4 Companies You Can Teach English Online with No Experience

Do you want to teach English online with no experience? It is possible. Many companies are looking for previous teaching experience but there are companies out there that are very open to hiring teachers without that official teaching experience OR online experience.

What does “no experience” mean?

Most teaching english online companies are looking for some sort of experience with children, either online or offline. If the online teaching company you are applying to is focused on teaching children, there might be an element of experience required related to working with kids in some capacity. These 4 companies listed in this article do not require previous online teaching experience.

What are the general qualifications to teach English online?

Generally, with most online ESL companies, the requirements are:

Qualifications – this might mean a Bachelors degree, or similar teaching credentials
TESOL – a TESOL or TEFL teaching certification is usually required to teach English online
Experience – this doesn’t mean online teaching experience but rather experience working with kids or adults (depending on the type of online teaching you want to do) in some capacity
Citizenship – some companies hire only teachers from North America, while others are more general and will hire native English speakers

Do these 3 things if you want to teach English online with no experience:

1. Find a school that you qualify for

Use the list below of 4 schools that you can apply for without having previous online teaching experience. You will need to do some searching and sometimes it is worth just applying and seeing if you will be accepted. If the company you are applying to wants a resume, make sure you list anything that will be related to teaching.

2. Stand out with certifications (TESOL / TEFL)

It is important to show the online ESL company that you are working for that you are qualified and prepared to do your best on their platform. Getting qualifications like a TESOL or TEFL are great things to have when looking for a position.

3. Prepare for your interview / demo

You will most likely be invited to teach a demo or have a short interview with someone from the company. Make sure that you do all that you can to prepare. Set up your classroom and prepare props and rewards for teaching your student. These things will go a long way when you are wanting to teach English online with no experience.

4 companies that let you teach english online with no experience:

1. VIPKid

Requirements:
-Bachelors degree, US or Canada passport, 1+ years of teaching-related experience
Pay:
-$15 – $22 / hour (base rate + incentives)
Hours available:
8:30am – 10:00pm (Peak hours are 7:00pm – 9:00pm)
*all times are in Beijing Time

VIPKid is a 1:1 platform, parent-booked company that provides English lessons for Chinese children ages 4 – 12. They have no minimum hours required per week and the lessons are provided. VIPKid is one of the larger online ESL companies and have a very well known reputation.

Apply

2. Gogokid

Requirements:
-Bachelors degree, US or Canada passport, 1+ years of teaching-related experience
Pay:
-$15 – $22 / hour (base rate + incentives)
Hours available:
8:30am – 9:00pm (Peak hours are 7:00pm – 9:00pm)
*all times are in Beijing.

Gogokid is a newer company in the online ESL world, and has risen in the last couple of years to a larger and more reputable company, yet still not as large as the bigger ones like VIPKid. A lot of teachers add Gogokid as a secondary company as they do not have a minimum required number of hours yet they have a similar structure with similar policies as VIPKid. They are also a 1:1 platform focusing on Chinese students.

Apply

3. Cambly

Requirements:
-No degree or teaching experience required
Pay:
-$10.20 / hour
-$0.17 USD / minute
Hours Available:
-24/7 – students are all over the world

Cambly is quite different than a lot of other online ESL companies in that you are teaching adults (although there is a kids portion to their platform), and you are paid by the minute. Teachers can set their availability and students can call in from their phone and talk with their tutor for a certain amount of time. Sometimes students want to go over something specific but often times they are just looking for conversation practice.

Apply

The TESOL course from International Open Academy is a great option for the 5 online ESL companies listed in this blog.

Buy

4. Palfish (Kids course)

Requirements:
-Native speaker, hires teachers from US, Canada, UK, Ireland, or Australia, & TESOL/TEFL
Pay:
Up to $22/hour
Hours Available:
From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays
From 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends (Beijing Time)

Palfish can be a great option, because not only do they not require online experience but they also don’t require a degree and they hire native English speakers from other countries besides the US & Canada. Palfish is an app for your smartphone and you are paid to talk to students from their phone or tablet. Palfish has 3 main types of teachers: Free talk / Live streaming, kids course teachers (information above), & Philipines course teachers.

Apply

There are lots of options in the online ESL teaching world when it comes to teaching English online with or without previous teaching or online teaching experience. Hopefully, you can find some options from above and if not, do check out some of the other blog posts found on this site.