Benefits of teaching English online

Online English teachers are in high demand, especially nowadays. China has the greatest demand and their online institutions are willing to pay well.

Online teaching is fun and rewarding. There are several great benefits to teaching English online, but here are the top 4 in my opinion.

1. FREEDOM!!!

I believe freedom is the top benefit of teaching English online. I’ve been told that I’m a control freak. Maybe I am. I don’t know, but what I do know is that I love to be in control of my time. I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it. Simple. I quit my hospital job, a few years back, to enjoy the freedom that I have now.

Teaching English online is a great way to get out of the mundane 9 to 5 lifestyle. I can choose to work full-time hours one week and part-time the next. If I want to work a couple hours in the mornings or a half-hour in the evening, I can. If I choose to take a week or a month off, I just do it. It’s easy to burn out when you teach a lot of classes, so the ability to take long breaks or days off without asking for permission really floats my boat.

Besides the scheduling flexibility, there’s the freedom to work from anywhere. If there’s a reliable internet connection at my place of lodging, I can work. If my phone data connection is strong, I can work. If neither of those is available, there’s the option of using a portable WiFi device. If neither of those is working for me, I don’t sweat it. When traveling, I never schedule lessons until I’ve personally tested the internet connection. If it’s no good, I don’t do any work until I get to a destination that allows it.

It’s illegal to work in a foreign country without a work visa. However, since I work online, I don’t have to worry about getting a work visa.

When I travel internationally, I often catch really great deals and end up spending more than I expected. When that happens, I work a few hours to replace those funds and carry on with my trip.

Yeah, I really love the freedom aspect of this work!

2. “Look, Mom! No pants!”

I wear pajamas or a nightie to almost every class. I usually teach early morning classes, so I sleep until 15 minutes before my first class. I wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth, wrap my hair or throw it in a ponytail, slap on some red lipstick, throw a polo shirt over my top, slide into my slippers, plop down on my chair and get ready to teach. My props are prepared the night before, and if my lesson happens to change overnight, no problem– anything I may need is within arm’s reach.

I could never wake up 15 minutes before my shift and work in my PJ’s at my former job. I’d be awfully late and severely under-dressed.

3. Great Pay

Teaching English online can be very lucrative. I work with several China-based companies and can say they pay pretty well. See my posts about PalFish, Magic Ears, and Vipkid to learn about their pay structures. I also teach for a new American company that pays $25/hr, but lessons are sparse for now. With the teaching bonuses, contests, referral bonuses and other incentives offered by these companies, making $4,000 or more is very attainable. Like I said before, I quit my hospital job to do this.

4. Easy to start

Getting started with online English teaching is really easy. Some companies make you go through a somewhat lengthy process—submitting video intros, attending online orientations and on-board training, performing mock lessons, etc— but, most make getting started pretty simple. Getting started with PalFish as a regular teacher took me about 24 hours, while Magic Ears just a few days. The process and time line are different for each company.

Okay, all done! Your turn! Do you teach English online? What do you think the top benefits are?