Teach English Online with These Companies - Anywhere in the world

Teach English Online with These Companies

1. SayABC is one of the fastest growing online English teaching sites. Tutors teach up to four kids at a time. These are three-month renewable contracts offering highly competitive rates (earn up to $21 for a 40-minute class), innovative teacher materials developed with National Geographic and ongoing teacher support. You must be a native English speaker and have a bachelor’s degree in any subject (or final year college student). The need is immediate and these positions will fill fast! (Please include any mentoring, tutoring, coaching experience in the Teaching Experience section.

2. Qkids is one of the few English tutoring gigs that doesn’t require a degree. You simply have to be working to attain one as an enrolled university student. (Don’t worry. If you already have a degree, they want you too.) This opportunity is open to those in the U.S. and Canada. You must be able to commit to 6 hours per week. Paid training and all coursework are provided.

3. Cambly is looking for tutors to chat with students and help them learn English in an informal setting. Their students come from all around the world, and these sessions can be as informative for you as for your students – just think of all the little bits of culture and language you can learn along the way! They pay $0.17 per minute, which works out to $10.20 per hour taught. They pay through Paypal and you can set your own hours.

4. iTutor pays online English tutors between $16 and $25 per hour. They are open to tutors in the U.S., Canada and the UK. A degree is required. This is a quick hire in many cases with candidates being hired within 3 days of registration!

5. Continuum Education Services is a recruitment agency pairing English teachers and tutors with companies who need their services. CES says that all the companies they might place you with offer base pay and flexible schedules. You’re required to be a native English speaker, have TESOL/TEFL certification (or be willing to get certified in 90 days), and certain computer equipment including a headset and webcam.

6. Duolingo offers not just ESL tutoring but with a side of consulting. They are looking for the best of the best in language teachers and assessors.

7. eBerlitz has offices in 70 countries worldwide. Pay is reportedly around $14 per hour.

8. Englishunt is currently hiring more tutors for their virtual tutoring service directed at the Japanese market. They require their tutors to have ESL certification or teaching certification (in any subject). Their tutors only work part-time, on average about 8 to 12 hours each week. Since you’re tutoring Japanese students, the hours are between 4 AM and 7 AM EST (which are evening hours for your students). They pay $14.50 an hour and provide their own curriculum.

9. Global Mate New York targets South Koreans ages 19 to 50. Open to American tutors.

10. Ginseng English offers ESL tutoring for both general and business students. Masters degree preferred.

11. goFLUENT contracts business ESL teachers who can commit to 4 hours per day each weekday.

12. Golden Voice English has been popping on the job boards quite frequently lately. They offer tutors for Chinese students in grades 1 through 9. Both group and 1:1 classes are offered. They pay $20 CAD per hour.

13. Lingoda emphasizes that their lessons are like a traditional classroom course, just online – they hold their lessons through Skype (or their virtual classrooms). You choose how much you work, and their availability is wide open as they offer lessons 24 hours a day, every day. They say the salaries they offer vary based on experience, and salaries reportedly average between $10 to $11 hourly.

14. Pearson pays tutors $14 for 1:1 and $17 for group classes. Business English is their specialty.

15. Rosetta Stone is a well-known name in the language learning industry. They prefer tutors near their main learning hubs.

16. Rype was designed with busy students in mind. This is a US-based company. Pay is unclear though students are offered a 14-day free trial.

17. Twosigmas is looking for ESL tutors to teach 1-on-1 English lessons to children from all across China between the ages of 5 and 12. Reportedly, they’re looking for teachers with experience teaching English, experience to teach children, and a university degree in a relevant field (like Education or Linguistics). It looks like they’ll pay up to $20 an hour depending on your experience.

18. VIPKID is looking for those who want to have fun teaching English to kids all lesson plane and course material are provided applicant needs to be a resident of the US or Canada you also need a Bachelor’s degree and reliable computer and internet, Pay is $18 to $24 per hour with average earning of $2,000 per month,)

Voxy pays up to $18 an hour to native English-speaking tutors. A degree or TESL certificate is required.

Western Wise offers to tutor children ages 5 to 14. Pay is $15 to $22 per hour. Prefer a language degree, TEFL/CELTA certificate or 3 years experience. The company also asks for a 1-year commitment.

If you’d like to increase your value and hireability as an English tutor, you can work on getting ESL certified. There are various types and pathways to certification, and sites like ESLteacherEDU.org offer resources to guide you.

Online ESL Jobs: Your Questions Answered

Are opportunities available in time zones other than China’s?

While online ESL jobs can work out great for those on the East Coast looking to work those fringe hours before going to their day job or kids waking up, they can be a little too early for those in Pacific time zone.

