Online tutoring is one of the most popular subjects these days. There are plenty of educators that are teaching online. This article will show you how to qualify to teach online in order to earn more money.
If you want to qualify to teach online and earn more money you will have to:
- Meet The Standards
- Educational Certificates
- Teaching Experience
- Improve Your Availability
- Earn Additional Certificates
- TEFL
- IELTS
- Improve Your Teaching Equipment
- Video Recording
- Audio Recording
- Work For Multiple Online Teaching Companies
- Connections Academy
- Go Go Kid
- DaDa
- VIPKID
- QKids
- Nova Kid
- Accent Advisor
Now that you know the main topics covered in this article it is time to go in-depth and see what exactly you have to do in order to qualify for online teaching and earn more money.
Meet The Standards
If you are planning on working for an online teaching company then you will have to meet some standards. These requirements are different from one company to another. The most commonly required aspects are related to the educational certificates that were previously earned by the applicants.
Another quite common standard has to do with the prior teaching experience of the online teacher. In some cases, online teaching companies required are educators to have actual online teaching experience. In this situation, the traditional teaching experience does not count. Let’s see what exactly you have to do in order to qualify to work for online teaching companies.
Educational Certificates
As mentioned before most online teaching companies require their teachers to have had some specific educational certificate. The most commonly requested certificate is The bachelor’s degree. Most companies do not ask for a bachelor’s degree in the specific subject you are planning on teaching.
Say you are planning on teaching English as a Second Language to Chinese students. Online teaching companies do not require you to have a valid bachelor’s degree diploma in English. In mind that having a diploma in a specific subject you are going to teach is a real advantage most of the time.
I suggest checking out carefully the terms of service and the guidelines of the Human Resource of the company you are planning on working for.
Teaching Experience
Depending on the teaching company you’re planning on work for you will have to possess prior teaching experience. This is valid for most ESL teaching companies that accept international educators. For example, the iTutor group requires a minimum of 1-year of prior teaching experience regardless of the subject taught.
However, there are plenty of online teaching companies that allow teachers with no experience to take part in the educational process. Please note that in some cases the payment may be affected by the lack of teaching experience. This is one of the main reasons why it is a great idea to earn some teaching experience at least at the basic level.
Improve Your Availability
Most online teaching companies required educators to have a minimum of 5 to 10 peak hours every week. However, more time can result in significantly increased revenue. My suggestion is to take a careful look at the available peak hours and adapt your personal agenda to them. Do not forget about time zones.
Having a suitable understanding about time zones and how they affect your teaching career is a crucial aspect. My suggestion is to spend a fair amount of time understanding the actual difference between your time zone and your potential students’ time zone. The most obvious difference is when your students live in a very different geographical location such as China or America.
Say you are living in Egypt and your current timezone is GMT + 2 and you are planning on teaching American students about European Geographics. You will have to take into account the fact that America has six distinct time zones that range between GMT – 4 and GMT – 10. As a result, if your students are from Alaska then the difference between your time and there is going to be about 12 hours.
This time zone difference has a tremendous effect on the peak hours. I strongly advise you U2 to take a look at the actual peak hours fixed by the online teaching company you are working for.
Earn Additional Certificates
Earning additional certificates that demonstrate your knowledge and abilities is one of the greatest methods of improving your overall qualification as an online teacher. Below I have prepared a brief explanation that will allow you to get a better understanding of two of the most popular certificates that online teachers work for.
TEFL
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Online courses teaching English represent one of the most rapidly growing fields worldwide. The TEFL certificate is a must when it comes to teaching a foreign language in a non-native English speaking country.
The TEFL certificate is not equivalent to a TESOL certificate. The main difference between the two types of certification consists of the fact that the latter applies to the teaching of English to non-native speakers in a native English speaking country (i.e. United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc.).
Some countries require their teachers to have a valid TEFL certificate before being able to actually teach students (e.g. China). However, there are also expectations from this rule (e.g. Private Schools).
To get a TEFL certificate you do not have to previously earn a degree in an educational field or prior teaching experience. However, there are certain standards that must be met in order to obtain this type of certificate.
