When it comes to traveling endlessly around the world, one of the key points is to be able to make an income on the road.

A few years ago when Darian was born, I remember wondering how I was gonna be able to make money while being in a foreign country to keep traveling. Having heard about people making a living out of online teaching, I decided to go all-in. I passed an online TEFL diploma (short for Teaching English as a Foreign Language), which took me around 6 weeks and cost me about 150€. Being a French, English is not my native language, but I thought nobody was really interested in learning anything else than English. I was wrong, since I spent thousands of hours teaching French over the past 2 years. I had no experience or qualifications prior to that.

For the purpose of this post, I spent many hours online trying to find companies offering remuneration in exchange for teaching a language and then I sorted them into various categories.

Probably more of them are out there so feel free to add any suggestion and help me to build this list. I’d really appreciate if you can comment in case it allowed you to find a job.

Here’s a complete breakdown, company by company, where you can find a job online :

Set your own profile :

Teaching platforms where you can create your profile, and if it’s accepted students can find you and book lessons at your chosen price. YOU can teach any language you are comfortable with.

iTalki -> It’s my favorite platform and by far where I taught the most. About a hundred of languages are taught and there’s a market for pretty much anyone, even if you have no qualifications or experience. You can set your own rate and your own availability. Lessons are taught through Skype and iTalki takes 15% of your earnings.. Very good support in case of problems, protecting the teacher very well. The only downside for me is to get paid. It’s difficult to transfer money from the site to your account without a huge charge.

Verbling -> Another good platform where I’m regularly teaching. You can set your own price but you can teach only one language. Verbling takes 15% of your earnings and it’s very simple to transfer to your Paypal, Payoneer (or other) account, without any fee(at least for French citizens). You’re not supposed to use Skype to teach and instead use their software included in the site, but I often have problems with it. Another thing I don’t like about Verbling is that the teacher is not really protected, a student can cancel the lesson on a very short notice or cancel a package without penalty.

VerbalPlanet -> I didn’t sign up here so difficult to speak about it, the tutor registration is currently closed but that’ll probably change in the future.

Preply -> I signed up there at the beginning, and shortly after got a request. I didn’t like the site and chose not to pursue with them. They take 100% of your first lesson, then 33% until you reach a certain numbers of hours.

Update : 2 years later I tried again, there’s a good amount of students on the website, but they still take way too much of what you’re earning.

Cafetalk -> It’s a Japanese website, explaining why you will find mostly Japanese students. I occasionally teach there, but the commission taken by the website is huge, 40% for beginners, and after 6 months they still take 30% out of every lesson I teach. You should do well if you speak Japanese. A very wide range of subjects are taught, from music to yoga.

Wyzant -> Only for American citizen or foreigners with a working visa in the US. I signed up and learned that you’re not allowed to withdraw money if you can’t show proof of a valid visa. The pay seems insanely high though. Many subjects taught.

Chegg Tutors -> Many subjects are taught on the website from English to Math. 20US$ per hour.

Tutor’s live -> I didn’t try, doesn’t seem to be very active.

Blazaar -> I signed up and received a message that they would schedule an interview soon but I’ve never received anything. The website seems quite dead.

Globallingos -> The website seems quite dead as well.

Tandem -> You get 80% of what you charge.

AIM For A -> Bachelor’s degree or higher. Teach English, but also Science, Maths… Probably only for Americans.

UpWork -> It’s a big website to find freelancers, a lot of competition and you’ll probably have to lower your rates at the beginning to get positive reviews. Worth to check if you’re into translation/proofreading.

Fiverr -> Another very popular website for freelancer, but not very big on teaching. Might worth trying.

Native English speaker :

This category is for companies looking to hire teachers on a full-time or part-time basis. usually you cannot choose your remuneration.

VipKid -> Probably the company you should aim for. I applied & got refused. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree, need to live in specific countries (about 10 are eligible + East Asia). Pay is between 14 to 22$ per hour. They’re taking over the market recently, and they’ll surely look for teachers, especially if you’re from the US. 6-month minimum contract if you pass the interview. They provide materials.

