Teach English Online: 10 Platforms You Can Use to Find Jobs

1. Be fluent in English

To teach English online, you need to be fluent in the language.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be a native English speaker. Some companies do require native fluency, but others don’t, so there are plenty of opportunities out there for you if you weren’t raised speaking the English language.

2. Get a bachelor’s degree

This isn’t a requirement, but it’s strongly recommended. Most online teaching platforms require their educators to hold a bachelor’s degree or an international equivalent to join the team.

If you don’t have a degree, you can still find work. However, your job opportunities will be limited, and your pay will likely be lower.

3. Get a TEFL or TESOL certification

As with a degree, getting a special teaching certificate isn’t a hard-and-fast requirement, but it’s usually a very good idea. There are several certificates for teaching English online:

• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL): The most common English teaching certification, TEFL is primarily used for teaching students who are based in non-English-speaking countries.
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL): In contrast to TEFL, TESOL is often used for teaching non-English-speaking residents (like immigrants and refugees) in the US or other anglophone (English-speaking) countries.

Both of these are large umbrellas that encompass many different courses and qualifications. There’s no single organization that awards TEFL or TESOL certificates, although you should do your due diligence to make sure that the course you picked is legitimate. In general, both certifications are fairly easy and inexpensive to get online and open the door to tons of online English teaching opportunities.

One online English teacher we spoke to, Ivana Winslow, got her TESOL certificate for only around $20 (with a discount code) back in 2017, and although it was listed as an “120-hour certificate,” she says it took her only around 10–12 hours to complete. “The course provided useful information on pedagogical techniques as well as motivating students, classroom management, and more,” she added.

You might also have heard of the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), which is offered by the University of Cambridge. This is one of the most respected English teaching certificates out there, but it involves more difficult coursework than TEFL and TESOL, and it’s arguably overkill for most online teaching jobs. It’s also specific to teaching adult learners, which isn’t ideal, since many virtual teaching platforms target younger learners.

4. Pad your experience

Before jumping into your new side hustle as an online English teacher, consider gaining relevant experience (if you don’t already have it).

For example, you can pick up a few hours of work each week with a tutoring side hustle while you’re completing your TEFL certification. You can also look for a nonprofit, charity, or church in your area that offers free language lessons to recent immigrants and needs volunteers.

Teaching experience will help you land better jobs with higher rates. Some companies even require you to have it to work on their platforms.

5. Prepare your equipment

To teach English online, you’ll need to be outfitted with the right equipment. Here’s what Winslow recommends you should have as part of your online teacher toolkit:

• Laptop or desktop computer
• External microphone (either on a headset or stand-alone)
• External webcam
• Reliable internet connection

You could also invest in a headset, office chair, and digital pen, but these items aren’t strictly necessary. The platform you pick might require you to have other equipment as well. Check their website to be sure.

Don’t overlook the importance of the strength, speed, and stability of your internet connection. Winslow says that a hardwired connection is preferable, and getting a mobile hotspot is a good idea if you’re traveling while teaching English online. In any case, you should test your upload speed, download speed, and ping before you get started.

6. Find the right online teaching job

Lastly, you need to find work. To find jobs teaching English online, including other opportunities like online tutoring jobs, check out the top companies currently hiring and set your sights on ones that meet your needs. Just make sure you have an idea of what you’re looking for first.

Winslow says that when choosing a company or platform to use to get online English teaching gigs, there are a few factors you should consider, such as:

• Types of students: Think about who your target students are. Do you want to teach kids or adults? Would you be more comfortable teaching beginners or intermediate/advanced students?
• Teacher performance requirements: Many online teaching apps and sites have stipulations you’ll need to meet, such as making yourself available for a minimum number of hours each week or maintaining a certain teacher rating. It’s important to consider these factors since they can affect your earning potential.
• Cancellation policy: Some platforms are pretty flexible when it comes to teacher cancellations, whereas others will penalize teachers for cancelling lessons too close to their start time. Be sure to check each company’s cancellation policy to see how forgiving they’d be in cases where you need to cancel a session due to a power outage, sickness, or other unforeseeable circumstances.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of popular platforms to consider.

