6 Best (And Worst) Platforms for Teaching English Online in 2025

Looking for the best platforms for teaching English online? You’re in the right place.

English is the world’s most popular second language, with learners in over 120 countries.

I’ve been teaching English (and other languages) online since 2012, and am the Facebook admin of an online English teacher community.

I have seen the market change over the years, and many new online ESL websites be created.

In total, there are currently 20+ platforms (and probably more) where you can teach English online, from the comfort of your own home.

Some of these websites allow to set your own rates, while others have a set rate that they pay their English teachers.

Platforms that allow you to set your rates charge a commission fee, which usually falls between 15% and 40% of your lesson rate
Other platforms have a pre-set rate that they pay you.

I’ll be brutally honest – if you live in Europe, North America or Oceania, it can be hard to make a livable wage from teaching ESL online.

This is because many students, understandably, are looking to get the best ‘deal’ they can. With so many English teachers available, it’s hard to charge a rate that can support you adequately in a country with high living costs.

Earning a decent income from teaching ESL online is possible, but it will take a lot of dedication, and effort. Having a profile on an English-learning profile is one (but not the only) way to kickstart a tutoring business.

In this article, I’m going to walk you through:

the best platforms to teach English online, why they’re worth considering, and how much you pay as a commission fee
15+ other platforms that pay a set rate, and how much you can expect to earn from them

So, let’s jump in – the best websites to teach ESL online!

6 Best Platforms for Teaching English Online (And What You Can Earn)

Here are all the platforms that you can apply to for teaching English online

1. Amazing Talker

Student Ages: All Ages
✅ Set your own hours
✅ Set your own prices
❌ Degree and/or TEFL required
✅ Non-native speakers accepted (a degree is preferred if English is not your first language)

Amazing Talker is an English learning service that connects you with students. You set your own rates and availability.

According to their website, English teachers typically charge and earn between $15–$28 USD per 50 minute lesson, and they advertise on their homepage that you can expect to pull in $4900 USD per month for 40-hour work weeks.

However, after doing some more in-depth research, I found out that most students are looking to pay between $10 and $15. If you want to teach on Amazing Talker, you may want to start on the lower end, but then increase your prices as you get more matches and more students.

Other things to keep in mind about Amazing Talker:

You have to teach a demo class as apart of the selection/interview process
The fee subtracted from your earnings is 30% initially, but decreases over time. This means, if you charge $20 per hour, you’ll only end up with $14. (While this seems like a huge cut, its about average in terms of commission rates.)

Apply to teach on Amazing Talker here.

2. italki

Student Ages: All Ages
✅ Set your own hours
✅ Set your own prices
❌ Degree and/or TEFL required
✅ Non-native speakers accepted

italki is a platform based in Hong Kong. Dozens of languages are learned and taught, and students come from all over the world.

My italki profile

Italki is very similar to Amazing Talker in that you decide on what classes you’re offering, the materials. You set your schedule and availability, and students book lessons with you if they like your profile, introduction video and lesson options.

I’ve been teaching on italki for over 10 years. Overall, it has been a positive experience. It was a great remote summer job while I was teaching full-time during the school year.

Earning levels on italki are similar on to Amazing Talker. Some English teachers are charging as little as $10-$15, and others are charging over $40.

Generally, you can charge more for teaching English on italki if:

you’re a native English speaker
you have teaching qualifications, a degree or TEFL
you have a special expertise (such as test preparation, Business English or teaching children)
you have good reviews on the website.

Additional things to keep in mind about teaching English on italki:

From when you apply, it can take over a week to hear back
italki subtracts 15% from your earnings – which is the lowest commission rate of all the language-teaching platforms that I’ve come across – however, they have just announced that they’re raising the commission rate to 20%
They are not always accepting English teachers. (They continuously adjust their capacity for each language so that they don’t oversaturate their market with too many of any one language based on demand.)
As a teacher, you’re rated out of 5. Most teachers have a straight 5 star, but some have 4.8 to 4.9. I’ve rarely seen anyone with less than a 4.8 rating

If italki is not accepting English teachers at the time to want to apply, then keep checking back – it changes frequently. You can apply to be an italki teacher here!

Don’t forget that italki isn’t just a platform for English – there are teachers earning a living from teaching many languages on there, from French, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian and more,

Once you’re approved as an italki teacher (in English or another language), join our Facebook group for italki teachers.

3. Outschool

Student Ages: Up to 18
✅ Set your own hours
✅Set your own prices
❌ Degree and/or TEFL required
✅ Non-native speakers accepted (only from specific countries – US, UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Spain)

Outschool isn’t strictly an English or language-learning platform.

Outschool is a platform that allows you to teach a variety of topics to children and teens, including English as a Second Language.

There are people teaching children dance, musical instruments, and a variety of other topics.

There are both, group classes and 1-1 tutoring
The group classes pay more than the tutoring, simply because there are more students paying
There is a lot more competition on Outschool since the pandemic, which means it takes some work and dedication to build a student base
The Outschool commission fee is 30%.

