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Who Can Teach English Online

Interested in Online Jobs? But Teaching English online isn’t for everyone.

You should be the kind of person who likes people of all ages. Most of the best online jobs of English teaching are with kids, but there are also some online jobs of teaching adults. If you’re not a people person, you’re going to deliver a poor class experience.

You should put in the effort to prepare and give a high-quality classroom experience. It’s also important that you care about your students’ progress, or at least pretend as you do.

If that describes you, then you’ll be a great fit for teaching English online and enjoy the benefits of online jobs.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about your other skills. Can non-native English speakers teach English online?
The answer is yes if you speak nearly fluent English.

However, it’s highly likely that you’ll earn less than native English speakers.

We have partnered with all the non-Chinese companies listed below and can help get you hired. Please take a look at which company suits you the most and submit your details at the bottom of the page.

NIL English

A small company based in South Korea that provides mostly conversational classes in 10-minute increments.

Students Kids and adults from 6-70 years

Requirements Native speaker from the USA or Canada. Bachelor’s degree (or working towards). TEFL certificate. Experience teaching children.

Pay $1.50 per 10 minutes ($9 per hour) rising to $2.50 per 10 minutes after a few months ($15 per hour)

To apply to NIL English click here

Cambly

Based in the US, Cambly provides one on one video classes and focuses on conversation practice. Students can talk for as long as they want in increments of 10 minutes.

Students Kids and adults from all over the world.

Requirements Native speaker from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. No previous experience, degree or TEFL required, though for teaching kids experience is preferred.

Pay Adults: $0.17 per minute ($10.20 per hour) Kids: $0.20 per minute ($12 per hour).

To apply to Cambly click here

Outschool

Looking for a change from teaching English? With Outschool you can create your own classes and teach whatever you like. Great for teachers with expertise or skills in niche areas.

Students Kids aged 3-18 from all over the world.

Requirements Teachers must be over 18 and from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the UK. No degree or teaching experience necessary. Background check required.

Pay Teachers create their own lessons, set their own rates, and get paid per student, not per class making it potentially very lucrative. Outschool take commission of 30%To apply to Outschool click here

Open English

The biggest online ESL company in Latin America. Open English provides lessons 24/7

Students Adult individual or group classes. One to one Junior classes with kids aged 8-14. Open English “centers” provides group classes in centres all over Latin America.

Requirements ESL professionals from North America with a TEFL and at least one years’ experience. Spanish or Portuguese language skills are a plus.

Pay Up to $15 per hour

To apply to Open English click here

Italki

Italki provides a platform for teachers to connect with students from around the world for one-to-one lessons.

Students Mostly adults

Requirements Native/ C2 level of English. An accredited 120-hour TEFL certificate OR a degree in Teaching English as a Foreign language, OR a national or state teaching licence OR proof of employment at an English language institution.

Pay Italki teachers can set their own rates starting at $10 per hour. Italki charge 15% commission.

To apply to Italki click here

Starkid

A relatively new start up, Starkid is based in Hong Kong, so not subject to the new Chinese regulations. Bookings are made by the company at least 24 hours in advance.

Students Kids from 4-12 years

Requirements Native speaker with a neutral accent from US, Canada, UK. Bachelor’s degree. TESOL/ TEFL certificate and teaching experience,

Pay $10 per 30 minutes plus bonuses up to $25 per hour

To apply to Starkid click here

Novakid

With offices all over the world, Novakid provides all lesson materials on its platform. Lessons last 25 minutes.

Students. Children aged 4-12 years from all over the world including Russia, Poland, Turkey, Germany, and Spain.

Requirements Native speaker from USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Near native speakers with BA degree or higher. Minimum one year teaching experience. Online experience is a plus

Pay $5-16 per hour

To apply with Novakid click here

Preply

Preply is a platform that teaches a range of languages to students from all over the world.

Students Mostly adults.

Requirements No degree, TEFL or teaching experience required.

