Why TEFL Is A Great Online Side Hustle

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These days our lives are all about convenience and flexibility – and side hustles! Because who doesn’t want to earn a few more bucks each month? 

And if you’re looking for one of the best ways to make money on the side, there’s not much more convenient or flexible than teaching English online as a side hustle. 

Read more: The Boom Of Online English Teaching – And Why You Should Be Doing It

But before we get ahead of ourselves, what exactly is teaching English as a Foreign Language online?

What is teaching English online? 

Teaching English online is a way for TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) teachers to teach English to non-native speakers of English online. It’s one of the best remote side hustles for TEFL teachers.

In fact, teaching English online is one of the best remote side hustles for anyone, even if you have another career.

Who can you teach online?

EFL students can be any age, any nationality, any English level, and based anywhere in the world. 

Read more: Who Can I Teach Online?

Where can you teach online?

TEFL teachers can also be anywhere in the world and any nationality.

What qualifications do I need to teach English online?

The major requirements for teaching English online is to be fluent in English and have a TEFL qualification. That’s it!

Sometimes you need a degree, but this is not always the case. It depends on the company you are working for if they require a degree, but there are many that don’t. And if you work as a freelance online teacher then you only need the qualifications you want!

What do you teach in an online English lesson?

Your lessons could:

  • be conversation-based, 
  • follow a coursebook, or 
  • focus on a specific need of your student. 

Online English lessons can be 20 minutes or 90 minutes or anything in-between.

Who can I work for as an online English teacher?

You can work for an online company or you can be an independent online teacher.

All of this can be summed up in one word: flexibility. Teaching English online gives you freedom very few jobs can offer. And it’s the main reason we love it as a way to make money!

TTA alumni Lorraine smiling while at her desk during on online English lesson
Lorraine Yu teaches online from Hong Kong

Why should you teach English online as a side hustle?

The current climate means working online is one of the best ways to guarantee an income. Teaching English online is one way to do that.

It’s convenient and flexible – and super easy to get started. You don’t need a lengthy, expensive degree to be an online English teacher. And you don’t need loads of capital to set yourself up. 

It’s the ideal side hustle that makes money.

You can choose how much you want to work

If you only want to work one hour a day, that’s fine.

 If you’re having a slow month and want to work 8 hours a day, that’s cool. 

If you’re trying to save up for a new iPhone, you can put in a few extra hours every week until you’ve reached your goal. 

If you get sick and don’t want to work for a week, that’s also ok.

You can choose when you want to work

If you prefer to do your day job, uh, in the day, then you can schedule a few English lessons for the evenings or early mornings. 

If you really want to you could teach all your lessons before 9am every morning and have the rest of the day to focus on other work (and have a nap, hopefully). 

If you’re wondering how on earth you are going to wake up your students for such early morning classes, remember that your students are probably in a different time zone to you. While it might be 6am for you it could be 5pm for them. 

You can choose how it works for you

Do you only want to work weekends? That’s fine. Find students who feel the same or work for a company that offers weekend work.

Would you rather students find you? Okay, then. Upload an introductory video to an appropriate platform and wait for students to book lessons with you.

Are you ready to ease yourself into working remotely full-time? No problem. Teach on the side to gather up some savings until you’re ready to take the plunge. Bonus: you’ll already have work lined up for when you leave your job.

Read more: To Be Or Not To Be A Freelance Online English Teacher

How much can you earn as an online English teacher? 

Teaching English online offers you the opportunity to work as an independent teacher or for an online company. Either way, you’re paid an hourly rate. The beauty of this is that you can work as many hours as you want and when you want. 

Your company might have minimum hours they require you to teach, and time zones dictate certain hours your students will be available. But the number of online students means you can tailor your schedule to suit your lifestyle.

Read more: How Much Can I Really Earn Teaching English Online?

The hourly rate of online TEFL teachers can vary wildly. 

You can find newbie teachers without any experience or TEFL qualifications offering lessons for as little as $5 an hour. For someone who lives in a country with a very low cost of living, this can work out to a living wage.

Teachers with TEFL qualifications typically charge $15+ for hourly lessons. The more qualified, the more experienced, and the more niche you are, the more you can charge. Freelance online teachers can charge upwards of $40 an hour.

Working for an online company, your hourly rate is likely to be between $10 and $20 an hour. Very often your hourly rate can be bumped up with bonuses for completing lessons or getting positive feedback. 

