12 Best Online English Teaching Companies (2023)

111 thoughts on “12 Best Online English Teaching Companies (2023)”

1. Great information here, so thanks for that.
   A little disappointed with the requirement to be from either Canada or US for some of them, particularly as a native English speaker from England (it’s amazing how many people don’t realise England English) but hey ho!

2. I teach with VIPKID, and I love the company! It was interesting reading about the different opportunities. I’ve heard a lot about Q-kids and Cambly, as a lot of our teachers use these companies to fill their schedule when they first start out. Many prefer VIPKID for the pay and one on one classes in the end, but my sources might be biased!

3. Don’t get discouraged! I work for VIPKID, and I wish we hired a more diverse group of staff members. I know that there are a lot of other companies out there, so there are definitely good opportunities to be found, keep searching.

4. Because I’m hearing impaired, teaching verbally isn’t an option due to my strong accent and poor lipreading skills. I was wondering if you (or anyone else) have seen any demand for ASL teachers online?

   Thanks!

5. This is such a super article. I have taught English abroad before but never considered taking this online. Definitely a great way to supplement the digital nomad lifestyle though, will definitely be looking into a few of these companies!

6. hello i need a job for teaching child math,eng,or chemistry

7. I taught English in China for 2 years (pre-k, kindergarten, and then at an extra curricular school on the weekends). I loved it and am interested in teaching online. Since you work for VIP Kids (you collective for those who have mentioned working for/with them) what is the true time commitment like? What do you dis/like? I’m very interested.

8. Thank you for all the info you provided. I went through the process with VIPkids ( long and time consuming , buying educational aids and props) regrettably even though I was told I did very well on the interviews and mocks I was not hired. I strongly felt it was because I was black , sad but true. Thanks again

9. Hi, I work for VIPKID and I started May 2018. It started off very well for me since some teachers had no classes the first month. March 2018 I made 575 USD, April 2018 May 2018 I made $1182 USD = $1500 CAD, May 2018 $1894 USD and June, I’m hitting close to $ 1700 USD which is great because I’m Canadian…eh! It’s gone so well for me I recommend it.

10. I would like to work online from home.

11. French tutor It is possible to definitely visit experience while in the work you are writing. This segment wants all the more passionate freelance writers such as you who aren’t afraid to cover where did they believe that. Continuously go after your heart.

12. I hold a teaching certificate in Georgia in social studies, special needs and learning disabled. I specialize in teaching special disable and special needs children at all levels. I would love to contact you to see our if our goals can be compatible to in moving forward to help children reach their full academic potential.

13. Thank you for writing about this lifestyle! I am definitely interested in following in you guys’ footsteps and pursuing this way of living. I do have a question. I realize having quiet, undisturbed teaching times might be difficult. What internet service/system is best to have while on the road?

14. I have just graduated as a TEFL teacher and want to work from home online. I live in South Africa. Please let me know if you have any jobs available.

    Thank you kindly

    Debbie Worth

15. Hi Debbie,

    We are not a company that hires online teachers, you’ll need to reach out directly to the schools that I listed in the article. Thanks.

16. Very interesting! Thnx

17. I was also told that I did very well on the interview and that they liked my credentials (high GPA double major), but I was declined.

    I think it’s also because I have a darker skin tone.

18. As an IMPORTANT note for anyone looking into English Hunt, I just looked into them and they say that Apple/Mac computers are NOT compatible with their programs. So, if you only have a Mac like I do, you won’t be able to work with English Hunt.

19. Thank you for this…it is very informative and relevant. I’m gearing up to apply to teach online so this is great. It reaffirmed that VIPKID is still a leader in this fast moving field of teaching English online.

20. your accents are way too thick to for non-Native speakers. Hence, American and Candian–they have neutral accents for the most part. (except deep south and northern Canada)

21. Thanks for the information.

    Although, English teachers from England don’t have much to work with using this list.

    Are there not more inclusive suggestions?

    Verbling or DaDaABC to discuss?

22. Yes, I know, it would be great if it were inclusive of ALL native English speakers. You could check out Italki and Cambly

23. That’s great to hear!

24. interesting..I was wondering if the company would discriminate against people of darker skin. As asian are known for discrimination for that reasonThank you for sharing your experience.

25. Hi Dariece,

    This is a very helpful article! Thanks very much! Has a lot of information I was looking for. Unfortunately, i could be branded as not a native english speaker “technically”, since I hail from India.

    Will still give it a try at one of the companies that do not require us to from Canada/U.S.

