is charged (or charging).
✅Drink a glass of water and go to the bathroom.
✅Fill a glass (or pitcher) of water to keep on my desk.
✅Run a test call and an internet speed test.
✅Check the students' requests and preview lesson materials that I'm unfamiliar with.
✅Refresh daily schedule page five minutes before class.

Depending on your situation, you might include items like "set up lighting/microphone," "check that all props are in order" or "untangle earphones."

Before every lesson, I need to close unnecessary apps and browser tabs, so my computer doesn't overheat and disconnect from calls in the middle of a lesson!

Tutor from the US

You can also include activities that help you de-stress right before a lesson: e.g. "Close my eyes and take some deep breaths."

5. Be Kind To Yourself

If you've done the things above, you're on your way to ensuring classes go smoothly. So don't beat yourself up if something unpleasant happens out of the blue.

Remember, students have bad days too, so don't take it personally if they get upset.

Over time, I've learned that most students’ frustrations aren't aimed at me. People really put themselves out there by learning a new language, so they’ll sometimes get frustrated and take those frustrations out on you. As teachers, we just have to shoulder some of this and move on.

Tutor from the UK

And sometimes, students may open up to you about personal issues that you can't do anything about. Lend a listening ear, show your support, and maybe recommend they get some help, but don't blame yourself for not being able to do more.

A student of mine was going through family issues, and I always felt useless for not being able to help. But there wasn't anything I could do, so I just tried my best to show him my support.

Tutor from Romania

Finally, remember to treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you'd give your students. As this guide to self-kindness explains, "As teachers, we care for our students every day but often forget about caring for ourselves."

So if you're experiencing personal issues yourself, remember that it's normal to not be at the top of your game. Be satisfied you're doing your best for your students, and if you feel truly overwhelmed, take a day off. It's better to give yourself a break and come back refreshed.

👋 That’s It For Now!

We hope this post gave you some ideas for handling the stress of the job. What other ways do you cope with your stress? Let other tutors know by sharing your tips with TS!

Happy tutoring!