A 5-Step Plan for How To Teach English Online in 2027

How To Start Teaching English Online

In order to teach English online, you will first need to determine your preferred online platform, meet the technological & employer requirements, and then begin applying for online English teaching positions. A TEFL Certification will give a significant leg up in this market, though requirements vary by employer and job type.

5 Key Steps Table of Contents

Watch the following video on how to teach English online:

Now let's look at the following steps for how to teach TEFL online in detail:

1. Get TEFL Certified

It is possible to teach English online without a TEFL certification. However, due to the market becoming more competitive than ever, and with most private employers requiring it,  we believe it is of the utmost importance to get TEFL certified when considering teaching English online. Besides being a job requirement,  an accredited TEFL certification will equip you with the essential skills and qualifications needed to teach English as a second language both online and in traditional classroom settings worldwide.

A TEFL certification course can take anywhere from 4 to 11+ weeks to complete. Prices for a certification vary by provider due to what they offer within the course, as well as job search assistance.

At International TEFL Academy, we firmly believe in student success and the importance of expert instruction, and thus all of our courses are specifically run by highly qualified university-level instructors with extensive experience in TEFL and at least a Master's in Education or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). A high percentage of instructors also hold a Ph.D. 

Explore:

• 4-week Part-Time or 11-week Full-Time Online TEFL Courses
• 4-week Full-Time In-Person TEFL Courses located in 20+ cities around the world.

Bonus: If you want to set yourself up for further online teaching success, you can also enroll in an advanced TEFL course in teaching English online during or after your TEFL course. This specialized course is designed specifically for those seeking to teach English online and gain further confidence in the area. 

2. Determine Your Preferred Method of Online English Teaching

There are three major types of employment opportunities for online English teachers:

1. Structured Online ESL Platforms

   These online ESL companies typically specialize in online education and have built out the infrastructure for teaching English online. An excellent option for first-time teachers, they provide teachers with a structured platform that includes an online classroom, pre-planned curriculum, and lesson plans. As a result, the teacher has little prep work other than reviewing the materials before each lesson. These organizations typically offer a set base rate of pay. However, teachers can achieve additional incentive-based rates through positive reviews, 100% on-time attendance, teaching a certain number of classes per month, etc.
   
   

2. Open Marketplace Online ESL Platforms

   These ESL online teaching platforms enable teachers to market themselves and their English-teaching abilities to attract students. Teachers are typically required to create their own lesson plans and materials for each lesson they teach as their students' ages and levels vary from young children to older adults. In addition, online ESL teachers set their own tuition rates on these platforms, and the platform receives a commission. Major employers in this category include Preply, Cambly, iTalki, and Palfish.
   
   

3. Tutor English Online Privately

   To become an English tutor online, you will be required to market yourself privately to attain students outside of a platform. We will expand on this in the next section.

Private Online English Tutor Jobs

Teachers who do not want to work for any of the major online platforms or open marketplaces can offer their services privately as online English tutors. However, to become an English tutor online, the teacher is required to source their own students via word-of-mouth, online advertising, etc. 

The benefits of this approach include:

• Making more money per lesson as teachers set their own rates and there is no external platform taking a cut. 
• The ability to tailor each lesson exactly to the students' needs based on their ESL level.
• Job variation: Teachers may be instructing a child one day, and then a business English adult learner the next.

Obstacles that this ESL tutor online approach may present:

• Creating individual lesson materials and prep for each lesson can take more time (especially for first-time teachers).
• For those taking this approach with no prior online teaching experience, it can take significant time and energy to build a base clientele of students. 

3. Find Your Online Teaching English Jobs

3a. Apply for Online ESL Jobs & Begin Interviewing

Suppose you decide to seek employment with a structured platform or an open marketplace. In that case, you can start researching your job options. While there are many different online teaching platforms available for you to apply to, keep in mind that not all will be hiring when you apply. Also, some won’t be as quick to get back to you as others.  

Not sure where to begin? We’ve got you covered with these resources to help kickstart your online teaching English job search:

• Teaching English Online Employer Index
• 13 Companies That Let You Teach English Online Without a Degree
• 10 Companies Where You Can Teach English Online to Adults

You should carefully research online teaching companies and determine where most of their students are based. For example, suppose you decide to teach English online from the U.S. You may consider exploring a platform that caters to students in similar time zones. That way, you do not have to put in super early mornings or extremely late nights. 

Some structured platforms that cater to these time zones are Open English, English2Go, or LatinHire. Others to consider are open-marketplace platforms like Cambly and Preply that cater to students worldwide. You can then find students in time zones that are ideal for your US-based location. 

3b. Begin Promoting Your Services and Sourcing Students

If you decide to seek employment through private ESL tutoring, you’ll need to hustle to establish a roster of students to teach. 

Proactive ways to set yourself up for success:

• Put together a website promoting your teaching services and credentials, and be sure to include a welcome video so prospective students can get a sense of you as a teacher and hear your accent;
• Take on a couple of clients for free to establish confidence in your teaching abilities and to generate some positive reviews that you can promote on your website.
• Ensure you have all the equipment necessary to do this yourself - a video conferencing program (i.e., Zoom), a laptop or desktop computer that can support your needs, high-speed internet/wifi, a headset, etc.
• Set competitive hourly rates for your lessons. You may even consider starting off a little lower than market rates, and increasing your rate after establishing yourself.

Ways to source students include:

• Through language exchange groups on Facebook;
• Take out an ad in newspapers offering your services to those in need;
• Promote your ESL services across social media;
• Post on community boards;
• Post flyers at local community centers, especially those that cater to non-native English speakers;
• Set aside a small budget to test-run some ads across Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc. If it works, you may decide to increase your budget to generate more traction;
• Positive word of mouth and referrals!

4. Make Sure You Have Everything You Need to Ensure Success as an Online ESL Teacher

Naturally, you’ll need to invest in the right technology for teaching online, including a laptop/desktop computer with a webcam, microphone/headset, and high-speed internet/wifi. But have you thought about other teaching resources that can help you up your game?

Here are some additional tools to help ensure your success teaching English online:

• A video platform that’s user-friendly for both parties (i.e., Zoom) - if you take the private tutoring route.
• Programs that act as a virtual blackboard; 
• Props to help make class more fun and engaging (especially if you’re teaching younger children);
• Online games that can be played to engage your students and help make learning fun;
• Lesson plans - this is especially important if you decide to source your own students and don’t work for a platform that provides you with materials for each lesson. You will be solely responsible for putting together all lesson plans and class materials based on your students' levels and needs.

5. Begin Teaching English Online!

 Now the real work begins! Once you have secured your position or begun your freelance business, make sure you are best set up for success by checking the following: 

• Understand your teaching schedule and make sure you can keep it.
• Complete a demo lesson if required by your employer or just as good practice.
• Prepare your first lessons to make sure you stay ahead of your workload.
• Make sure all of your equipment and your internet connection are running properly. 

For freelancers specifically, it is always a good idea to continue to network and build trust to keep a flow of students to your business.