    Thanks again

26. Thank you! This is great information.

27. Thank you so much for the thorough and well summarized article!

28. Thank you for reading and commenting

29. Actually everyone has an accent and think their own voice is neutral
    !

30. Thank you. I have been looking for this information. But l need more of your help.

31. Greetings from Sri Lanka!
    I would need a piece of advice if you don’t mind. I am a Romanian citizen, however I have been teaching English at mostly all levels for all my life, namely ever since graduating from an English intensive study high school. I have a University degree in communication and a masters in public relations, none being of much help, I guess, when it comes to teaching. I have also taught Italian, Spanish and French all languages I am fluent in. I am interested in teaching mostly English and Italian, however of what i read here, most of these companies would require native speakers. I believe they should consider the level of English and experience rather than being a native speaker. With all due respect to everyone, I had an English native speaker teacher from USA in high school, brought especially for conversation, whose grammar was incorrect, vocabulary poor and knowledge scarce. Besides, speaking and teaching are two very different things. Being a native speaker of any language does not make anyone a good teacher. This being said, I would really appreciate some advice as to which companies I could apply for online teaching jobs. Thank you in advance!

32. Am very much interested in teaching English online.

33. i am a retired social worker. i have masters in management. English is my only language. i am from Johannesburg in South Africa.

    interested in online teaching

34. It is somewhat of a shame that a University degree is required for a couple of these programs. My wife has been a teacher’s aid in a Private School for the past 13 years. She does not have college training. Primarily she has had the duty to teach preschoolers (3 and 4 years old) to read. I am proud to say that by the end of each of those school years at least 95% of these children smile ear to ear as they realize that they have for the first time formed words into sentences and have “read” what was set before them.

35. Yes, it is a shame since the degree doesn’t need to be in the field of education or something similar. But, it’s the law in China to have a university degree, and in many countries.

    Warm regards,
    Dariece

36. Ihave been English teacher ESL in canada for over 15 years
    I have bachelor in English from vcc Canadian Coleg.

37. I recently applied for iTalki, and was rejected. There wasn’t a lot of useful info in the email I received:

    “Unfortunately, your application was declined for one or more of the reasons below:
    Due to the large volume of teaching applications we receive, we are not able to accept every application, and regret that we must decline your application at this time. We will contact you if we would like to review your application again in the future.”

    Should I try to reapply? Are there best practices for being accepted into these programs, or what each of them consider when making a decision on a teacher? I don’t have any experience teaching, but have Bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Economics. Would getting my TEFL certificate be overkill, just to start teaching online?

38. Hi Danny,

    Sorry to hear that you got rejected. Here are some ways to make sure you pass: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352018-Why-was-my-application-to-teach-on-italki-declined-

    Yes, getting your TEFL would help for sure. Which passport do you hold?

39. I need a job to earn money can please help by teaching English on

40. I currently teach English and additional English for students in the 11th and 12th grade in my own state. It’s the most interesting age group as they are able to think outside the box. And most times they converse in english which also helps them to write good and proper english. Introduving such websites for us teachers to help others learn better English is a great opportunity. But I’m abit disappointed that teachers from our country are not applicable to teach here . I’m an Indian. But if we are do let me know…I would like to join and share my knowledge.

41. Sadly this was only of use if you are from North America.

42. Hi Les, you can sign up for Cambly or Italki if you are from other parts of the world. But yes, sadly for the top 2 companies, they want North Americans.

43. Great Blog..!!
    As we know there are lots of website are there for teach us English online but your site is really very helpful for us to improve our English or improve our skills. this is also very helpful for our business also. Thank You for sharing this information with us.

44. Hi Dariece,
    I’m planning to apply to VipKid – could you be kind and share your experience with their interview and demo class please? Any tips? Questions they ask?

    Many thanks,
    Nadia

45. Hi Nadia,

    That’s great that you’re applying Please have a look at our post here for tips and advice about the interview:
    https://www.goatsontheroad.com/become-vipkid-teacher/

46. That is too funny for words! Americans and Canadians have neutral accents? Only to yourselves!

47. Rubbish sites, 4 out of 5 geared towards Americans.
    Try Skyeng.

48. I tried applying and was rejected out of the gate due to not having any classroom experience. I have a degree in English and my tech requirements are all there. It seems circuitous to need experience but can’t get experience because I don’t have enough. So… getting a TEFL and teaching abroad seems the easiest route. Please correct me if I’m wrong or missing something.

49. Hi Leigh,

    Which company were you trying to apply for? Thanks.