Eigox -> I applied & got refused after the interview. I’m glad because they have a really bad reputation online. Some former employees even set up a Facebook page to denounce the attitude of the company. They want native English speaker but only from the US, Canada, UK, Australia & New Zealand. They pay 600 yen per 25 minutes (4.50€ – 5.30US$).

BOXFiSH -> I applied & got refused after the interview. Even high school students are welcomed as long as they are native English speakers.

LikeShuo -> Opened to any native English speaker, as well as Chinese.

EnglishHunt -> It’s a Korean company teaching English only to Korean students. Bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate required. Only for Americans.

OpenEnglish -> Teach Latin American students. Only for Americans again.

SmileABC -> Chinese company. Pay 16 to 24US$ per hour. Bachelor’s degree required. They provide teaching materials and asked for a minimum of 10-hour availability a week during their peak hours with a 6-month commitment. Native speakers from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland only.

DaDaABC -> One-on-one lesson with children between 4 and 16. Native speakers and bachelor’s degree required. They provide teaching materials. The pay is up to 25$ an hour.

Skimatalk -> You can set your own rates, usually between 14 – 20US$. No requirements except the fact of speaking English like a native. Students are mostly Japanese.

51talk -> Base rate is 18$ per 45 minutes + bonuses. The students are Chinese kids under 12. Bachelor’s degree required + 1 year of experience teaching kids + experienced in the US/Canadian education systems. 1 year contract. Good reputation online. Seems like they stopped hiring native teachers because they cost more.

Learnship -> German-based company looking for native English speakers with good French or German skills. Require a teaching certificate or a bachelor’s degree, and experience teaching English/business English is not mandatory but strongly preferred. Not really sure how to apply.

Fastschool -> Claim that they pay 40 to 120US$ per hour, so it sounds like a scam. English-teaching certificate required. Only looking for American or Canadian citizens with a bachelor’s degree.

GoFluent -> They don’t seem to look for anybody now but we can have a look by clicking on this link.

Same Speak -> Pay is 10US$ per 30-minute lesson. It seems like they are not looking for teachers now.

Topic-Time -> Not looking for teacher now.

Highway to English -> For Americans only?

Carrot English -> South Korean company.

English Everywhere -> Japanese company. They require a TEFL/TOEFL qualification. Pay seems to be 1800 yen per hour (16US$)

Funbulous (JiuQu English) -> 16 to 20US$ per hour. Must be based in Canada or the US. They require a candidate to be currently enrolled as a university student or to have a bachelor’s degree. Minimum 6 hours a week, maximum 18 hours. Students are Chinese kids aged 5 to 12.

ACEMEC  -> Japanese company looking for native speakers of American or British English and based in the UK or the US. Pay is 20 to 25US$ to start. Two years of experience and bachelor’s degree required.

New Vision Learning Services 

Education First -> Minimum of 15 hours a week. They require only a bachelor’s degree. Native English speakers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, or the United States.

Brown Cow English -> A new company from the UK targeting Russian students. Pay works out at £11.33 ($15) an hour for general English and £12.67 ($16.80) per hour for exam classes and business. Not too much work now though but they are hoping to get bigger. Bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate required.

Sprout4future -> You can apply by sending an email to this address : sprout4future@rouchi.com.

US Kids

Pudtree English -> Minimum 1 year of kid English teaching experience. Owner of a Bachelor degree or above.  Native Speakers from US/UK/CAN/AUS. 17 to 22US$ per hour.

DeerKid -> Native English speaker from the US or Canada, bachelor’s degree, teaching certificate and one year experience teaching children minimum.

New Life ESL

98kid -> Recently created. Pay up to 22$US per hour. You can send your resume with a photo at hi@98kid.com . Their website is only in Chinese so their Facebook page might be useful

Eigobiz -> Japanese company where you can set your own rate after the first 5 lessons. You need a teaching certificate.

Pagoda -> South Korean company.

