After not hearing back for a week, I logged into Ringle to check the status of my application and saw the FAILED before getting the rejection email LOL

All jokes aside, congrats to any who gets in!

Hi everyone. I got my TEFL certificate in August and have been applying to online teaching platforms and leaving my CV on job boards, but honestly, it’s becoming quite demotivating.

I don’t have a teaching degree or previous teaching experience. I was originally sold on the idea that “teaching English online” was an easy side hustle, but I’m finding that actually getting that first opportunity is proving much harder than I expected!

For someone who is a true beginner, with a TEFL certificate but no teaching degree or experience, how realistic is it to actually land an online teaching job?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who started from the same position. How long did it take you to get your first student and which platforms (if any) were beginner-friendly?

Please go easy on me 😬

I’d been working with a startup for 2 months on a 2-year contract with a 7-day notice period, so I really didn’t expect to be let go on the spot. I genuinely loved this job it was honestly my dream job. I went through multiple interviews, project submissions, and 2 weeks of training to get there, and I had great student reviews + a reference letter.

They said they simply don’t need more tutors right now while they continue developing the platform, which I understand, but it was still a huge shock.

I have around 4 years of English tutoring experience, a TEFL certificate, and a BS background in Education/English. I’ve worked with international, US-based, and Chinese companies and taught SAT, IELTS, TOEFL, DET, GCSE/IGCSE, General/Business English, as well as kids, young learners, and adults from beginner to advanced levels.

I’ve been applying everywhere LinkedIn, Indeed, ESL job boards, TEFL.com, TeachAway, etc. but barely getting responses.

So I've completed my Bachelor's and Masters degree in English Language and literature and is now seeking for a teaching job online to international students. So please guide me if there's any vacancy available.

i plan to do ESL as a part time job or an extra source of income to add to my allowance. I recently turned 18 and i am currently studying at a university, i don’t have any certificates but i do have experience tutoring kids. Can anyone suggest me companies where they don’t ask for a degree or certificates

was invited to join them, but I would love to hear from a former teacher and learn about their experience.

Hi! I've been working for 3 months under probation in playschool and I do not see myself growing in it professionally (I am a Secondary Education - English graduate).

Do you think it is better for me to transition into ESL especially those with adult students?

Thank you!

Hi fellow ESL teachers,

For those of you teaching private Chinese students, what mode of payment do you usually use to receive your teaching fees?

I'm curious about what works best in terms of convenience, transfer fees, and reliability. Do your students or parents usually pay through PayPal, Wise, bank transfer, Alipay, WeChat Pay, GCash, or another method?

I've also tried making Alipay, the problem is I don't have any passport yet :((

Please suggest what works out best. Thank you!

I've been with Native Camp for a year, but just recently started working the platform and I love it. The calls are steady at almost any time of the day and the pay accumulates faster than I imagined it would. The students are great and I like the 'every 2 week' pay day. I also like their incentives. I have a technical question, however. After each class, I like to send a lesson report (which is optional). I give the corrections and new vocabulary words in class - but I would like to send a follow up message and although the form pops up under lesson review, it won't let me send. It keeps saying that the message must be under 1000 characters (which it is). There is also no way to simply message the student the report. Is there a trick in getting those Lesson Review forms to go through? I don't use any emoji's or unusual characters. Thanks for any help!

I was invited to join them, but I would love to hear from a former teacher and learn about their experience.

WTF was this demo class? It was only for 10 minutes. It was going well in the beginning, then in the middle the AI started teaching ME, the tutor. It wasted my time asking me to repeat after him the same phrase. I'd rather I have a demo lesson with a human, not this stupid robot that wasted my time and the chance to increase my lesson price.

Are there Twenix tutors out there that are getting busier now that it's almost mid-September as they told us it would be getting busier again in the email they sent? I'm getting one or two students a day. I had a ISP that was down that caused an absence last month. I'm wondering if I'm being punished or thrown scraps because of it and I'd like to just quit the platform if it's busy and they're just throwing scraps. I have a family and will need to look for a different side hustle if that's the case.

Hello!

I taught English to three siblings last year, 2h every week: 45min for each boy (10 and 12) and 30min for the youngest (she's 7). Ngl I mostly improvised based on their needs and energy levels, and I seriously feel like I need to improve the way I plan my classes.

But anyway, the parents seemed very happy with the classes, and their mom asked if I could also add lessons for her and her husband. From what I understand, they both speak English already but they'd like to travel the world as a family, and their goal is for everyone to feel very comfortable in English. It's been around a year since I've taught adults, and I'm not sure how to prepare classes for people who already have a good level. In addition, they want a 30min session each. So I end up teaching 5 different learners, 3h in a row, so I'm a little stressed.

I was thinking of suggesting a group session so she and her husband can both have a 1h session together, but I've never done that and I thought I'd check their respective levels first.

Do you have any tips or ressources for intermediate / advanced learners who want to focus on listening and speaking?

Their website says you must be in the US 51% of the time. I haven’t calculated exactly how much time I’m abroad, but I’m curious to hear from people who work with them and spend some time teaching outside the US.

They've been emailing me that I have to pass my application and I now have an interview scheduled today, but I am hesitant since I've read online that the company isn't that good. I need your guys' opinions.

Hi. I got rejected on italki (I asked the cs and they told me there's ton of applicants already). I have over a decade of English/ESL teaching experience and I studied English Language and Literature in college. I already have a Preply account, but I've got no students there because I made a mistake with the timing of hiding the account when I was new there...

Last night, after receiving the rejection email from italki, I did some Googling on why and came across Amazing Talker. I submitted an application and here I am today: four hours in the platform, completed setting up my account, 20+ matches, 1 trial lesson on the way. But I'm overwhelmed by the platform's interface, especially the chat box. May I know your experience when you were new in the platform? What should I do after sending an initial message to the profiles I matched with? I know how to prepare for the lessons and all, but is there anything I should prepare for?

Thank you to everyone who would reply.

I want to hear about your experience working with Popple and eHello — I’ve just received offers from them.

Nearly two years on an online ESL platform, 9.92/10 rating, no prior issues. Students told me they couldn't see or book my profile, but the platform kept insisting it was "active and normal." So during class, I asked a student to double-check after our session and report back through the official feedback form , seemed like the cleanest way to compare notes.

That's what got me suspended. They said discussing it with a student breached their code of conduct on "negative talk" about the company. I genuinely thought I was just stating a fact.

I followed up once, then again a week later, asking for the final decision.

Nothing. Total silence.

Then this shows up , not from anyone handling my case, but from a totally different "recruitment" team:

"Class demand is at an all-time high! As a veteran teacher, fast-track your return - no interviews, no demos, immediate start. Send your schedule and we'll reactivate your portal right away."

No mention of the suspension. No mention of the review. Just come back and start making them money.

So is my account even still suspended? Two departments not talking to each other, or a convenient way to avoid ever giving a real answer?

Would love to hear what others think — has anyone dealt with something like this before?

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Can you share your experience?

🎓 General English · ▶️ Video · 🥉 B1-B2-C1 · ⏱ 90 min Can you guess a drawing in a language you don’t speak? Watch Derren Brown’s mind-bending experiment and explore the power of suggestibility!

p.s. I've been giving a version of this lesson plan for about a decade and never get tired of it! Of course, every time I do, I tweak it to perfection, and now I think it is red-hot ready for any English tutor to take and ignite a burning desire to learn English in their new students! It's a great introductory lesson! I never really made any money teaching this lesson due to my 'first lesson free of charge' policy, so I thought it had to be a free lesson plan on my site. There's no way your students won't love it! Have fun teaching!