50. Good article but this comment could have been watered down a bit {you’ll avoid having dodgy men from around the world stalking your personal social media profiles}

51. Very impressive.

52. I’d appreciate if anyone could recommend a company or companies that accepts tutors from Trinidad and Tobago.

53. My daughter went through the application process for VIP kids and has an education degree, teosl certificate and experience, and she was turned down. This is even after they said she did well. She is not black, so I wouldn’t assume that is the reason people are getting turned down. We were both baffled why she was.

54. Yea they just want the North American accent. England has a ton of different accents where Canada and America are more standard. Case in point, I worked with a guy from Liverpool and I literally could not understand him

55. Yes, this is true. For a non-English speaker, North American accents are easier to understand.

56. I am 68 male in Pakistan. Mostly, as a kid I was tutored by native English speakers. Do you think I stand a chance.

57. Actually, I’m one of the few people here who doesn’t have an accent!!! LOL

58. i love to teach subject like accounting and mathematics

59. Great article, however, there are other companies out there that pay better and are open to all Native English accents. I currently teach online to subsidise my full-time TEFL job and the 2 companies I work for pay between $11 and $12 for 30 minutes. They provide good materials and good teaching platforms! But thanks for the article, this is something that many English speakers don’t seriously consider, but there is some good money and flexibility to be earned.

60. …And what are the 2 companies you work with, Donald?

61. Great article! I have certificates from a trade school (Heald Business College). Are those applicable?
    Thanks!

62. Hi, I would like to teach English online I have CELTA certificate and Masters in theatre. It would be lovely to hear from you.
    Thanks

63. Hi Mirjana, please apply for one of the companies listed in the article. Thank you

64. If I may be so bold, I think it just a little discriminatory that they require you to be from a specific country, and be a native speaker. My Belgian wife speaks English as a 3rd language, yet she is fluent in it compared to a lot of native English speakers. In my case, I have such a neutral accent, no one, and I mean no one has ever been able to guess where I’m from. When I say South Africa, I am treated to many a blank stare. Either way, I know I’l find something 🙂

65. Hi there, thanks for this roundup! I’d like to include my experience working with EF in case it’s useful for anyone. I worked for EF for 3 years. There was a lot I liked about the company, but in my third year I started having problems with getting passed up for pay raises. They have a complicated system for raises that includes student reviews and booked hours. If I worked a class session and 4 students gave me a 5 star rating but the 5th left one star, I was out of the running. If I put in 30 hours of availability but the school only booked me for 3 (yes, that happened! More than once!), I was out of the running and told it was my fault for not putting in enough availability. Students can no-show last minute and the teacher only gets a quarter hour pay. Eventually, my hours became so unreliable I had to quit.

66. I am interested in this job

67. Give it a try and see if they accept you

68. It would be great if some of these places were accepting teachers from other English speaking countries, but still very useful and educational. Thank you sof sharing 🙂

69. I agree, but sadly, I don’t make the rules! Thanks for reading

70. I went through a few of your posts and I was attracted towards them because of the Tag lines as “Get Paid To Travel: 11 Jobs That Pay You to Explore” and ” Teach English Online: Get Paid With These Top 5 Companies.”
    I must tell you that the content of these posts isn’t as helpful as they sound to be. I am an Indian. There is nothing in your blogs which was helpful for me. Teaching English had requirements, hence everything was in vain. Do you have anything for Indians? Also, have you been to India? I recommend you to visit Manali, Dharamshala, Amritsar, and Jaipur.

71. This only indicates US and Canadian citizens along with a few other countries, can teach English. I am English, have a neutral educated accent, the same as princess Diana, yet England, where English originates, is excluded on here. Our language has been adopted by other nations, yet we, the primary nation are not considered good enough to teach English.This is insulting to the English nation.

72. Hi Jennifer,

    Thanks for your email. I don’t make the rules for these companies, they do, and they mostly want North American teachers / accents (for whatever reason). Education First is on this list, which is a great company for UK citizens. Check them out

73. Hi,
    I am a South African citizen currently residing in Thailand.
    I am fluent in English & teach English on a part time basis at schools & to groups in Thailand.
    I have no university degree.
    I am interested in teaching online.
    Please advise.
    Regards
    Narendra

74. hi trying to register with cambly now they are asking for Referral Code, what code am suppose to give them
    thanks

75. hi trying to register with cambly now they are asking for Referral Code, what code am suppose to give them
    thanks

76. We don’t have a code for you to enter. Thanks.

77. thanks for such things I really happy thanks

78. In the English Hunt pro column it list $2 per 10 minutes??Perhaps a number is missing??

79. Thanks for the good information. I was so excited about the opportunities of teaching on-line until I found out about the age discrimination that exists in some countries. I am an active United Statessenior with life experiences, education, teaching credential and love to teach.