The standards that you must meet include:
- More than 100 hours of coursework
- More than 10 hours of practice (actual teaching non-native English speakers)
- Accredited curriculum
- The guidance provided by an expert (Master Degree in TEFL or equivalent)
You can earn a valid TEFL certificate even online. However, you must choose an online TEFL course that is accredited and meets all of the above-mentioned standards.
Keep in mind that online classes cannot help you fulfill the practice requirement. To get a minimum of ten hours of practice, you must find a way to teach non-native English speakers online.
To learn more about TEFL/TESOL certificates, follow this link: International TEFL Academy
IELTS
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It is an internationally recognized method of demonstrating your English skills. The certificate is valid for calendar years regardless if it was used or not. There are plenty of companies that require non-native English speakers to present a valid IELTS certificate. Its purpose is to assess the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers.
Currently, there are more than 1200 test centres in over 140 countries. The targeted skills are listening, reading, writing, and speaking of the English language. After taking this exam you will receive a score for each of the above-mentioned parts. The grades arrange between 0 and 9. Most online teaching companies required their applicants to present valid years certificates. Non-negative online English teachers must obtain at least 8.5 at this exam.
Improve Your Teaching Equipment
If you want to earn more money by teaching online then you will have to provide your students with solid reasons to pay more for your services. A great idea if you are looking for increased revenue is to invest money into your teaching equipment. This way you will be able to deliver higher quality content to your students. Below I have prepared only a list of the equipment you should spend some extra money for.
Video Recording
Having a high-quality webcam is one of the most important aspects of teaching online. There are pros and cons when it comes to teaching live online but my opinion is that it is one of the best ways of keeping your students interested.
Taking part in a live meeting is way more interesting than reading boring written material. I strongly suggest taking a look at the following article to get a better understanding of the actual advantages of including live meetings in your online course:
ARTICLE: Teaching Live Online: The Pros and Cons
If you are using a laptop then it probably has an integrated web camera. Due to the poor footage quality of this piece of equipment I strongly advise against using it for online teaching. My suggestion is to go to an electronics shop and buy a dedicated camera.
Besides the enhanced footage quality a dedicated camera may include certain functions that will make your videos more interesting. These functions may include:
- Greenscreen
- Light Adjustment
- Background Removal
Despite the general opinion you do not have to pay an arm and a leg in order to get a decent quality camera. If you can not decide what dedicated camera to buy I strongly suggest taking a look at the Recommended Tools page to find out what type of camera worked the best for me.
Audio Recording
Plenty of online teaching companies require their teachers to own a headset and a microphone. This is because the majority of the classes take place using web conferencing applications. For example, Aim 4 A Tutoring uses Skype in order to connect students and teachers. This is why you need to spend some extra money when buying high-quality audio recording equipment.
A high-quality microphone is just as important as a web camera. The situation is similar to the above-mentioned piece of equipment. Using the built-in microphone will result in a poor-quality audio recording.
I strongly suggest spending some extra money on a high-quality dedicated microphone. Just like a camera, it may include additional helpful functions. These functions may include but are not limited to:
- Noise Cancelling
- Voice Filters
- Adaptive Sensitivity
- Volume Equalizer
If you are not yet decided on what you want to use, I suggest you take a look at my favorite dedicated microphone.
Work For Multiple Online Teaching Companies
Working for multiple online teaching companies is a great idea. Firstly you gain more and more teaching experience and you will be able to deal with more and more issues you may encounter doing classes. Another important aspect is related to your total revenue. When working for multiple teaching companies you are able to maximize the proficiency of your working hours.
For example, if you are working for a Chinese online teaching company such as GoGoKid or VIPKID then you will be able to work a few hours in the morning. After this, you can continue working with students that are in the same timezone as you. Please note that working too many hours each day may result in health issues.
Below I have prepared a set of online teaching companies that you can work for. Up
Connections Academy
https://www.connectionsacademy.com/
This is another well-known online public school for grades K-12. It is a virtual educational institution that works with school districts in several states of the USA to serve students remotely. In order to be hired, you have to possess a certification that demonstrates both your teaching experience and your subject-related knowledge.