Pay Teachers set their own rates but be aware that Preply take a sizable commission and you are in competition with a lot of other teachers so it’s important to price yourself competitively. The first (trial) lesson the company take 100% commission, so you are basically teaching for free. After that, commission is 33%, dropping to 18% the more you teach.

To apply to Preply click here

Online companies to work for with or without a degree.

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The best online English teaching jobs

Here are the best online jobs of English teaching. We’ve sorted them based on their requirements but you should still read through them to see if you qualify.

VIPKID – This is our top recommendation. Based in Beijing, Forbes ranked them the #1 work from home job in 2019 as they have paved the way for online teaching. You must be American or Canadian. You will earn a base pay of $14 – $18 per hour with opportunities for incentives that can raise your wage to as high as $22 per hour. They offer a flexible schedule with no minimum requirements.

Magic Ears – The students are Chinese kids ages 5-12 and the pay is $18-$26 per hour. Classes are 25 minutes and the curriculum is already prepared for you. There will be up to 4 students in each class. You must be from the USA or Canada and hold a Bachelor’s Degree and TEFL/TESOL certificate.

GoGoKid – This Beijing based company is very similar to VIPKID. Classes are 1-on-1 for 25 minutes with lessons provided by the company. You’ll teach Chinese students ages 5-12. The base pay is between $7-$10 per class with the opportunity to earn bonuses. You must be a native English speaker from the USA or Canada, have a Bachelor’s degree in anything, and a TEFL certificate.

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All native English speakers

DaDa (formerly DaDaABC) – Also based in China, the students are 5-16 years old. You’ll teach around 15 hours per week and earn up to $25 per hour. You must be a native English speaker from any English speaking country. They make the lesson plans, you simply teach them. Contracts are 12 months and you must give them your availability and commit to it for the duration of your contract.

SayABC – Owned by VIPKID, the SayABC platform was launched in 2018. They are also based in Beijing. The students are Chinese kids ages 5-12 years old. Classes are 40 minutes and have up to 4 students with lessons provided by the company. Their courses last for 3 months and you’ll teach the same students for that duration. Their curriculum was partly developed by National Geographic. Total pay including bonuses is $21 per class. You must be a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s degree (or in your final year of university) and a TEFL/TESOL certificate. 1 year of teaching experience is preferred but not required.

Whales English – The students are Chinese, 5-15 years old. Classes are 50 minutes with 2 – 3 students and lessons are provided by the company. The pay is $18-$26 per class with opportunities to get large bonuses. You must be a native English speaker from North America, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, or Australia with a Bachelor’s degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate (or willing to get one). You must also have availability to teach at least 8 hours during the peak times (7-9 pm Beijing time Monday – Friday, 9 am – 12 pm BJT Saturday & Sunday). I’ve read nothing but positive things in Facebook groups about this company. Everyone who teaches for them seems to love it.

ALO7 – This Shanghai-based company hires teachers from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. You must also have a Bachelor’s Degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate. The pay is between $15 – $22 per hour with many different incentives for extra pay. Classes are either 25 or 50 minutes. They have 1v1, 1v3, and group classes. The students are Chinese K-12. The lessons are provided.

EF (Education First) – Earn up to $16 per hour with one of the oldest and most respected brands in private language teaching. EF is one of the only US-based online teaching companies. You must live in the US or UK and use a hard-wired computer. You can make your own schedule and incorporate your own teaching style. A Bachelor’s degree and prior teaching experience are also required.

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Native and Non-Native English Speakers

iTutorGroup (TutorABC) – This Taiwan-based company hires teachers from all over the world. A TEFL/TESOL certificate and a Bachelor’s Degree are required. They offer classes 24/7 with provided lessons. Their students cover a wide age range from children to adults.

Online Teaching Sites That Do Not Require a Bachelor’s Degree

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North Americans Only

Qkids – They require at least an AA degree but a Bachelor’s degree is preferred. This company will hire people who are currently enrolled in a university, working towards a Bachelor’s degree. If you are not working towards a degree, you must have a plan to get a TEFL/TESOL certificate. You must be from, and be living in, America or Canada. You can earn up to $20 per hour. Lessons are provided by the company. They are based in China.

