Did you know that you could get paid paid just for your ability to speak English? English is the world’s mostly used language for fundamental communication and business, and a lot of people, especially non-native speakers, would pay a fortune to learn the language. With the pandemic taking jobs and everything online (education not being an exception), there has never been a better time to consider teaching English online as a lucrative work-at-home opportunity.
In this post, I have listed 10 of the best sites where you can find online teaching jobs that will earn you a decent living working from the comfort of your home.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Online teaching involves interacting with students in real time over the internet. There are a number of teaching platforms out there that connect students and teachers all over the world at the click of a button.
Some teaching platforms require you to work one-on-one with the students or take small groups at a time, e.g 4 students per session. Depending on the teaching platform that you use, students can be either adults or children, but the majority of them are from non-native English-speaking countries like Japan, China, Korea, the Netherlands, and Germany.
As a result, you and your students will probably be operating from different time zones and you may have to take classes at odd hours. The best thing about these platforms though is that, unlike a regular job, you are not forced to stick to a set schedule of work hours.
Instead, since you get paid according to the number of classes you teach, you can choose to work as much or as little as you want.
DO I NEED TO BE A QUALIFIED TEACHER?
Not necessarily. It depends on the teaching platform. Some platforms require you to have at least a Bachelor’s degree, for others, a TEFL certificate is enough, and others will let you teach without any qualification, just a demonstrated English proficiency.
DO I NEED TO BE A NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER?
It definitely helps to be a native speaker, especially from the United States and Canada. However, many of the platforms also hire non-native speakers, as long as you can demonstrate that you can speak English and that you are willing to teach it.
DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK CHINESE, JAPANESE, ETC?
No. You do not have to speak or understand the student’s native language. All lessons are conducted in English and most of the students already speak and understand basic English anyway.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?
- A decent laptop or personal computer.
- A high-quality webcam, headset, and microphone.
- A fast Internet connection and reliable electricity supply.
- A quiet environment.
- Enjoy talking or chatting with people as most of the lessons are just basic conversations about random everyday things.
HOW MUCH WILL I MAKE?
Online English teaching jobs will typically pay you $10-$40 per hour.
1. Magic Ears
Qualification: Bachelor’s degree or enrolled in one
Eligible Countries: USA and Canada
Student Base: Children 4-12
Pay Rate: $16-$26 per hour
Magic Ears is a well-known English teaching platform for Chinese students aged 4 to 12 that only accepts applications from American and Canadian teachers.
The student-to-teacher ratio in Magic Ears’ classes is 1:4 and lesson planning is not necessary as you will be given a curriculum.
Their pay rate is one the most competitive in the industry. Depending on their experience and credentials, teachers on Magic Ears can earn between $16 and $26 per hour.
2. iTalki
Qualification: None for community teachers, TEFL certificate for professional teachers
Eligible Countries: Worldwide
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: Set your own rates
iTalki is an online teaching platform that not only teaches English, but also hires teachers from all around the world to teach other languages like Japanese, Spanish, and French.
The great thing about this platform is that you can teach as many languages as you like.
On iTalki, there are two different kinds of teachers: Community and Professional. Community teachers only need to be articulate, pleasant, and supportive while professional teachers must have credentials and experience. You can only choose to be one teacher type for all the languages that you teach.
As a teacher on iTalki, you set your own rates and hours. However, the minimum you can charge as a community or professional teacher is $5 and $10 respectively.
To get started, you must submit your personal details along with a video introduction that demonstrates your teaching approach.
3. Preply
Qualification: None
Eligible Countries: Worldwide
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: Set your own rates
Preply employs tutors from all over the world to teach a variety of disciplines, including university-level coursework and languages (such as English, German, French, and Spanish). You are entirely free to teach any subject(s) you like.
This platform is unquestionably one of the best for matching teachers with students, and students can either be children or adults. You can either have one-on-one classes or teach in small groups. . Additionally, you are free to set your own prices. It is however advisable to start with lower rates until you form a stable clientele.
The best feature of Preply is that anyone can sign up to be a tutor because there are no prerequisites in terms of education or experience. Start earning by simply sharing your knowledge. With this company, you can create your own timetable based on your availability and teach as many hours as you’d like.
To apply, you only need to complete the online application form with your basic information and upload a video introduction showcasing your personality and teaching skills.
Preply tutors make an hourly wage of $15-25, with a weekly average of $550, and are paid via PayPal, Skrill, and Payoneer.
4. VIPKid
Qualification: Bachelor’s degree
Eligible Countries: USA and Canada
Student Base: Children 8-14 years old
Pay Rate: $14–22 per hour
With over a million students using its website, VIPKid is a well-known English tutoring platform. The platform only hires qualified teachers from the United States and Canada to teach children in China.