MagicABC -> Around 23US$ per hour, a class lasts for 55 minutes. Bachelor’s degree required. Only for US/Canadian citizens. Students are Chinese kids between 5 and 12. You can send your resume to this address decao.liu@magicabc.com.cn

Non-native speaker :

You want to teach english but you’re not a native speaker? here’s a list made for you!

Bibo -> I worked for them one afternoon. The recruiting process is veeeeery long but if you can speak decent English (B2 level) you’ll get a job. They are full of rules and if you break one of them your pay will decrease. The pay is not great as it’s 2.50US$ for a 25-minute lesson, but that’s for a non-native speaker such as me. They have incentives & students come from everywhere in the world but mostly from Japan. They provide the material. It may happen that students will book you to learn your native language rather than English.

Alo7 -> It’s a Chinese company who seems legit with very good reviews online. They require a bachelor’s degree or someone currently studying or someone with qualification such as the TEFL, TESOL, CELTA. I applied & got refused after the interview. I’m not exactly sure about the remuneration but it seems between 15 to 22US$ for native-speakers and surely less for the rest.

Talk915 -> Got an interview but I was never able to perform it, I found their company quite messy & they answered quite late to my message so I chose not to continue. The pay is 6£ (pounds) for 50 minutes.

TutorABC -> A Taiwanese company who doesn’t have a very good reputation online because of their low payment, but it’s fairly easy to get a job for non-native Englishn speakers. They provide you with materials & lessons plans. Low internet connection is accepted since the minimum is 800kbps/500kbps.

ABC360 -> Based in the Philippines it seems.

Goforlanguages

Fluentbe -> Teach English to Polish students. Got an interview but I was never able to do it because of a lack of time.

51talk -> This section seems to be directed for teachers from the Philippines.

LatinHire -> They look for English teachers to teach Latin American students. They require intermediate Spanish or Portuguese on top of a native English level. It seems like a degree is required. Not sure about the pay.

Acadsoc -> Teachers are mainly from the Philippines.

Multiple languages :

these companies are looking for teachers in various languages.

Learnlight -> 2 years of experience and a teaching certificate. They are looking for English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, German, Portuguese and Japanese teachers. Minimum availability  of 10 hours in their peak times, 1-year commitment.

Lingoda -> German-based company who is looking for English, German, Spanish & French teachers.

Myngle

Hujiang -> Big Chinese company mostly teaching English, but also French & German. They require perfect English not necessarily native. Good reputation online.

English-Natali -> Despite the name, they seem to teach multiple languages like English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Russian, Italian and more.

HeyLangu -> It seems like that they look for teachers in every language, it’s recently launched and they don’t offer French lessons yet for instance. You can apply here.

LingoLive -> They are not looking for teachers now. Click here to check the situation.

LiveLingua -> Bachelor’s degree + 2 years of experience. They teach English, French, German, Italia, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Arabic. They are hiring.

Berlitz -> Berlitz is a worldwide company with many schools around the world, therefore it’s only normal to find them online as well. They teach over 25 languages online. They hire people with or without experience.

1to1progress -> A French company looking for certified English, German, Dutch and Spanish teachers. They are looking for experienced and bilingual teachers.

Search Engine :

TEFL.com -> A good place to look for information or a job whether it’s in classroom or online. Here’s the link to directly search for online teaching job.

Dave’s ESL Cafe -> A popular place for teachers to hang out, very active. Looking for a job? Click here.

Hioffer -> Chinese search engine used by many Chinese companies to find teachers. Click here for the complete list of online English teaching job.

ESL Jobs World -> They pretend to be the number 1 site for English teaching jobs. You can find out if it’s true by checking the list here.

Indeed -> Much more than only a platform to find a teaching job but might worth to give it a shot. Here’s the list.

One of a kind :

Cambly -> It’s an app where you chat with students, mostly from Saudi Arabia, and you get paid $0.17USD a minute, so in theory you can get up to $10.20/hour, paid through paypal. No experience needed and you can work as little/as much as you want.

Good luck guys !