How to become an online English teacher

Whether you've taught before or you're coming to teaching online with no experience, here is everything you need to know about the requirements and qualifications you'll need for a successful application.

The requirements below are for teachers applying to teach children and adults unless otherwise stated.

Teacher in a white shirt sweeps hair out of his face.

I want to teach online - what are the requirements?

Young woman submits application to teach online

The technical requirements

The TEFL Certificate

TEFL stands for “Teaching English as a Foreign Language”, and it is a standard certification for English teachers. The minimum requirement to teach online is a 40 hour TEFL certificate from an accredited source. It should be a general certificate rather than a skills specific version, e.g. a TEFL in grammar.

You can start working on your certification while you apply. Or our team is happy to share their knowledge of available courses during your video call.

Please note, the cost of your TEFL will not be reimbursed.

Step 1

Tell us all about yourself

First, fill in our online form.

You'll need to have these documents ready for upload. PDF is the best format.

Resume
Bachelor’s degree certificate
TEFL or ESL teaching certificate (if available)

Step 2

Ace your initial meeting

The initial meeting is a chance for our U.S. team to get to know you and for you to find out more about us.

The initial meeting takes place on a video call and lasts around 20 minutes. The meeting is one-to-one between you and one of the U.S. team.

Step 3

Get your offer and start teaching!

Sign your contract, complete your online introduction and get to know the teaching platform. Once your feel ready you can set your availability in our scheduling tool and start teaching!

Your students can't wait to meet you!

Start changing lives today.

Take me to the application form!

Can I teach English online with no experience?

Yes, absolutely! Some teachers come to teaching English online with years of classroom or ESL experience. Others simply have a passion to share their knowledge and inspire their students.

During your initial call, the U.S. team will want to hear about you and why you want to teach English online. If you don’t have any previous teaching experience the conversation will focus on your motivations and qualifications.

The Contracts team will take all aspects of your background into account. Life experience definitely counts!

Apply to teach online today