The Sad Story.
Have you lost your job in the last four years? Have you been made redundant from a company you worked hard for? Have you not had an employment contract renewed? If you haven't, then the chances are that you know someone who has.
The effects and fallouts of the world wide recession are well documented.
Long standing companies have either gone into liquidation or had to layoff thousands of their employees.
Everyday we read in the newspapers or watch on TV as another company has had to shed more of it's workers in order to try to survive.
Millions of jobs have been lost throughout the world and many well established companies have fallen.
Unemployment rates have hit their highest levels for over 30 years and although economists talk of a recovery, it is generally agreed that this will take a long time and will not happen overnight.
Competition for employment has become fierce and even the most experienced of people are struggling to find work, whilst losing sleep worried about meeting their next mortgage repayment.
Those lucky enough to find work either has to travel a lot further from their home, take dramatic pay cuts or even accept part-time roles in an attempt to pay those impending bills.
What Can I Do? There are a number of options available to you.
You may be able to find another job with another company, work hard and pray that you are not laid-off again in a few years time.
You could re-train and start a new career in a completely different field.
You may even be in a fortunate position where you are able to take "timeout" and travel.
However, there is another way which allows you to generate income, whilst utilising your experience and current skill-set, without incurring travel costs.
You are able to do this from home, set your own hours and even if you are currently employed, can run parallel with your existing job.
One solution is to teach what "you know", by teaching online, using standard Instant Messaging (IM) Tools, such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, OoVoo, or MSN (Windows Live Messenger).
Can I Teach Online? Yes, the short answer is that 90% of people can teach online.
You do not necessarily have to have formal qualifications or be a 'certified' teacher.
Take a moment to consider your previous work life.
Perhaps, you were an accountant, IT professional, factory worker or shop assistant.
What skills and knowledge do you have, which used to serve you within the workplace? It is likely, that you also have other experience and skills that were outside of your daily working routine.
Consider your hobbies.
Can you play a musical instrument, speak another language, bake a cake or make greeting cards? Many people have a specialised knowledge, that other people are interested in learning.
There are a number of benefits to teaching online:-

• Comfort.
  You can work from the comfort of your home.
  
• Convenience.
  You can set the hours which are convenient for you to teach.
  
• Income.
  You can gain additional income teaching something you enjoy.
  
• Global.
  There are over 2 Billion internet users, so big opportunities to teach students from any country.
  
• Security.
  Potentially you could have a large number of students and therefore no longer need to solely rely on a traditional job or company, which could make you redundant in the future.
  

How do I Teach Online? At first glance this may seem complicated, but this is actually very simple.
If you wish to teach online, there are five things that you need.

• Access to the Internet.
  You already probably have your own existing internet connection.
  If you do not, you may be ableto access the internet from the many cyber-cafes that operate in most cities and surrounding areas.
  You need internet access in order to teach your lessons online and communicate with your students.
  
• Use of an "IM Tool" (Instant Message Tool), such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, OoVoo, or MSN (Windows Live Messenger)!.
  These are all free to download, register an account and use.
  You need this in order to create your "virtual classroom".
  
• A pair of standard headphones, earphone/mic combination or headset.
  You need this in order to verbally communicate with your students.
  These are inexpensive to purchase, if you do not currently own one.
  
• Webcam.
  Again, these are inexpensive to buy and are necessary, so that you are able to visually communicate with your students.
  
• Website Platform which enables you to manage bookings and financial transactions, as well as list your lessons to potential students.
  

What Do I Do Next? Although we have explored the opportunity and advantages that teaching online provides, as a potential solution to overcoming redundancy, recession and the uncertainties surrounding the current employment market, there are further aspects requiring consideration.

• How could I list lessons online and become an online teacher?
• How do I advertise lessons online?
• How do students find and book my lessons?
• What happens if a booking is cancelled?
• How does it work financially?

Understandably, this can be a concern for many people.
Fortunately, there are services which provide a very simple solution to these potentially complex issues.