    Can you offer some leads on who hires seniors to work as an online TEFL teacher? I am open to teaching
    all levels including adults.

    Thanks
    Carolyn

80. Hi, can I have your email address? I want to AK you some questions. Thanks

81. Hi, I’m from RSA and am very keen to teach English online. I am a qualified teacher. I have been teaching for +/-20 years on and off. As I am 52 years of age, I find it very difficult to get a full time or part time teaching job.

82. Thanks for this helpful information. I am from UK and have been looking at PalFish and doing a TEFL course and teaching children. Do you have any experience of this? Otherwise Cambly, I have no degree but an NVQ in Childcare & Education, but am bit nervous about abusive/time-wasters calling…..

83. Hello
    I am very keen on teaching English or any other subject, online
    I have a four year Bachelor of Technology – Information Technology Degree
    I have been lecturing Computer Science subjects to University students from 1997 till the end of 2019.
    I lectured at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa.
    I am a South African citizen and live in Durban, South Africa.
    I would really appreciate any assistance that you may offer.
    Thanks

84. I’m suprised you don’t address the most important factor In selecting an ESL online job which is whether or not the company assigns the students or you have to hustle and make a good impression so parents pick you. The biggest con of VIPKID is people with amazing reviews have schedules half full and wate a lot of time. QKIDS assigns the students, all you do is select your blocks of time and away you go. Seems like a no brainer

85. I work for VIPKID. Yes, everyone has an accent that gives away where they lived most of their life. China just happens to be looking for the North American accent. But not only that, think about your(everyones) phrases. My husband was born and lived his first few years in England. When he came to the states and started school they held him out another year to “learn the language”. Things like biscuit vs. cookie. He was very upset when he asked nicely for a biscuit and his American(southern) grandma gave him one left over from breakfast! The phrase you used also, “hey ho”. We get the gist because of context. But Chinese children will not. Not a thing wrong with the way any of us speak. its just what the parents, who are paying for the lessons, are looking for.

86. Thanks for the comment, Melanie. For us, the biggest (most important) difference between VIPKID and Qkids isn’t that you have the students chosen for you, but rather, with VIPKID, you can work from ANYWHERE in the world, and with Qkids, you must live in Canada or the USA. Being able to work from anywhere, while traveling the world is a huge pro 🙂

87. Hi Chris,

    Since you don’t have a University Degree, teaching with PalFish or Cambly would be good options. You’ll need a TEFL though for PalFish. Have a look at the top 6 reputable companies here: https://www.goatsontheroad.com/tefl-course-online/

88. I love VIPKD! You are a free contractor. There is no time commitment. You do want to pick a schedule and try to stick to is so that you are consistent for your students. You are not guaranteed students just because you open a slot. You have to build your student base. There are also times, Like January and February, that it is really slow due to the celebration of Chinese New Year, and in the summer when they are out of school and vacationing. They are no longer hiring anyone from California due to a law passed that they choose not to deal with.

89. I never thought of that before, (as I’m British, where English came from, for those who didn’t know.) Yes! There are many English accents, some of which I also have difficulty understanding! Americans also generally speak more slowly and don’t join words together.

90. Hey guys,
    What about teachers from the rest of the world?
    What’s so special about North American teachers only??!

91. Hi Peter, well, it’s not up to us as to who is hired. These are the qualifications required by the online teaching companies themselves. Not all of the companies on the list require North American teachers. But, the reason why many companies prefer the Canadian/American accent is that it’s more neutral and easier for a non-native English speaker to understand. Thanks for commenting!

92. Thank you so much for the great information. Do you know if these companies are still hiring even though we all are dealing with the corona virus currently?

93. This information is NOT right. I contacted VIP Kid recently and they require all 3 things:

    1) University Degree
    2) Based in U.S. / Canada
    3) 2 years teaching expereience.

94. Hi Mark,

    I just checked with my contact at VIPKID, and here are their responses to what you’ve said:

    1. Yes, they do require a University degree. They always have, and we state that in the article.

    2. NO, you don’t need to be based in the USA or Canada, you can work from anywhere in the world. BUT, you must be eligible to work in the USA or Canada (ie: be a resident or citizen).