You must be able to sign a 6-month contract and have at least a bachelor’s degree in any field to be eligible to apply. A one-on-one education approach is used and you set your own schedule to work whenever you have free time.
As a VIPKid teacher, you don’t need to plan lessons as you will be provided with a curriculum, and all you have to do is show up and teach.
VIPKid pays its teachers $14–22 per hour and pays monthly via bank transfer.
5. Cambly
Qualification: None
Eligible Countries: Worldwide
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: $10-$12 per hour
Cambly literally pays you to chat with people over the world. The company employs a casual teaching model, where you can just log in and chat with your students one-on-one about anything.
The platform is perfect for beginner tutors as no experience or qualifications are required. If you lack a laptop or PC, that should not deter you either, as you can download the Cambly app and teach using your smartphone.
Students can either be kids or adults and you get paid $10,20 per hour for teaching adults and $12 per hour for the kids. Payment is made every Monday via PayPal.
6. SkimaTalk
Qualification: None required but preferred
Eligible Countries: United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand.
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: Set your own rates
SkimaTalk is a Teach English Online platform that hires native English speakers to teach Japanese children and adults.
The company hires teachers from the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. Although not required, it would be preferable to have a teaching license or other credentials. You are, however, required to be committed, passionate, and professional.
As a SkimaTalk teacher, you choose your own hourly rate, so you’ll need to promote yourself to draw in new clients. The easiest method to accomplish this is to be active on the platform and receive outstanding evaluations from your pupils.
7. StarKid
Qualification: TEFL Certificate
Eligible Countries: USA and UK
Student Base: Children 4-12 years old
Pay Rate: $20-$25 per hour
StarKid is a Hong Kong-based company seeking native speakers from the United States and the United Kingdom to teach English to kids between the ages of 4 and 12.
As a tutor, you will be provided with teaching material that the company creates in accordance with the Cambridge International English Curriculum, but you are free to set your own teaching schedule based on your availability. The company employs a one-on-one teaching model.
In order to be eligible to apply, you must possess a TEFL certificate. StarKid teachers are paid handsomely, with rates ranging from $20-$25 per hour.
8. TutorABC
Qualification: TEFL Certificate or equivalent
Eligible Countries: Worldwide
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: Discussed during the interview
Another Teach English Online platform that is hiring is TutorABC. The company is looking for qualified teachers all over the world to teach children and adult professionals in Asia.
To apply, you need a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate or equivalent. You are also required to have a minimum of 1 year of online or offline teaching experience.
Payment is location-based and will be discussed during the interview process.
9. QKids
Qualification: TEFL Certificate or equivalent
Eligible Countries: USA and Canada
Student Base: Children 6-12 years old
Pay Rate: $8 per 30 minutes
QKids is yet another Teach English Online platform worth considering. The platform employs highly qualified teachers from the United States and Canada to teach Chinese children 6 to 12 years old.
You must have a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license such as a TEFL in order to apply, and the application process is quite rigorous, with various screening stages.
Lesson material is provided and you will teach 1 to 4 students per session. The pay rate is fairly reasonable, at $8 for a 30-minute lesson, and teachers are paid via bank transfer.
10. VerbalPlanet
Qualification: None
Eligible Countries: Worldwide
Student Base: Children and Adults
Pay Rate: Set your own rates
Last but not least on our list is VerbalPlanet, a languages platform similar to iTalki, that pays you to teach any language to students in any part of the world who are interested in learning a foreign language.
To begin teaching on this platform, all you have to do is sign up with your email address and create a compelling profile showcasing the language(s) that you intend to teach. Once the company approves your profile, you can begin teaching right away
You will be responsible for coming up with your own lesson plans and fees. To draw in more students, it is generally advisable to start with lower prices.
CONCLUSION
This post lists the 10 best websites that offer English online teaching jobs. If you are a fluent English speaker looking for work-at-home jobs, this can be a good opportunity to make some good money online.
Most of these companies require you to be an English native speaker and possess some form of teaching qualification like a bachelor’s degree or a TEFL certificate, but there are a few select which will take non-native speakers and people without qualifications.
Although teaching English online is one of the most lucrative work-at-home jobs, it can be quite exclusive due to the requirements. This blog’s objective is to meet readers where they are on their road toward financial freedom and assist them in establishing reliable sources of income with the least amount of effort, qualification, and expense possible.
Here are a few of the articles I wrote that can help you make money online without any qualifications.
Read More:
- 25 No-Degree Online Jobs
- How to make money with blogging: Top 5 Ways
- Side Hustle Ideas to Make $100 a Day at Home
- 18 Creative Side Hustle Ideas to Try at Home
- 27 Work from Home Jobs that Pay Weekly