Here are our picks for the 10 best online English teaching platforms:

Top 10 Online English Teaching Platforms

We’ll break down these platforms in more detail below.

1. Open English

Open English (which is the parent company of English Ninjas) is an online English teaching company with a focus on teaching Spanish-speaking teens and adults.

This is a great option for people who aren’t keen on teaching young children. The platform also provides lesson plans, so new teachers are spared the time and effort of creating their own.

Having a conversational level of Spanish will give you a huge leg up when it comes to landing work on Open English.

Sign Up with Open English

What teachers say about Open English

2. Cambly

Cambly is a big name in online English teaching, boasting tons of students and job opportunities to match. Notably, Cambly has one of the best payment schedules we’ve seen—you get paid on a weekly basis rather than biweekly or monthly like most of the other platforms on this list.

Like many of its competitors, Cambly pays by the minute. Their rate is $0.17/min ($10.20/hour) on the primary platform and $0.20/min ($12.00/hour) on Cambly Kids.

Another major plus for this platform is the low barrier to entry. Cambly doesn’t require a degree or certificate of any kind.

Sign Up with Cambly

What teachers say about Cambly

3. italki

italki is a language-learning platform that isn’t limited to English. Whatever your native tongue is, you can (theoretically) teach it on italki. Just check their list of languages to see what options are currently available.

On italki, you can become a professional teacher, which requires certification, or become a “community tutor,” which doesn’t.

Sign Up with italki

What teachers say about italki

4. Teachable

Teachable is a unique option because it’s not purely a teaching platform. In addition to teaching, you can also sell your own content. You can create a course, and then Teachable will host it for you, market your content, and process your payments.

This is a great option for savvy teachers who want to be more in control of their online careers. However, we wouldn’t recommend it to those just starting out in the education field because it lacks the built-in resources that other sites offer.

Sign Up with Teachable

What teachers say about Teachable

5. Preply

Preply is another teaching platform that connects thousands of students with teachers of all subjects, including English. It provides teaching resources, including an interactive virtual classroom and a smart calendar. You have the freedom to set your own rates on Preply.

A Preply account is free, but the platform will take a cut of what you charge for lessons. You’ll need to start out by giving a free demo lesson to a student, and Preply will take a 100% commission. After that, Preply will take 18%–33% commissions, depending on how many hours you’ve spent teaching on the platform.

Sign Up with Preply

What teachers say about Preply

6. Lingoda

Lingoda is a good option for more seasoned teachers who are ready to move their work online. It’s not a good option for new teachers, though, since the platform requires 2–3 years of previous teaching experience.

One of the big appeals of Lingoda is that it offers a structured curriculum with lesson plans, so you don’t need to spend unpaid hours creating your own.

Lingoda teachers all work on a freelance basis, with an average workload of 5–20 teaching hours per week, meaning the site is more frequently used for side gigs than as a platform to launch full-time jobs. 1

Sign Up with Lingoda

What teachers say about Lingoda

7. QKids

QKids is an English teaching platform specifically for Chinese students. It has a more rigid structure than the others on this list, with set schedules, lesson plans, and rates.

While the site claims to offer flexible scheduling, that flexibility only goes so far since classes are only taught within designated time slots set by the company. On the plus side, the established parameters make this a good option for novice English teachers because you don’t need to set your own rates, schedule, or curriculum.

Sign Up with QKids

What teachers say about QKids

8. Englishunt

Englishunt is a Korean company that currently serves South Korea, Japan, and China. They exclusively hire US citizens to teach English online. The company has a lot to offer, including a high rate of pay, lesson plans, and tons of teaching resources.

However, you’ll first need to land a job with them to enjoy these perks. Unfortunately, this one isn’t beginner friendly. You need 4 years of previous teaching experience or a substitute teaching certification to qualify.