    3. NO, 2 years of teaching experience isn’t required. You need to have 1 year or more experience in a learning environment, including traditional classrooms, homeschooling, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, volunteering, etc. It can be a mix of these things, just needs to accumulate to 1 year.

    I hope this helps.

    Thanks!

95. I would not recommend VIPKid any longer. Both my husband and I have been working for them since January 1. We hardly get any bookings at all even though we open 30 to 40 prime time slots each week. We both have great profiles and experience. VIPKid has hired too many teachers and they don’t have as many students as they used to. Right now this has been a waste of our time.

96. Hello I am a trained primary school teacher based in the UK. Can I register to be an online tutor with you?

97. Good day

    I live in South Africa. I am a native English speaker. ( I only speak English , no other language) I have just completed the TEFL course. I am now retired. I have checked the different websites offering jobs teaching English on line but unfortunately I can’t seem to find any that offer work to people living outside the USA, Canada or the UK. I do not have one of these passports either so the situation seems very bleak at the moment. I would love to be able to teach English as I have a great love for the language and am passionate about the possibility of teaching on line to students who are not proficient in the language. Hopefully you may have a suggestion for me

    Thank you

    Regards

98. Hi Penny,

    Thanks for your comment. That’s great that you’ve completed your TEFL as it will help you get hired. If you don’t qualify for the companies in this article, then please check out our latest post here: https://www.goatsontheroad.com/teaching-english-online-without-a-degree/ . Good luck to you!

99. Cambly customer service is just about the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Somehow, my tutor account was totally deleted. I’m not even sure if I was fired or what, if anything, I did wrong. This month was my 3-year anniversary on Cambly. I had logged over 18,000 chats earning more than $47,000. As far as I knew everything was fine. I had about 3 weeks of Priority Hours booked and many reservations scheduled. I had a small and loyal following of regular students, many of whom I had known for years. It would have been nice to at least say goodbye. I guess I’ll never get that chance.

100. I have an interest to teach English

101. Hello. Thank you for this information. Has anyone heard of GoTeach-Online? I can’t seem to find any reviews of this company.
     Thanks so much.

102. Hi Mandy, sorry, we haven’t heard of it.

103. Hello Dariece,

     Many thanks for the article. I am a black woman from Lagos, Nigeria, Africa. I trained as a lawyer, speak and write English very well. I want to find out if you know of online sites that won’t discriminate on the basis of my skin color (I saw some comments regarding this in the comment section) and where I stand a chance to teach English ( I actually prefer the communication bit more).I would appreciate a response from you. Thank you.

104. Hi Wanda,

     Thank you for your comment. I can’t really speak on the subject of discrimination based on skin colour in the English teaching world as I haven’t experienced it and I’m not a person of color myself. However, when I was living as an English teacher in China, we had a teacher who was Latino from Colombia, and we received teacher training in Shanghai from an African-American man. I do know a black colleague who works for VIPKID as well, and I’m told that there is no discrimination from the companies on this list.

     You simply must be qualified and meet all of the requirements (hold a bachelor’s degree in most cases, have a TEFL certificate, be from a certain country, speak English at a native level, etc.)

     Have a look at each of the requirements in this article and if you don’t meet those qualifications, you can try PrePly (https://www.goatsontheroad.com/preply/) or Cambly (https://www.goatsontheroad.com/cambly/) as they have easier requirements to meet.

     Also, check out this post and see if you are qualified for the schools: https://www.goatsontheroad.com/teaching-english-online-without-a-degree/

     Wishing you all the best!

     Dariece

105. Great article! I also highly recommend Profy . They have mostly Latin American students and have provided me with a lot of students. They have very fast payouts compared to other platforms.

106. Thank you for all the great info…but I can’t seem to find anything about a company that would accept a resident of Ireland as an online English Teacher. I am a retired American living in Ireland and I’m seeking a part-time online job. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

107. Informative post! This is a great share thank you
     Useful post! I really need this type of article.. this is very useful for me.
     Nice information!

108. Take your blog post down lol. Almost all are not hiring.

109. Thanks for the comment. Half of the companies listed are currently hiring. We keep our posts up so that when companies are hiring again, we can update it as needed.

110. This is a platform only for Americans n Britishers not helpful for an Asian English teacher no matter how professional he or she may be.

111. Yes, this is mainly for native English speakers as that is who most teaching companies are looking for. You may have some luck with Cambly, or on Preply as well! https://www.goatsontheroad.com/cambly/ and https://www.goatsontheroad.com/preply/. Good luck to you 🙂

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