If you are really good at spoken and written English, then you might want to consider becoming an English teacher online right in the comfort of your home or while you travel the world, just as long as you have a laptop and a stable internet connection.
Teaching adults and children English online is a good source of income or a good side hustle.
You can start doing this part-time to test how good you are first.
If this freelance work pays well for you based on your lifestyle, then this could become a full-time thing.
Newbie online teachers can easily earn $15 per hour.
Seasoned online teachers earn a whopping $100 per hour! And that is simply amazing!
So do you want to venture into this career as an online English Teacher?
We created this guide to help you get started — from the tools you need to websites or platforms where you can get your students and get paid.
Teaching English online has become more popular nowadays.
We know a lot of people who resigned from their 8-hour jobs to become an independent online English teacher.
Students from all walks of life and any nationality just love the idea of learning English online because it is more convenient for them and more affordable too.
Before we start dreaming of that fat paycheck, let’s start working on getting you ready for this freelance work.
To begin with, most web-based online teaching schools that hire online English teachers set these requirements for applicants and these include a TEFL Certificate or Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate (we’ll discuss this further in this article), a laptop and a headset, a good internet connection, and excellence in spoken and written English.
Having a degree is not really a requirement nor a teaching experience.
You don’t have to be a native speaker as well to be able to be one, but it could help you get higher pay.
Talk about higher pay, you can be guaranteed this if you have a TEFL Certificate.
It is one of the main requirements most companies will require from you as we have mentioned earlier.
It is a certificate you will need to accomplish Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
You can complete a TEFL course online for 120 hours.
You must complete this for you to receive a TEFL Certificate.
You also need this if you want to get hired by some of the best online companies and platforms.
One important thing you must know is that you can still become an English teacher online even without experience, with no degree, but your initial pay rate will be lower as compared with seasoned online teachers.
Don’t be discouraged.
Your rate will increase through the experience you will gain along the way.
As a beginner in this field, you must focus on finding the right company that accepts online teachers with zero or little experience.
This is where you can get the chance to demonstrate your teaching abilities and hone them further in the process.
Most online teaching schools will also provide you with teaching materials.
Just show up on time and teach.
Though teaching materials are generally provided and you don’t need to painstakingly create them from scratch, you have the freedom to be a little resourceful if you want to have your own style of teaching, something that will set you apart from the rest of the online teachers.
Your own style is your own identity.
We know of one bubbly teacher with a very happy attitude, her laughter is so contagious, which made her very popular among teenage students online and it led to many recommendations.
Online enrollees just keep on asking for her to be their online teacher.
It is important, by the way, early on to decide if you want to teach adults or kids or both.
Once you have prepared all the requirements you need to become an online English teacher, prepare yourself for a demo class.
A demo class is a test class where online schools evaluate and assess your teaching skills.
This is also how they decide on your hourly rate, so better prepare well for this part of the hiring process.
You can check some videos about demo classes on YouTube.
Now we arrive at the fat paycheck part.
How much does an online English teacher earn?
As we have mentioned earlier, this will greatly depend on how you performed in your demo class and if you have a TEFL certificate, a degree and valuable experience in teaching.
Your pay rate is pegged at $18 per hour and may increase up to $27 plus performance bonuses.
If you have no degree and with zero or a bit of experience in teaching, your initial rate will be lower as expected, but you will surely get a raise over time and even bonuses if you perform well in all your classes and show a steady improvement.
If you take this career seriously as an online English teacher, you can command a higher pay in no time.
Hard work and dedication always pay off.
Assuming you are now ready to take on the challenge of being an online English teacher and enjoy the flexibility and freedom to interact with international students from around the world who want to learn English, all while working from home, the standing question is, where can you apply?
Here are some of the best online English sites/platforms that hire online English teachers worldwide.
1. English First
Just go to their website and hit the “Apply” button, fill out the form, hit submit and expect an email from them.
The email contains the next steps you need to follow throughout the application process.
2. LearnLight
This online teaching school offers global language training for students of all nationalities including English.
Visit the career page on their website and hit the Virtual Language Teachers button.
Fill out their application form and wait for an email message that contains further instructions.
3. iTalki
This is where a lot of online students come to learn different languages including English and choose from over ten thousand online teachers.
On their website, simply hit the menu that says Become A Teacher to start the application process.
Before starting, applicants are advised to check all information provided and read everything carefully.
4. SkimaTalk
SkimaTalk online teaching school offers flexible scheduling for online teachers and students.
On their website, hit the How It Works dropdown menu and choose Become A Teacher to begin the 4 stages of the application process – signing up for an account, creating your teacher profile, taking the tests — and hit the Apply button.
The approval stage is where your account will be activated so that online students can view your profile.
5. Cambly
“Learn English at a touch of a button,” that’s what it says on the Cambly website — an accessible online English school for students around the world and a great opportunity to earn for qualified online English teachers.
You can work on your own schedule.
Students can choose any teacher they want, so make sure you have a really good teacher portfolio on this site.
One thing that makes this online teaching school very accessible is that they have an app for students that can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple Store.
The more students that can access this conveniently means more chances of you being picked or chosen by one of the students.
6. OpenEnglish
A renowned online English school catering to Latin America, English courses here are mostly dynamic.
Live online classes that are available 24 hours a day are being offered to individuals or group classes.
The pay rate here is good.
You can apply easily by clicking on the teaching opportunities link found on their website.
