Teaching On Native Camp: What You Need To Know

With the plethora of online platforms and companies offering English language lessons to learners and teaching positions to English teachers and tutors, it is difficult to know which online teaching companies are legit.

We’re going to get to the bottom of this by asking the people who really know what they’re talking about: the teachers themselves. 

In this series, we talk to teachers currently teaching online in 2025 and ask them the important questions.

Meet Dariusz, a Native Camp tutor

Dariusz is an English tutor with a degree in Game Design from the University of Witwatersrand, majoring in Interactive Writing and minoring in Literature and English. He has five years of experience teaching children and adults, both in-person and online.

Read more: 6 Differences Between Teaching Adults And Young Learners

What is Dariusz’s teaching philosophy?

I love helping students build confidence through creative expression.  I believe in learning by doing—ask questions, get involved, and practice often!

He now teaches for Native Camp.

Why did you choose to apply to Native Camp?

As you look for work on the TEFL Academy website, you may have encountered this Native Camp advertisement. It’s on their TEFL Jobs Board. 

If you’re anything like me, you probably spotted the ad and thought, “Is this something I’d actually want to do?”

For me, the appeal came from a few things:

• the flexibility of working from anywhere,
• the clear breakdown of pay structure based on experience and tutor rank, 
• an accessible hiring process, with detailed demo prep and strong support,
• and the fact that they don’t require a degree—just solid English skills and a TEFL qualification.

Now, whether you’re a new or experienced teacher, you may be curious to know if this is the job for you. 

Read more: 11 Best Places To Teach English Online With No Degree

What are the requirements and application process like?

  Interestingly, despite being a Japanese company, they don’t require a degree to teach. This allows for any TEFL teacher to apply, but keep in mind that this may affect your initial earning potential. 

Once you’ve applied and been accepted, you are sent an English proficiency test. I got 100% on my test. It is not something any TEFL teacher will struggle with as your TEFL course should have prepared you adequately.

Especially if it was from The TEFL Academy, which includes a nifty module on Understanding and Teaching English Grammar! 

Once you pass the test, you will be asked to do a demo class. This can be a bit stressful if you are like me and get nervous when teaching a new system.

But, Native Camp has wonderful videos that walk you through the demo lesson. You can access these resources as many times as you like before doing the actual demo. 

Also, their materials are very clear. The demo materials are scripted, with the script appearing on screen during the demo, so you can simply read along.

Despite this, I flunked my first demo because I was overconfident and didn’t prepare as much as I could have. The support staff who acted as my student was very polite, and I was notified that I would need to retake the demo after more preparation.

The next time, I took it seriously, did the preparation work and was successful. 

How do you set up your profile?

After completing the application and demo, you’ll need to set up your profile. They prefer—some might say insist on—a face picture with no background.

You can upload a one-minute video introducing yourself, which they will post on their YouTube channel. 

As a Japanese company, they don’t explicitly state it, but they generally prefer no facial piercings or visible tattoos. I have many tattoos on my arms, so I wear long sleeves when I teach or keep my arms out of the screen as much as possible. It’s a cultural thing. They won’t disqualify you for it, but it may impact your ability to get students.  

Once your account is created and live, you can log into their platform and start working.

Interestingly, the platform uses facial recognition each time you sign in to ensure only you can access your account. I sometimes struggle because my beard keeps growing!

How much can you earn with Native Camp?

Payment can get a little complex with Native Camp. As much as I would love to give you an exact idea of how much you can earn, it just isn’t possible. It does vary on a teacher-to-teacher basis. 

As you can see, it clearly says, “Different base-rates according to your English proficiency and tutor rank”—very straightforward and clear. The more experience you have as a teacher, the more earning potential, which is appealing to experienced teachers.

For me, I earn around $10-$15 an hour. I work maybe four or five hours a week for Native Camp as I have a full-time job with another company, and also do freelance writing. 

However, they also have a tutor ranking based on student feedback (as well as other factors such as the number of classes taken) that can increase your earnings and lead to performance bonuses.

So you may not earn the highest rate at the beginning of your education journey with them, but with a little time, patience, and dedication, you can make a respectable income. 

What benefits does Native Camp offer teachers?

