Making money by teaching languages online, isn’t that the dream?
Whether you are looking for a flexible online job that allows you to travel the world, or you are simply looking for some ways to make some money on the side, teaching languages online is a great place to start.
Teaching online allows you to set your own hours (so you can sleep in as long as you’d like) and make money wherever there is a decent internet connection.
Teaching languages online seems like the perfect job for many language enthusiasts who also enjoy flexibility, so I wanted to write an article that would tell you a little bit more about this unique opportunity.
There are many reasons why teaching online can be the ideal job for you, whether it is because you want to make some extra bucks or you are looking for a way to finance your international lifestyle.
Why make money teaching languages online
You can teach anywhere
Maybe you have your mindset on an idyllic beach on the other side of the planet, or maybe you like to be able to go work without having to put on pants.
Either way, teaching languages online allows you to bring in the money from literally any place with an internet connection.
Simply make sure you have a decent webcam and decent audio quality and a good wifi connection, and the world is your oyster.
Oh, this also means there is absolutely no commute time. You work the hours you work, and the rest you can spend doing whatever you feel like.
You are able to set your own hours
Most websites work with a schedule where you can simply fill in your available hours, and students can book with you within those possibilities.
This means you can adjust your working schedule to your own preferred hours.
Not much of a morning person?
Sleep in and start working somewhere in the afternoon.
Prefer to have Monday off?
Sure, why not?
You decide what teaching hours work best for you.
Simply put, you can work anyplace, anywhere, anytime.
You can set your own rates
This won’t be the case right from the start. Like any job, you have to settle in before you can demand the big bucks.
But most sites allow you to set your own rates, so as you get more proficient in your teaching and more students leave positive reviews confirming what a great teacher you are, you can adjust your rates accordingly.
You can set your rates higher, maybe earning a little less overall but also making fewer hours, or work more hours while charging a little less and earning more on a monthly basis.
It’s up to you.
How much should I charge?
As long as you are qualified for the work you are delivering, how much you charge is really up to you.
If you are just starting out, you can look around at the platform you have chosen and see what other people charge. Start low, and slowly work your way up.
One interesting thing about the human psyche is that people will often value something less if they get it for free or pay only a small amount.
The same goes for people looking for language classes.
While some people might look for a budget-friendly teacher to practice languages with, others might see low prices as an indication you aren’t qualified.
Imposter syndrome is common in any field, but once you are a qualified teacher with some experience, there is no reason not to experiment with your pricing.
You might lose a few clients, but that’s okay.
After all, it’s better to make $50 working one hour than to make $50 working 5 hours at a $10 rate.
Cool, you’ve convinced me. Where do I apply?
There are multiple websites where you can apply to make money teaching languages online, depending on what language you are intending on teaching.
Each website has its own demands, language offering, etc, so I will list as many as possible and I would simply pick out the one that is best for you.
I will try to make the information as clear as possible, but if something is not clear there might be more information than what I could find, so either keep on googling or reach out to the company in question if you have any more specific questions.
Requirements for any websites may include a high school or university degree, previous teaching experience, a TEFL certificate, or maybe an online interview.
More importantly, I have mostly included the ones that offer a wider variety of languages.
When you have a specific language in mind you could always look online to see if there are any specific websites for you out there.
Without any further ado, here are your best options.
6 Sites To Make Money Teaching Online
1. Verbling
Languages: 10+
Hourly rate: $7 – $30
“Verbling’s mission is to empower people all over the world to become fluent in a foreign language. While our core team is based in San Francisco, the teachers and students who make our mission possible are spread across six continents.
Verbling is an online platform where language learners can take lessons with professional teachers. Our in-house staff vets every application from prospective teachers.
Only those teachers who meet rigorous standards are accepted, ensuring high instruction quality for our learners.
As a result, the average learner rating for a Verbling teacher is 4.9 out of 5.
Our lessons take place over video chat, so people can learn wherever they may find themselves.
Adding to the convenience, our language teachers are available 24/7, covering all timezones globally. Ninety-five percent of our members rate their likelihood of recommending Verbling to a friend between 7 and 10 out of 10.”
One of my favorite things about Verbling is that they offer a wide range of languages and you can always send in your application.
2. iTalki
Languages: 10+
Hourly rate: $10 – $30
iTalki is one of the best known online platforms for language teachers, and for good reason.
“We believe that the key thing that is missing from language education is people.
We built iTalki to make human connections between language learners and language teachers.
On our platform, you can find a teacher from the US to tutor you in English, or a person in China to practice Chinese with you.
We believe that everyone can become fluent in any foreign language with a teacher.”
iTalki now has a global community of over a million language learners and more than a thousand language teachers, studying over a hundred languages.
Hundreds of thousands of paid language lessons have taken place on iTalki, and every day, more and more students and teachers are discovering how quickly they can learn with personal online lessons.”
I have personally used iTalki as a student, and I love the fact I am able to pick my own teachers.
In my experience, once students pick a teacher they become quite loyal, so you’ll most likely build up a small group of regular students that you teach regularly.
3. Vipkid
Language: English
Hourly rate: $14 -$22
“VIPKID provides an international learning experience to children in China between the ages 4-12.
Headquartered in Beijing, the company offers fully immersive one-on-one English language instruction provided online by highly qualified teachers.
The curriculum is based on the U.S. Common Core State Standards and uses a flipped-classroom approach to foster creativity and critical thinking skills.”
As mentioned above, this website is mainly for teaching children, so that is something you have to be prepared for. However, most of these kids already have a fair base in the English language, and your goal would be to help them grow even further.
Classes are either by the hour or by 30 minutes.
I know many people who teach with VipKid and they absolutely adore it, and it allows them to travel the world as they teach.
4. Verbalplanet
Languages: 10+
Hourly rate: $10 – $30
“Founded in 2006, Verbalplanet.com is an award-winning language training and tuition service which facilitates online language classes between language learners and native speaking language tutors around the globe using the Skype internet telephony service.
New technologies continue to make enormous changes to the way people learn modern languages.
Whilst we are a ‘high tech’ service, we are proud to be championing an innovative approach to learning a foreign language with a very ‘human’ side, and one which focuses on what we believe learning a foreign language is all about – real people engaging in real conversation.”
5. Cambly
Languages: English
Hourly Rate: $10
Now, this isn’t actually teaching but more of a tutoring website.
Unlike most others, you get paid by the minute, not by the hour.
They don’t require any experience, so it is a great place to get started if you have none.
This also makes it the perfect thing to do on the side.
6. Lingoda
Languages: English, German, French, Spanish
Hourly Rate: $8-$13
Lingoda is a very tight looking website that offers group sessions for people learning one of the above-mentioned languages.
7. QKids
Language: English
Hourly Rate: $16 – $20
QKids is a Taiwan based company aiming to connect native English speakers to Taiwanese kids.
The great thing about QKids is that they have the whole curriculum ready to go, so there is no extra hassle involved when it comes to preparing classes.
They, unfortunately, have some requirements which don’t make this a suitable option for everyone, but if you do meet these this might be a great opportunity.
These are their requirements:
- Eligible to legally work in the U.S. or Canada
- Bachelor’s degree
- Teaching license or English teaching certificate (TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, ESL) required before lessons assigned
Get TEFL Certified for $40
A lot of jobs for teaching English online require some type of credentials when it comes to teaching.
A TEFL certificate might come in handy, but getting one can get pretty pricey.
Luckily, there are ways of getting your TEFL certificate for less than $40.