Click the Apply button to begin the application process.
7. Preply
Preply offers a variety of online language courses like Spanish, German, French, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and of course, English.
If you are bilingual or speak multiple languages, this school offers a really great career for you at a higher rate.
Getting your own students here is going to be easy because this online school is very popular.
You can start your application on Preply by simply clicking on the Become A Tutor link on their website where it takes you directly to the application process.
8. Verbling
Verbling offers a variety of language courses for students around the world with 5-star teachers.
You have to prepare a really good profile video so students can easily pick you from among the many online English teachers working here.
Below their website is the Apply To Teach link that takes you straight to the application page.
Click the Apply Now button to begin your journey with them.
You can set your own hourly rates on Verbling, and you can ask for your earnings any time, any day.
There is no schedule for the release of your paycheck.
You can withdraw it any time you please.
You can also choose to work part time, full time, or just occasionally.
9. Verbal Planet
Verbal Planet offers you to connect to the world of online teaching opportunities where you can teach students from any location in the world and maximize your earning potential.
Under the Teach section found on the bottom part of their website, click on the link that says Work With Us which opens the application page.
Fill out the application form completely and make sure you choose correctly your country of location, time zone, and your country’s currency.
10. CafeTalk
CafeTalk is an online school for a wide variety of courses, not just language courses.
Go to the application page on their website for the online English courses.
Application and registration are free like most online schools that offer online teaching opportunities.
All online teachers are required to use Skype on their laptops and the use of Skype on mobile phones is not allowed.
You are on your way to earn a decent income from the comfort of your home after you have successfully passed the tests and interviews.
11. NiceTalkTutor
Unlike most online schools offering teaching opportunities for home-based workers, the Become A Tutor button is the first thing you will find on their website.
You don’t need to navigate to the menus to find the link to the application page.
This means that this online teaching school needs more applications continuously.
Their high demand for online teachers is due to the fact that more and more students are continuously enrolling in their online language courses.
At the beginning of the application process, you will be asked to create an online account with them right away.
Using the NiceTalk mobile app, you can chat in English with your online students using your mobile phone — a new way to make learning English more fun.
12. OKPanda
One of the most affordable online language schools is OKPanda.
This online school offers online English courses to Japanese students most of the time because it’s their line of focus.
So expect Japanese students when you become an online English teacher here.
Applying is quick and easy so long as you have all the requirements they need.
Just go to their application page.
Online teachers are paid per 25 minutes of every completed lesson at a rate of $1.50 to $10.
The pay rate will vary based on your skills, experience, teaching qualifications, and even accent.
If you provide an exceptional performance every time, you will be qualified for amazing rewards like promotion within the company, pay raises, and bonuses.
13. Eigoru
Eigoru is an online Japanese school for the English language that is open for young children, beginners, and businessmen.
Your skills in teaching the English language will be very valuable for their Japanese students.
You can choose whether you want to focus on teaching only young children, only adults, or both.
It is required that you install the Skype application for your video lessons so install that on your computer or laptop.
14. Wyzant
Wyzant is an online English school that gives total freedom and flexibility to its online teachers.
Their teaching method is one-on-one private lessons with students.
You can also decide on how much you want to get paid, and you have the liberty of accepting or rejecting students.
The choice is totally up to you.
They also offer in-person one-on-one tutoring if the student happens to be in or near a teacher’s location.
You can click the Start Tutoring menu on their website, and it will take you to the teacher registration page.
The process is in 3 easy steps: select your students, set your pay rate, finish the lessons — then you get paid via direct deposit to your bank account.
15. Eigox
Eigox is another Japanese-English online school.
They have thousands of reserved slots to date.
This is a good platform for online English teachers as there is always a constant and consistent flow of online students waiting to be taught.
You will surely have a steady source of income because of this.
As what this online school focuses on, you will get to teach a lot of Japanese students of all ages.
16. HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a fun way of teaching English and earning from it.
With their mobile app, people can learn a language just by chatting with native speakers from anywhere in the world for free.
Through your social learning skills, you can easily teach people from all walks of life your language and at the same time have fun with it.
You can use it for free, or you can upgrade to unlock more amazing features.
A lot of people are offering their services here to teach the language they know, and they accept payments for it.
You can try this option especially if you want to test your teaching skills first.
You can offer it for free at the beginning and decide when it’s time to charge your students for your time.
17. Weblioph
You can be a home-based English tutor on this platform, and it is one of the easiest and friendliest online sites that provide teaching opportunities for home-based workers and freelancers.
The good news is that they welcome applicants without teaching experience, although you must be at least 18 years old, computer literate, fluent in spoken and written English, have at least 5 mbps internet speed, and plain white background with good lighting while teaching online.
The application process begins with the application form, followed by a grammar exam, test call and interview, training, demo class, and signing of contract if you passed the final demo class where your skills and abilities in teaching will be assessed.
18. Livelingua
Livelingua is one of the most popular sites where you can offer your online teaching skills as an English teacher.
They have students who enroll in various main language courses like Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and of course, English.
Go to their Jobs page with a link that says “Work With Us” and you will be taken to the current job openings.
You will see that they always have available positions for online English teachers.
They require two years of valuable experience though, so beginners need not apply here.
There you have it, friends!
If you simply loooove to teach and you are proficient in English, then this information will be very valuable to you.
You can use this as a guide to earn a full-time or extra income right from your home at your own pace, space, and time.
IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik
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