Chris Rush: English Tutor and Head of Teacher Training

Chris Rush began teaching ESL online in 2012, before it was as widespread as it is today. He has been working with Off2Class since 2017 and is now an integral part of the team, providing guidance and inspiration to other online ESL teachers via our online community and Youtube channel.

Discovering the potential of online ESL

Before becoming a qualified English teacher, Chris discovered an interest in tutoring while at college. “I had always enjoyed teaching informally,” he said. “After college, I started teaching guitar lessons for extra income.” In 2012, he qualified as an ESL teacher, taking a TEFL certification while in Costa Rica for a surf trip.

At the time, online teaching was not as ubiquitous as it is now, but Chris was interested in the potential of working online. “When I got home I decided to look into online ESL teaching,” he said. “I found a job with a European language school, and I’ve been teaching ESL ever since!”

Connecting teachers with Off2Class

Chris became interested in how ESL teachers could better support each other online. In 2016, he connected with Off2Class after commenting on a blog post, reflecting on the need for more community for online teachers. “One of the co-founders responded,” he said. “We started having informal conversations over Zoom every couple of months to share what we were working on.”

Soon Off2Class had grown large enough to make their first external hire, and they invited Chris to join the team. 

Back to the classroom

While Chris spends most of his time supporting customers and leading the Customer Support and Community team, he is also an active teacher. In June 2022, Off2Class partnered with Tulsa Public Schools to deliver a summer supplemental English Language Development program. Over a period of four weeks, three Off2Class tutors provided online tutoring to middle and high school refugee newcomers.

Chris played a key role in this project. “For the tutoring pilot program, I was first and foremost a tutor,” he said. “We worked with the coordinator to set the initial parameters and expectations, and then we met the students. There were a lot of unknowns going in: how many students would come?  How comfortable would they be with the technology?  How varied would their levels be?  Each day we chose a lesson from the Off2Class lesson library and worked through it together, mixing live, synchronous teaching with some self-study elements.”

The program was a success for both the students and the tutors. “These are newcomer students with a low level of English who were thrust into a public school,” Chris said. “The highlight of the tutoring program was seeing how engaged the students were.”

Chris is one of the fantastic English Tutors at Off2Class. Interested in learning more about how we support school districts and teachers of English Learners? Book a demo with our friendly sales team today.