If you aren’t sure how Beijing time relates to the U.S., here is a sample of the schedule available at Qkids:

• 7 days a week – Morning Eastern Time (AM – EST): 6:40-7:10, 7:20-7:50, 8:00-8:30, 8:40-9:10
• Plus Friday and Saturday – Night Eastern Time (PM – EST): 8:40-9:10, 9:20-9:50, 10:00-10:30, 10:40-11:10, 11:20-11:50
• Additional summertime slots: (June 24th – August 30th EST) Sunday – Thursday (PM-EST): 8:40-9:10, 9:20-9:50, 10:00-10:30, 10:40-11:10, 11:20-11:50

As you can see, those weekday hours would be 3:40 – 6:10 am for those on the West Coast. Okay for some. Not so much for many. But, you do have some options.

• Cambly is one site that tutors students from around the world.
• SayABC, at the time of writing this post, had availability in the weekday evenings (6-9pm EST) and time slots on Saturday and Sunday.
• Rosetta Stone hires part-time tutors to work 10-12 hours per week during the hours of 6-11am EST weekdays and weekends.
• goFLUENT has clients worldwide allowing for a more flexible schedule to those here in the U.S.

What is the Pay Really Like?

Most sites provide you with a range of pay. Ex. $16 to $22 per hour. The lower number is often the base rate for a full hour worked – some sites offer 30, 40 or 45-minute class blocks – the higher number is with bonuses and incentives tied to working a specific number of hours each week or month. Many sites also offer bonuses around holidays or for picking up dropped shifts on short notice.

Do I Really Need a Degree?

Yes and no. In general, the requirements for being an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor revolve around being a native English speaker who is personable, interesting and has great presentation skills. You don’t need a teaching degree in most cases. Most sites are looking for a bachelor’s degree in any subject. Many of these same sites will accept latter year college students who don’t yet have that degree but are working towards it. There will be a few that may require you to have ESL certification or a teaching certificate in a related field.

There are a few sites who “prefer” a degree though it may not be required:

• Tutlo
• NiceTalk
• Palfish

While these companies may not require a degree, the pay rate reflects that. In most cases, you will be paid only around $10 per hour.

Do I Need to Speak a Second Language?

No. The vast majority of these positions do not require you to speak any languages other than English. You need to speak it natively.

Does “Teaching Experience” Need to be Formal Classroom Teaching?

In most cases, no. Many sites are willing to accept tutoring, mentoring or even coaching in lieu of formal classroom teaching experience. Make sure you include these things in your application.

Do I Have to Create the Teaching Material?

In most cases, no. Most sites will have the teaching materials already prepared for you and ready to go.

What’s the Application and Interview Process Typically Like?

Most sites will have you submit an online application that includes your credentials (i.e. your education and experience). A few, such as Qkids, will ask that you also submit a short 2-minute video at that time of yourself telling a story or reading a children’s book. This is just to show your command of the English language and personality. These sites look for animated, enthusiastic individuals who can really make learning fun and connect with these students.

Once selected, you will usually need to do a video interview with a recruiter. This is standard procedure among most work-at-home jobs today. These interviews typically involve a few questions and may ask you to do a little mock teaching. Practice! And have fun! With some companies, how well you do in your mock session may determine your pay rate. Take it seriously.

Once hired, you will have some training time and mock classroom time before you can start picking up shifts.

To increase your chance of success with online tutoring be sure you are using a high-speed internet connection and that your computer is working well.  Make any required and recommended system updates prior to your interview.  A stable internet connection is vital to your success when working online.

Companies looking to hire tutors who speak clearly and enthusiastically. Gesturing and using facial expressions to help convey your message is strongly encouraged.  Practice in front of a mirror if necessary. As you get comfortable with video tutoring and your students, this will start to come naturally.

Are Online ESL Jobs a Good Option for Remote Workers?

I have so many members of my community that have been working these gigs this past year or so as the industry has gained popularity. Most of them love the job, the flexibility and the pay. It’s truly an option for those of you who are teachers at heart even if you don’t have the teaching degree. Working with these students can be fulfilling and satisfying.

One complaint we hear quite frequently from the companies doing the hiring, however, is people not taking it seriously or being committed. They go through the application process. Go through the training. Then, never pick up a shift. Or, worse yet, pick up shifts and never show up.

That lack of commitment is what puts all of our remote jobs at risk. And it happens in every industry. Not being committed, not appreciating the expense that goes into onboarding and training someone, not showing up to cover the shifts you’ve committed to are all things that drive telecommuting positions back in-house.

It’s our shared responsibility to prove employers wrong who think we can’t be trusted or aren’t committed or responsible enough to work remotely. Leave the work-at-home world a little better than you found it for the benefit of everyone.

Is Teaching English Online for You?

The pay is usually well above minimum wage and because tutors can work from home, transportation costs and child care costs are usually not an issue.  The job can be done from anywhere with a good internet connection, making it an ideal occupation for travelers.  The tutoring is often quite rewarding as well.  Assisting another in learning a useful skill and watching them develop that skill is a very satisfying thing to do.  The students are generally enthusiastic and well behaved.

While not for everyone, teaching English online can be a lucrative and rewarding occupation and anyone with the necessary skills and education may seriously want to consider it as an option.