TEFL & ESL jobs to teach English online

Online schools for English teachers

The best ESL companies for online job

For teachers who are confident in their abilities and have an excellent powerful resume, there is an opportunity to find employment in a number of well-known organizations.

List of the well-known companies

Let's look at the best sites for teachers in more detail.

VIPKID

VIPKID is the most popular of the online teaching companies. It appeared on the market in 2013 and has been developing rapidly since then.

Basic requirements: Bachelor's degree, a citizen of the United States or Canada (or having the right to work in these countries), 1 year of teaching experience. After hiring, you will have to sign a six-month contract.

The hiring process involves conducting a demo lesson that determines your base rate (from $7 to $9 for 25-minute class).

VIPKID is a platform focused on providing English lessons to Chinese children aged 4 to 12 years. You do not need to additionally prepare for lessons and make plans, because the curriculum already exists. The duration of the lesson in VIPKID is 30 minutes. Teachers can earn between $15 and $22 an hour, making it one of the highest paid online learning platforms. You can get bonuses, here are some of them: teachers get $1 for each class they come to on time, another $1 per class if you conduct more than 45 lessons per month, up to $100 for a successful teacher referral, holiday and seasonal benefits, a referral bonus of $50-60.

DadaABC

DaDa is one of the highest paid online teaching companies based in Shanghai.

Teachers from all over the world can apply for a position in this company if they are fluent in English. There are also several other requirements: a bachelor's degree, a TEFL certificate, a clean criminal background check, previous teaching experience of 1-2 years.

Depending on their TPR (Total Physical Response) scores at the interview, DaDa teachers earn between $15 and $25 per hour. The salary amount is reviewed only after 12 months.

You will need to devote at least 2 hours to training for 2 days a week. You can make your own schedule, this must be done six months in advance. In order to make changes to the schedule, you need to notify the company 30 days in advance.

If the student is absent from the lesson and your waiting time exceeds 30 minutes, you will still receive half of the payment for this period.

iTutorGroup

Requirements for iTutorGroup teachers: Bachelor's degree, TESOL certificate or equivalent.

iTutorGroup teachers are paid $18-24 per hour for teaching Taiwanese children and adults, and are also given the opportunity to earn bonuses depending on the number of students in their class and the grades assigned by students in their reviews in the online class.

Teachers must teach at least 10 hours of peak workload per week, four hours of them must be on weekends.

Italki

At Italki, you set a payment rate that depends on your professional experience, education, student reviews and how much others charge for teaching online. Professional teachers charge about $25 an hour, while local mentors charge about $12 an hour. Italki charge 15% commission for completed lessons.

You will be responsible for the lesson and the English language platform (Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts).

Basic requirements: you must be a native speaker to be considered a professional teacher; in order to earn more, you need to provide certificates.

The difference from other companies is that you need to make a lesson plan yourself.

Online English teaching sites

Online platforms for teaching English

An online platform is a form of distance learning that includes your schedule, communication with the teacher, homework, tests, and so on.

Cambly

Cambly is a platform that is mainly focused on the practice of spoken English. Unlike many of the platforms on this list, teachers using Cambly regularly work with students from all over the world, not just from China.

Basic requirements of Cambly: teachers who speak English fluently, no teaching experience is needed.

Earnings are calculated on a per-minute basis: $0.17 per minute ($10.20 per hour) on Cambly and $0.20 per minute ($12 per hour) on Cambly Kids.

You don't need to prepare and plan lessons, and you don't need to check homework.

You can start classes at any time of the day, depending on your schedule.

ZebraEnglish

ZebraEnglish is a popular platform for teaching English in China.

Basic requirements: teachers who are fluent in English, who are legally allowed to work in the United States or Canada.

You will teach English to Chinese students aged 3 to 8 years. The salary at the same time is from 16 to 26 dollars per hour.

You can attend a free seminar and take part in a referral program that offers $100 for all recommended teachers who will be hired.

Magic Ears

Magic Ears is based in China and is a state-of-the-art training program and a convenient platform that makes learning fun.

Basic requirements: teachers who are fluent in English with a bachelor's degree or university students, no prior teaching experience is required. Candidates for the position are accepted from the countries of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia.

After hiring, you must conclude a six-month contract (probationary period) with the possibility of extension after consideration by the company.

You will teach language to students from 4 to 12 years old online and earn up to $26 per hour. The lessons last 25 minutes.

The lesson plans are made for you by Magic Ears.

You have the right to cancel classes up to four times a month for free.

Palfish

Palfish is a phone app that helps young Chinese students learn English.

Basic requirements for teachers: native English speaker, degree, TEFL certificate, passport of the USA / Canada / Great Britain / Ireland / Australia. You must have a Payoneer account or a bank account in China.

The training materials are prepared in advance, and teachers can set their own rates.

Teachers conduct individual classes through the app lasting 25 minutes. First, you will teach potential students trial lessons. If they like your lesson, they will continue to study with you and buy a package of classes. How much you earn on Palfish directly depends on the effort you put into your trial lessons, and on how well you promote yourself on the Palfish application platform. The salary is from $14 to $22 per hour. You are not paid for planning lessons, checking homework and evaluating students.

You can create your own schedule. There are peak teaching hours that correlate with the time zone of your Chinese students – this is the best time to attract students to yourself.