They offer “complete flexibilty” which ic technically true, but Native Camp is a Japanese company, and the majority, if not all, of its students live and work in Japan. So the busiest class times will match student availability. If you are located in North America, this can be a 12-hour difference! 

They do an amazing job of time-tracking on their platform. As you can see, they let you track your current time and Japan time simultaneously.

The rest of the benefits are as stated: 

• It is 100% remote. As long as you have a decent internet connection, you can teach anywhere—just keep in mind they prefer a simple background behind the teacher with as few distractions as possible. 

Read more: What Internet Speed Do I Really Need To Teach English Online?

• Each lesson comes with prepared materials. 

• There are no minimum class requirements, which I can attest to as I haven’t been taking as many classes lately. So you can take one class a week or 30! 

• Incentives are frequent, varying monthly, and announced as they become available.

• Their online support is really good. They have teachers and technicians on standby. There may be a bit of a wait during peak teaching times or if there are server or platform-wide issues, but on the whole, they are very helpful and quick to respond. 

Can teaching online with Native Camp be a full-time job? 

It has the potential to be—provided you’re prepared to work around the students’ time. There are several bonuses to be earned by meeting class number requirements—including the no missed sessions’ bonus if you are willing to work seven to eight hours a day. 

There is also a gratuity system where students can essentially tip a Native Camp tutor. It’s called Appreciation.

That’s outside of what I would consider reliable income, but I do think that it’s an interesting idea. 

Native Camp has a bi-monthly payment cycle. However, you can choose when to withdraw your payments.

Does Native Camp assign classes, or do students choose you?

A student may select you by viewing your profile, so it is important to fill it out as completely as possible. I find my game design studies as well as my journalism experience leads to certain students picking me. 

I always enjoy meeting new students and really enjoy the varied interactions with them.

Student availability is higher at certain times, so that’s when you’ll want to be online. They let you know how many slots you can book each day—up to 24 sessions or 12 hours, since classes are 30 minutes each. 

You can also go on standby and can receive “walk-in” students. They do a fantastic job of letting you know which are the best hours to make yourself available.

You can manage your availability by selecting specific time slots. 

If you set your availability in advance, classes are assigned to you as students become available. The standby setting allows you to be available for last-minute students. 

What is the teaching platform like from a tech point of view?

During my time with Native Camp, I haven’t experienced any major technical issues with their software. Support staff are always available. They have a regular maintenance schedule that’s clearly communicated to all teachers through announcements when you log in.

If you’re South African, remember it’s advisable to have some form of uninterrupted power supply like an inverter or powerful UPS, as load shedding is not an accepted excuse for missing classes. 

When I began teaching online in South Africa, a major investment for me was an inverter. It keeps me powered up for about 12 to 14 hours during load shedding, as I only have my laptop and router connected. 

They do have cancellation policies in case of emergencies. 

Does Native Camp provide lesson materials?

Native Camp provides you with all the materials you need for each session. 

When a student joins your class, the text lesson they selected beforehand appears automatically. It can be changed upon the student’s request, but is usually followed.

Materials are easy to follow, and like in the case of the demo, scripted. The materials are well-planned, clear and easy to teach. A great deal of time has gone into preparing these materials, and I’ve yet to encounter any mistakes.

💡 Quick tip: I find it best to follow the script while adding your own touch. Don’t just read it without any variation—pay attention to your student, repeat when needed, and explain or expand when necessary. The scripts are helpful, but it’s the 1-on-1 interaction that really boosts student reviews.

How does student feedback work on Native Camp?

Positive student reviews can boost you to the top tutor ranking and help you earn monthly bonuses. Students can also send optional appreciation to a teacher, but it will most likely come from students who’ve had a meaningful and enjoyable lesson.

I find the students to be a pleasure to teach. I have yet to come across a student who was rude or disengaged. This is likely because either they or their parents are paying for the lessons, and they value their time. Most students are punctual and eager to learn.

Would you recommend teaching on Native Camp?

I believe they are a viable source of income for those willing to put in the time and effort, which is true for most online teaching jobs. It’s a little slow at first, but once you get a few students, you’ll be surprised how it can add up.

Interested? The first step is a TEFL qualification!