The plus side of working for a company is that you don’t need to spend time marketing yourself and finding students – so you can work more.

TTA alumni Maryse at her laptop teaching an online lesson
TTA alumni Maryse teaches English online from France

Read more: How To Maximise Your Earnings As An Online English Teacher

How to make TEFL your side hustle

Become TEFL Certified

It’s quite simple: get TEFL certified! 

Because of the competitive nature of teaching English online, make sure your TEFL certification is up to scratch. Don’t be scammed by too-cheap-to-be-true TEFL courses on daily deal websites. 

Your TEFL qualification should be:

  • at least 120 hours long,
  • comprehensive,
  • internationally recognised,
  • from a reputable company, and
  • highly regarded by those in the TEFL field. 

The best way to find out about a TEFL qualification before you buy a course is to look for reviews online from former students.

[Psst! Sign up for a TEFL course with The TEFL Academy and you also get access to our Top-Up Course Teaching English Online And One To One absolutely free!]

Get equipped 

With your TEFL certificate in hand, you can get yourself ready to teach. 

There are a few basics you need when it comes to equipment for teaching English online. You’ll need:

  • A reliable laptop
  • A stable internet connection (find out how to test your internet connection here)
  • A quiet, well-lit space

Optional:

  • Headset
  • Webcam
  • Props if you’re teaching Young Learners
  • A whiteboard

Another great thing about teaching English online is that there are minimal start-up costs. Most of us already have a laptop and some sort of internet connection. To teach English online regularly, you need to make sure you have continued access to a fast, high-quality internet connection and possibly invest in a few extras. 

As for teaching resources, there are a ton of resources available to you online. And, if you’re working for an online teaching compnay, they may provide you with all the resources you need for your lesson plans – sometimes even lesson plans as well!

Read more: From Zero To Hero: Cool (Free) Resources To Make Your Online Lessons Amazing

Start applying 

Now that you’ve got yourself sorted with all the right gear, it’s time to start applying for online jobs.

Applying for online teaching jobs is pretty similar to applying to other teaching jobs. Look online on the various Jobs Boards, job listing sites, or directly on the online company websites for online English teaching vacancies. 

You’re usually required to fill in an application form or send through your CV with a cover letter. Online teaching companies may ask you to send through an introductory video or demo video. This is so they can see you on camera and hear your English and your accent. 

Once you’ve been through the application process and been accepted, wait for your students to sign up for your lessons!

Remember, it’s totally possible to sign up with more than one teaching company or platform. Or teach a few hours a week with a company and teach private students on the side. 

Read more: How To Make A Kickass Teaching Demo Video For Teaching English Online

TTA alumna Lucy started working online while she was still employed: 

 I started teaching online about 2 months after I completed the course, and in very little time, delivered my first lessons to students from Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Singapore and more! And although not every student works out, some of my first ones are still learning with me now. 

One of the big advantages for me has been creating long-term connections with students, helping them progress week by week, hearing their life updates – particularly anything related to their English learning, like the time a student told me she felt she’d secured a new job thanks to our speaking practice and interview preparation!

Online teaching has been the perfect option for a complete newbie TEFL teacher like myself. Being able to just dip my toe in, to gain experience and grow, all while still working in my other job has been a great start.

3 Other ways of making money from language skills 

Of course, teaching English online is not the only online side hustle for making money. If your English language skills are up to par or if you can speak another language, here are a few more ideas for you:

Online translator 

Many companies require translators for their content. If you speak two (or more) languages fluently, you can look for projects on online marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork.

Create language resources

For teachers, time is money. You can save other teachers time and earn yourself some money by investing in developing teaching resources.

Conversation buddy

Conversation is one of the best ways to improve your fluency in a language. Why not become a conversation buddy with a language learner who is learning a language you speak? 

There are tons of companies online offering platforms which enable you to chat with learners all over the world. You can even do it on Skype or on your phone! 

If the world of teaching English as a foreign language has always intrigued you but you’re not sure yet if you want to give up your career, perhaps now is a good time to get involved with teaching English online as a side hustle. Only time will tell if you want to make a career out of it and, in the meantime, you can earn some cash!

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The TEFL Academy was the world’s first TEFL course provider to receive official recognition from government regulated awarding bodies in both the USA and UK. This means when you graduate you’ll hold a globally recognised Level 3 (120hr) Certificate or Level 5 (168hr) Diploma, meaning you can find work anywhere and apply for jobs immediately.

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