SkimaTalk

This online platform lets ESL teachers work with different types of students from Japan. Such factors as your Prole, specialization, and preferences will influence students' choice.

There is the only requirement for ESL teachers: to be a native English speaker. The more active you are on the platform, the more students you may attract. Depending on your experience and knowledge, you may teach kids, teenagers, and adults. Furthermore, having a sufficient qualification in Business English you will draw attention of professionals from international companies. There is a shortcut to advertise yourself successfully on the platfom: collecting students' reviews.

Despite the fact that SkimaTalk requires neither international certificates nor even a major, it's better to have something of them under your belt. The company hires tutors from such countries as: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. So, if you want to stand out from the crowd, have an ace up your sleeve.

StarKid

One of the famous companies in Hong Kong provides teaching Chinese young learners. Online individual classes with students from 4 to 12 years old last 30 minutes.

Basic requirements: to be a native English speaker from the US or the UK having TEFL certification.

Hiring process is quite selective, but it's worth it. The good news is there is no minimum of working hours. Also, in comparison with similar companies in Asia, there are decent work conditions. Teachers are provided with all necessary materials and carriculum, which is based on Cambridge English system. However, even having a flexible schedule you should stick to some peak slots; that's a wish of school.

Protostar

This American company is quite popular not only in Europe, bur also in China. A typical contract lasts 12 months and allows to have the same schedule each week. So, the company excludes any unexpectable events while you are working.

Basic requirements:

• a native English speaker;
• TEFL certificate;
• a bachelor's degree;
• 1 year of expereince in teaching.

Education system in Protostar is based on Western standards. So, you will be in charge of conducting engaging and effective online lessons. In addition, there is a chance to increase a payment from $15 to $22 per 40 minutes.

LatinHire

It is a recruiting company, which hires ESL tutors around the world and matches them with suitable online schools. That is why such factors as salary and types of students depend on your workplace.

Basic requirements are special: you should have either TEFL certification or a major, and speak Spanish or Portuguese — at least to have a basic level.

Despite that payment isn't high ($7-13/hour), there are many applicants to work, especially non-degree holders. It is a fast and reliable way to land a job and get international practice.

Pros and cons of online English teaching

Advantages

1. Flexible working hours. Online job allows you to fully control your schedule and adjust it to yourself. In addition, you do not need to spend time on a long journey to your place of work, which helps to use this time for personal needs.
2. Good earning potential If you work hard, you can earn good money if you teach English on the Internet. This applies not only to experienced teachers, but also to novice teachers. Also, if you constantly develop, specialize and constantly improve your skills and qualifications, then you will increase your value in the online teacher market.
3. This is a great way to get started in TEFL. If you dream of teaching language abroad, but are not yet sure of your teaching abilities, then online learning is a great alternative option to start. It is also a valuable experience that will be positively evaluated when applying for a job abroad.
4. No costs. You don't need expensive equipment to get started. Usually all these things are already available at home: a computer, a webcam, a headset. You will also save on travel to work and buying lunches in a cafe during a break.
5. You decide when you will go on vacation. If you want, you can teach English right on the trip, taking only a laptop with you and having Internet access.

Disadvantages

1. Variable income. In one month you can earn a lot of money, in another: a living wage. It's not terrible, the main thing is to learn how to save money in good times, so as not to live from paycheck to paycheck.
2. Loneliness. You need to leave the house regularly so as not to feel locked up and not see people who are not on the screen in front of you.
3. Stay healthy. Working from home automatically reduces your physical activity than if you spent energy on the way to and from work every day. Therefore, make it a habit to do exercises in the morning and include warm-ups during breaks in work. And in the evenings, go for a walk outside to get some fresh air.
4. The danger is always to work. Do not forget about the balance between work and personal life. You do not need to work constantly, because you should have free time. Make a daily routine to avoid this.
5. Start up slowly. It takes time to accumulate a database of students. Do not give up at the very beginning, hoping that all the students will come running to you. Exhale and work calmly, your student will find you in any case.
6. Technical problems. Failures in the operation of the Internet, headset, computer are inevitable. Therefore, to avoid the costs of fines for missed lessons, take care of high-speed Internet, a high-quality headset. This way you minimize the risk.
7. Unreliable students.There are students who cancel classes at the last minute, and you may not get a penny for your wasted time. There are some platforms that adhere to this policy, and there are those who can compensate you partially or pay the full cost.
8. We work late/early. Given that most of the students are from China, you will have to work either very early or very late, depending on where you are.

Conclusion

Online English language training is a good way to earn a basic income or get additional earnings for your main job. Working online you will get many advantages: your schedule will be flexible, you will be able to work wherever there is Wi-Fi, and you will be able to meet students from all over the world.

It is known that by 2025, the online language learning market will grow to impressive figures - $10.5 billion. This is due to the fact that the total number of speakers and learners of English is more than two billion today. And these figures are growing every year. And it is also important that the number of active Internet users is 4.66 billion people.

As more and more people learn English and more and more people connect to the Internet, the online language learning market is booming. There are so many opportunities for growth and innovation in the industry that now is the most interesting time to get started!

If you decide to engage in online teaching and there are not enough courses and a TEFL/TESOL certificate in your resume, then we suggest following the link and purchasing online courses at a favorable price. The discount at the time of the promotion is 50%!