So, you’ve been a successful investment banker all your life but find yourself out of a job? Or an accountant of an apparently successful firm who’s just been handed the pink slip? Now, poring over your checkbooks and online accounts you are groaning inwardly about how you are going to pay off your bills, mortgage, escalating school fees.

With no job in sight and a staggering mountain-load of bills and debts have you considered teaching as a possible career option? The ongoing recession has forced many career paths to change as more and more professionals are going about re-designing their careers. Teaching is considered relatively recession-proof compared to other professions. And yet everybody may not like to be a teacher. Not everybody is likely to find the transition from the boardroom to the classroom sans hassles. Not every investment banker who thrives on preparing analyses in collaborative teams and assisting in financial due diligence, recording, and the integration of strategic investments and acquisitions is likely to be excited by the prospect of addressing the elementary queries of a band of eager-looking novices. A professional degree in management and finance does not necessarily qualify its possessor to become an expert conventional teacher of Mathematics, Economic or related subjects.

So, if you don’t wish to teach in the traditional ‘talk and chalk’ manner there are still some options open to you. You can still become a really effective teacher without having to deliver vociferous instructions to a group of teens wondering if they are falling asleep half way through your lecture. You can go online and find students who are actually interested in the depth and extent of your knowledge. In fact, you’ll be surprised at how responsive this young population is.

One of the firsts of online teaching is a good broadband service. Depending on what it is that you wish to teach, you would need to go with a service provider that allows you to use video conferencing and audio technologies effectively. In addition, you will also have to ensure that your pupils at the other end have superior technology at their disposal. One way of getting around this conundrum is by contacting tutoring sites equipped with the requisite software.

Building a rapport with your student(s) is the next step. Now, this is can turn out to be a real minefield as neither party can see one another. Breaking the ice can be something of a challenge requiring more time and effort compared to face-to-face interactions. Some teachers prefer to do this over the phone. This makes the student feel at ease; after all, the next best thing to an in-person interface is hearing your instructor’s voice over the wires, reassuring you and establishing a comfort zone (or not at all).

Certain subjects require more video interaction than others being demonstrative in nature. If you are teaching a language, for instance, you would need to demonstrate how certain alphabets are pronounced first hand.

It all depends on you interest, time, and inclination.