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All Native English Speakers

Cambly – This is one of the most well known online tutoring companies. You can set your own schedule and tutor both kids and adults from all over the world. This is a great company to add more hours to one of the Chinese companies. It’s easy to get started. Just sign up on their website and record a short video. The pay is $.17/minute, totaling $10.20 per hour. Don’t be surprised if you don’t hear back right away. I’ve heard it’s taken them upwards of 8 months to get back to some applicants. They are hiring on an as-needed basis but they will get in touch if you’re qualified…. eventually.

Hujiang – This is one of the larger online English teaching companies in China with students ranging from children to adults. You must be a native English speaker with a TEFL/TESOL certificate OR a Bachelor’s degree. Experience teaching children is also preferred. The starting salary is $16 – $20 for the K12 Kids program, with bonuses and salary increases available if teachers perform exceptionally well. The video classes are 25 minutes long and lesson materials are provided to use on their teaching platform. They have two different programs; the K12 program for kids and an adults program. Their website is all in Chinese so to apply you can email your resume to teach@hujiang.com.

Skimatalk – This company is based in Japan. It is a teacher marketplace. You make a profile and set your own pay rate. 20% of your pay goes to Skimatalk. You take home 80% of your earnings, minus PayPal fees. Students are from all over the world. You do not need a teaching certificate nor prior experience. You simply need to be passionate about helping students and reliable.

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Native and Non-Native English Speakers

PalFish – This is a mobile app that allows you to teach on your smartphone or tablet. You have the option to teach a provided curriculum to kids from 6-9 pm Beijing time or teach free talk lessons to adults whenever you’re available or both! You must be a native English teacher to teach the kids but the free talk teacher position is open to non-native English speakers. A TELF/TESOL is required. Pay is between $16-$20 per hour. The kids classes are 1-on-1 for 25 minutes.

Nicetalk – This is an app similar to PalFish. It’s meant to make it as easy as possible for Chinese English learners to connect to tutors so they can practice their speaking. Students can choose their tutor or request a random match and the company will choose a tutor based on ratings and other factors. You can work whenever you want. Pay is per minute with a full hour of tutoring earning you $10. You must have a fluent level of English. A TEFL/TESOL certificate is a big plus but not required.

italki – This is an online tutoring platform where adult students choose their teacher. You create a profile and set your own prices. It’s up to you to figure out how to rank at the top of the list of teachers. There are a couple of options within the platform as well as a few other tips and tricks to know. You must also create your own lesson plans but you can teach anything you want from business English and test prep to casual speaking practice.

Preply – This is an online platform similar to italki. You set your own hours, rates, and time zone. Then students search for teachers who meet their requirements. You can also teach other subjects or languages besides English. Your profile position is determined by four main factors: your availability, reviews from students who took lessons with you on Preply, the quality and detail of your tutor profile, your response time to requests and student messages. You create your own lesson plans but you can choose what areas of English you want to teach i.e. business English, IELTS prep, conversational, etc.

Amazing Talker – Similar to Preply and italki, you will make a profile, set your own rates, hours, and lesson plans. The company then matches tutors to students. Classes are 25 or 50 minutes with your own lesson materials. You can choose what ages you want to teach. The students are from all over the world. Class times are available 24/7. You must be a native English speaker or speak English fluently in order to apply. You can also teach your native language if you’re not a native English speaker. A teaching certificate such as TEFL or TESOL is a plus but not mandatory. Previous teaching experience is required.

Langu – Langu’s mission is to connect eager students to great teachers. You can teach English, Spanish, German, and several other languages. Their students are mostly in Europe. They classify their learning goals into three different categories: Life (for general learning and travel), Career (for work), and Education (for getting ready for exams and higher education). You can set your own price but the application states their currently looking for teachers to charge $15 per hour. Classes take place on their platform. You provide your own lesson plans and learning materials.

There are many companies to choose from. There are companies here that don’t require you to have a degree and you can also be a non-native speaker. After you have taken our online TEFL/TESOL course, we can refer you to any of the companies mentioned above.