12 Places To Teach English Online to Chinese Students

There are some general requirements that teachers need to comply with for teaching Chinese students online:

• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred.
• You must have a TEFL certification. Even better is a TEFL from The TEFL Academy!
• You need a Bachelor’s degree – it does not have to be in Education.
• Teaching experience of some kind is required. 

Besides these basic requirements, teachers wanting to teach Chinese students online are also expected to have the following:

• 10+ Mbps download and upload speed
• A good quality headset and microphone
• A decent laptop or desktop and webcam

If you already have a TEFL certificate we would advise you to look into one of our Top-Up courses -Teaching Young Learners, Teaching Business English and Teaching Online and 1:1. These can drastically improve your chances for getting an online teaching job in China or increase the hourly rate that you get paid.

*Disclaimer: The online landscape for TEFL teachers in China has changed after the Chinese government decided to regulate online teaching and this means some of these companies may be affected by the laws and regulations limiting online learning in China.

VIPKid is a very large ESL company in China that provides one-on-one classes to children aged 4 to 12 years old. Teachers are provided with lesson plans and a set curriculum. VIPKid has linked up with several well-known educational companies like National Geographic Learning, SmartStudy, Tesol, and Scholastic to provide materials for their teachers.

• Rates: $14 – $22 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 7.5 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Two years prior teaching experience.
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred.
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

Magic ears is an online teaching company where teachers teach students either one-on-one or in small groups. At Magic Ears students are children between the ages of 4 and 12. Magic Ears makes use of advanced technology in their classrooms that creates an interactive teaching environment. 

• Rates: Up to $26 an hour
• Minimum hours: You set your own schedule – there are no minimum hours required to teach with Magic Ears
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required
• Some prior teaching experience
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred 
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Submit an application on their website. You’ll be asked to give a demo class of about 10 minutes. After passing the first stage you’ll be given some training and asked to do a 25-minute class. A background check will be done and if you are successful you can start teaching.

Da Da is an online English company for teaching Chinese students that prides itself on its high standards. The company has linked up with Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill Education, Oxford University Press, National Geographic Learning, and Highlights. Classes are taught one-on-one and teachers are given lesson plans and a set curriculum. Students are aged between 4 – 16 years old.

• Rates: $14 – $25 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 6 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required
• 1- 2 years prior teaching experience
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Apply on the Da Da website by submitting your personal information. You’ll then have an interview, some training and testing of your internet speed and stability. If you pass these stages you’ll receive a contract and teach probationary classes before being hired permanently.

Skooli is a platform that offers classes in a lot of different subjects to students. English is the only language taught on the platform. Classes are taught through their own interactive platform that makes use of Google documents. Teachers create a profile and students pick a teacher based on their profile. The more popular the teacher, the more students they have.

• Rates: Rate is set at $25 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 15 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Apply on the Skooli website. If you meet the requirement a team member from Skooli will reach out to you to discuss your qualifications and scheduling. If you’re approved you can start teaching.

GoGo Kid is a relatively new online teaching company. They make use of an engaging platform and curriculum to teach vocabulary through storytelling. All classes are taught one-on-one and students are aged between 4 – 12 years old.

• Rates: $14 – $25 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 10 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required
• Native English speakers from the United States or Canada are preferred
• 2 years of prior teaching experience is required
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Register a profile on the GoGo Kids website. After passing the initial screening you’ll have an interview. In your interview you’ll have to do a 10-minute demo lesson. If you’re successful you’ll receive training and be able to start teaching.

Preply is a platform where you can tutor students online. Tutors specialise in different subjects, including English. With Preply there is no set curriculum or lesson plan. You create your own lessons based on what your students need. Students find teachers through their profiles. The more engaging and fun your profile is, the more likely you are to get students. Popular tutors earn good salaries on Preply.

• Rates: $10 – $45 an hour. Preply takes commission on every class you teach. The more hours you teach, the less commission is charged. 
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 8 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: You do not need a degree or prior teaching experience
• Native English speakers are preferred but not required
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Register to become a tutor on Preply’s website. After a review process you’ll receive a notification on the results of your application.

Cambly is one of the most popular platforms to work for when it comes to online teaching. Classes are conversation-based sessions where you chat to students from all over the world. The students are mostly adults wanting to improve their English skills.

• Rates: $10 an hour. Cambly pays for each minute that you are on the platform. Salaries are paid through PayPal.
• Minimum hours: You set your own schedule – there are no minimum hours required to teach on Cambly
• Teacher requirements: You do not need a degree or prior teaching experience
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Create a profile on Cambly’s website and start teaching!

ITalki is a platform that connects students and teachers for one-on-one English lessons. Students choose teachers based on their teacher profile and student reviews. Teachers create their own schedule and Italki has no set classes or lesson plans. The platform allows you to create a lesson based on your student’s needs.

• Rates: Teachers set their own price per hour. ITalki charges 15% commission of the teacher’s listed lesson price. Teachers usually charge $10 an hour.
• Minimum hours: You set your own schedule – there are no minimum hours required to teach on ITalki
• Teacher requirements: You do not need a degree or prior teaching experience
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

How to sign up: Submit an application on the Italki website and wait for a confirmation email.

ClassTalk is another online Chinese teaching company that provides English classes to students. All materials are provided to teachers and teachers don’t have to worry about drawing up lesson plans.

• Rates: $20 – $30 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 8 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: You need a Bachelor’s degree
• 1 year prior teaching experience
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours

Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection

Whales English teaches English online to students in small classes. Each class only has three students and students are aged between 3 and 18 years old. There is a set curriculum for each age group that guides teachers.

• Rates: $18 – $30 an hour
• Minimum hours: You have to teach a minimum of 8 hours a week
• Teacher requirements: A Bachelor’s degree is required
• Native English speakers from the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are preferred. No South Africans are considered.
• 1 year of teaching experience is required
• A TEFL certification of 120 hours
• Technical requirements: A laptop or computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a strong internet connection.

How to sign up: Sign up for an account on their website. Do a mock class interview. The company will do a background check, check your qualifications and then inform you if you are hired.

Now that you know where to look for an online job teaching Chinese students, the first thing you have to do is make sure you get a TEFL certification. Look no further than The TEFL Academy!

We have a number of online TEFL courses. You can do a Level 3 TEFL Diploma or a Level 5 TEFL Diploma with us. If you choose our Level 3 course you get a 120-hour TEFL certification. This is an online-only course and a great option if you want casual work teaching English, like volunteer teaching, teaching while travelling and some online teaching. 

Choosing our Level 5 course will give you a 168-hour TEFL certification. This course is the best option if you’re looking for contracted teaching jobs and government teaching programmes.

Once you have completed either the Level 3 or Level 5 course, you can look into one of our Top-Up courses – Teaching Young Learners, Teaching Business English and Teaching Online and 1:1 (bonus: they’re free when you sign up for a TEFL course!)

Don’t wait – sign up today and you could soon be earning money from your couch!