Covid-19 has changed the way we think about work in so many ways. We have been forced to look for alternative ways to earn a living.
One of the best ways I have encountered to earn a living from your home and get paid a decent amount, and have time flexibility, is to teach English online.
Cheryl’s story
Last year she injured her foot and dancing became a painful experience.
In a search for other alternatives to earn a living, she decided to start teaching English as a second language.
Over the years, she has seen several advertisers online recruiting English teachers.
Those advertisements always picked her curiosity, but never enough to look for more information. But now, Cheryl’s circumstances had changed. Now her main source of income was no longer available, so she decided to look into it.
Education requirements to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) online
To her pleasant surprise, the requirements were easy to meet.
All she had to do was to be a native English speaker, have a bachelor’s degree in any field, and obtain an English as a Second Language (ESL) certificate.
The certificate wasn’t hard to obtain. She obtained a 120 hours TESOL certificate from International Open Academy. TESOL means Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and is sometimes referred to as a TEFL certificate – which means Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
The price for this course is normally $120 CAN, but sometimes there are specials and Cheryl got it for $60. (note from Alain) If you are thinking about it, I suggest you ask for a discount, since it is evident that the price is negotiable.
Technical requirements to teach ESL
Since the classes are given online, it’s important to have a fast computer, a fast internet connection, connected with the cable (no wifi) and good lighting to light your face.
The employers of ESL online
Most of the employers want you to teach Chinese kids between the ages of 4 to 12 years old. There are not that many classes for adult teachers.
Some of the most popular employers are:
- VIP Kids, with 100,000 teachers, 700,000 students, and +5,000,000 classes per month.
- Qkids, and many more.
Many of these employers offer training plus the curriculum a teacher needs to teach a class.
Disadvantages of teaching English online
The major disadvantage is that China is on the other side of the globe. The classes are given in Beijing time. this means that Cheryl has to wake up at 5:30 am in order to teach her 5:30 am class.
How much do you get pay for teaching English online?
The pay is not bad. It comes out to about $25 CAN/hour or $US 20/hour. Considering that there is no time wasted in commute, no transportation cost, and no cost for any particular wardrobe, this is a great deal.
Final tip if you are considering teaching ESL
There is a world of information provided by teachers who are already working on teaching online on YouTube. With a bit to search savviness, you will find hundreds of teachers who are giving you the best tips to succeed.
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Comments
2 responses to “Earn money online teaching English as a Second Language”
Great post! I really love the format with both a written version and the video interview, it makes it very easy to access on the go! Information like this is so important as people are looking to more flexible careers. I’m glad Cheryl was able to become an English teacher and willing to share her story with us. I do some teaching online as well with Magic Ears and it is such a fun job that makes it easy to do both part-time and full-time. I’d love to hear updates on how she is doing over the next few months as this industry is changing quite rapidly!
Hey Kat,
Thank you for your comment. Sure thing. I will keep you updated in this developing story.