The subjects you can teach on this platform are:
- Reading
- Math
- Foreign Languages (e.g. English, French, etc.)
- Social Studies
- Speech Pathology
- Arts
- Music
- P.E. (Physical Education)
- Special Education
All students are K-12 level. Besides the remote jobs available on this platform, there are also positions that require you to teach in a certain location (e.g. teach in a school in your state). The initial compensation is not listed on their Terms and Conditions. However, regardless of your experience, you may receive a pay increase depending on the following aspects:
- Annual Students’ Review
- Performance-based Bonus Plans
- Career Ladder Opportunities
Go Go Kid
This is another well-known online English teaching company. It connects Chinese students with online educators. This way they take part in one-on-one lessons using web conferencing applications. The main goal of this company is to teach Chinese children English as a Second Language.
Just like the above-mentioned iTutor Group, Go Go Kid has jobs posted all around the Internet. The contract length is as low as six months and there are currently up to 1,000 vacancies. Students’ level ranges between Early Childhood and Middle School. Only ESL instructors are eligible for applying for this position.
In terms of requirements, I have prepared a list that concludes all the important ones:
- Bachelor’s Degree (in any subject)
- One year of prior teaching experience (preferably English teaching)
- Native English speaker
- Eligibility to legally work in the United States of America or Canada
As you can see, no ESL, TESL, or TEFL certificate is needed. Please note that having such a certification represents a major advantage when applying for this position. In terms of compensation, the hourly rate ranges anywhere between $14 and $25.
Qkids
Qkids connects online English teachers with over half a million Chinese students aged 4 to 12.
The standards you have to meet to work with Qkids are:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Associate/2-year Diploma
- Eligible to work in the United States or Canada
- Teaching license or TEFL certificate
- Computer with a stable internet connection
- Clear audio-video capabilities
- Minimum 6 hours/week
In order to be eligible for this online teaching position, you will have to be a resident of the United States of America or Canada.
The base rate is $16 per hour. One hour includes two lessons. To earn more, you must be eligible for attendance and performance bonuses. The hourly rate can go up to $20 if you fulfill all the requirements for bonuses.
VIPKID
The VIPKID platform helps you to teach English online to Chinese K-9 students. It features an irregular schedule with maximum flexibility. They have a contract length of 6 months for workers but this can be renewed if you do good work.
The requirements you have to fulfill for this job are:
- Bachelor’s Degree (or higher)
- At least one year of teaching experience
- Eligibility to work in the United States or Canada
- Laptop and headset
- High-speed internet connection
Just like Qkids, VIPKID only accepts applicants that live in the United States of America and Canada. This happens because of the native English speaker requirement.
In terms of the hourly rate, compensation is between $14 and $22 per hour. This company also offers the possibility to earn more through bonuses and referral programs.
Novakid
https://novakid.atlassian.net/
Novakid is a less popular online teaching company. It allows educators to take part in one-on-one classes with students from all around the world. Only native English speakers are allowed to apply for an online teaching position. If you are born in the USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa then this is the right company for you. The payment is fixed at $16 per teaching hour.
If you are planning on applying for an online teaching job at Novakid then you must have a valid university degree as well as at least one year of teaching experience. In terms of schedule, it is one of the most flexible companies. However, the weekly minimum is 10 teaching hours.
Accent Advisor
https://careers.accentadvisor.com/
Accent Advisor is one of the premium teaching companies based in America. They are specialized in teaching adults that live in the United States and want to minimize their foreign language accent. In terms of requirements, applicants must have a North American accent and at least two years of teaching experience. You do not have to earn a valid university degree or a TEFL/TESOL certificate but please note that these two may represent a real advantage when applying for an online teaching position.
You can set your own schedule anywhere between 15 and 40 hours per week. The payment is fixed at $15. However, every time you reach 500 teaching hours, your hourly fee is increased by $1. The maximum salary is up to $20 per teaching hour.