Sign Up with Englishunt

What teachers say about Englishunt

9. SkimaTalk

SkimaTalk is a Japan-based English teaching platform that caters to students all around the world. It has a marketplace structure, meaning it connects students with teachers, who are largely in control of their own profiles and classes.

This control means you set your own lessons, schedule, and teaching rates. But be warned that the platform will take a commission of 20% for each 25-minute lesson you teach.

Sign Up with SkimaTalk

What teachers say about SkimaTalk

10. Verbling

Verbling is another online language marketplace that connects students with teachers for one-on-one English lessons. Since it has a marketplace model, Verbling allows teachers a lot of flexibility at the expense of a built-in structure. For example, you’ll set your own schedule and rates and won’t have any guaranteed hours.

While Verbling does require previous teaching experience, a teaching certificate isn’t required (although it is preferred), and nonnative English speakers are welcome. Note that Verbling will take a 15% commission from what you charge for each lesson. 2

Sign Up with Verbling

What teachers say about Verbling

Remember that these platforms aren’t mutually exclusive. You can test out multiple sites and apps and stick with the ones you like.

You can even consider building your own client base and moving off these platforms once you gain a little experience; this will mean more work, but it’s the logical next step if you decide you want to convert your online English teaching side hustle into a full-time career.

If you’re considering becoming a virtual English teacher, you’re probably wondering how much you’ll make, what your students will be like, and whether there’s anything else important that you need to know about this side hustle. Here’s an overview of the key factors you should consider.

Pros and cons of teaching English online

Before you dive in, consider the pros and cons of virtual teaching to assess how it will fit your lifestyle:

One important aspect of the job to consider is that most companies require online English teachers to be visible on camera at all times. Ask yourself whether this is something you’d be comfortable with before you commit.

How much do online English teachers usually make?

Online English teachers make an average of around $10–$15 per hour. Your rate will probably fall somewhere in that range if you teach through a major online platform, although some websites allow you to set your own rate. If you teach independently and build up a roster of clients on your own, you can charge whatever you can convince them to pay.

Just be aware that many online English teaching platforms advertise unrealistic earnings for teachers. “Most of these website’s publicly stated average pay is not consistently attainable for most teachers,” Winslow warned. These earnings are often based on the assumption that you’re working a minimum number of hours (that you may not actually get booked for) or earning “bonuses” that aren’t always transparent.

Additionally, work availability may fluctuate with the season, and it can take you a while to reach your full earning potential. “With the majority of online teaching companies, you are working as an independent contractor and are not guaranteed a certain number of students or hours,” Winslow told us. “You have to start off slow and be patient as you gain positive reviews, repeat clients (students), refine your niche, etc.”

What kinds of students will you have as an online English teacher?

When you teach English virtually, your students may be of various ages and backgrounds, but you’ll primarily be teaching people who are learning English as a second language.

If you’d rather not provide second-language instruction, it’s possible to teach or tutor English to native speakers as an academic subject, but it’ll be harder to find work. The market is smaller—after all, there are hundreds of millions of people worldwide who want to learn English as a foreign language but far fewer native speakers who need help with it in school.

With that said, Winslow pointed out that there is a strong demand for online English tutoring to native speakers on certain platforms, like Outschool. She’s taught on Outschool since 2020, and she says “you can make more based on being able to set your own rate and the average price per hour (for both 1:1 or group classes).”

Is online English teaching a good side hustle?

Teaching English online is a good side hustle because of the low entry barrier, flexibility, and option to work remotely from home. But while online teaching is a good side hustle, Winslow says it’s not ideal as a full-time job.

“For the majority of online teachers working on a teaching platform, there will be large ebbs and flows of supply and demand,” she said. Se also noted that sudden company policy changes can unexpectedly impact your income.

All this goes to show that becoming an online teacher will offer you plenty of freedom, but you won’t necessarily get the stability you might want from a full-time gig.