Apply to be a teacher on Outschool here.

4. VIPKid

Student Ages: 4-12 years old
✅ Set your own hours
❌ Set your own prices
✅ Degree and/or TEFL required (you must have a BA)
✅ Non-native speakers accepted (however, you must be eligible to work in US or Canada)

VIP Kid is a platform for teaching kids in China – its very popular and I’ve known many people who’ve taught here and had a good experience.

The market is slightly different because of new regulations in China. As of July 2024, they’re accepting new teachers.

Pays $14-$22 per 50 minutes which is not a lot, but its more than what many other platforms pay. Most classes are only 25 minutes long, and you you’re paid $7-$9 for them.

Apply to teach on VIP Kid here.

5. Twenix

Student ages: Adults only
✅ Set your own hours
✅ Set your own prices
❌ Degree and/or TEFL required
✅ Non-native speakers accepted

Tweenix is a newer English teaching platform based in Spain.

Your pay rate with Twenix is dependent on where you’re from, and is adjusted for the cost of living in the country that you are a resident of.

For example, if you live in the UK then pay on Tweenix is listed as 13-15€/hour.

Most students on Tweenix are Spanish or Italian-speaking, so knowing these languages can be useful
Some classes are audio only, and some are video (you don’t choose -the student chooses)
They let you know what your pay rate will be once you’re approved as a teacher. This way, you can decide if it’s worth your while before starting to teach.
As you teach more classes, you can move up in pay
Similar to italki, you’re rated on a 5-star scale.
If your ratings fall less than 4.7, then you’ll be removed from the platform

Apply to teach on Tweenix here.

6. (Bonus) English Hunt

Student ages: All ages
✅ Set your own hours
❌ Set your own prices
✅ Degree and/or TEFL required
✅ Non-native speakers accepted (but you must be a current resident of the US)

English Hunt is based in South Korea, and works with different clients to match with their approved teachers.

Currently, they only accept teachers from the United States. The pay varies, but it falls somewhere between $16 USD per hour, which is more than other platforms listed below.

Read more about teaching on English Hunt here.

Other Online ESL Platforms

The below platforms are ones that I wouldn’t classify as being ‘one of the best’ because of what they pay. Many of the rates are pre-set and I find them to be on the low side.

Magic Ears – Website says you can earn up to $26 USD for teaching kids that are 4-12 years old, but base pay starts with under $10. You must have a Bachelor’s Degree or be pursuing one, plus TEFL certification. Check it out here
ClassGAP – Only charges 16% and 23% depending on how long you’ve been teaching there. This is less than most other language-teaching platforms.
Cafe Talk – You set your own rates, but you’re paid in Japanese Yen which has fallen in value, resulting in many teachers earning $5-$10 USD per hour. Cafe Talk also takes 40% commissions, which is more than any other platform.
Preply – Set your own availability, and (adult) students book with you. While you can set your own rates, most people start quite low, often less than $10 per hour. You’re expected to teach for free via a few free trial lessons. After that, they take 33% from your earnings. After you’ve taught 20 hours, it goes down to 28% and eventually down to 18% after 400 teaching hours.
Cambly -Teach all ages or teach Cambly Kids for 4-15 year olds. You’re paid by the minute, but it only works out to be just over $10 per hour
Tutlo -Tutlo is a Polish platform for English learning, and most (if not all) the students are from Poland. They allow you to get your TEFL free of charge, which seems like the biggest perk. However, the rates are only about $11 USD per hour
Live Lingua – they are vague about what they pay, and I find it hard to find the rate (which means its probably not very much.)
QKids – Teach kids from China for $16-$20 per hour. Must be a native English speaker from Canada or the US
Chatschool – Students are mostly adults, but some are children as well – you’re expected to be able to work with both and must be available at least 10 hours per week. It’s not clear what the requirements are. Hourly pay is between 45-63 Polish currency, which works out to only being $11-$16 USD.
Lingoda – You set your availability, and choose which classes you want to teach. Glassdoor reports the average earnings as between $17 to $22 per hour, but I’ve seen people say recently in 2024 that the pay was closer to only being $11 per hour
Open English– Preference to teach on Open English seems to be given to teachers living in Latin America, and having some knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese. However, they also prefer native English speakers, so there’s a small pool of people who would be eligible. You earn around $13 USD
Rype – their website says you can earn up to $2,000 a month but it doesn’t say for how many hours it would take to earn that. According to Glassdoor, it falls somewhere around $11 per hour. Check out Rype here

Teaching English Online FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about teaching English online websites and what you can earn

Is online ESL teaching worth it?

Teaching English online may not be worth it for everyone, but the pay is not always great. How much you can earn teaching English online depends on which platform you’re teaching on, or if you’re going ‘independent.’ Generally, you can earn more by setting your own rates. Most professional online English teachers charge somewhere between $20 and $40 per hour.

Is there a demand for online ESL teachers?

There is (and likely always will be) a demand for online ESL teachers. However, there are also many people who are qualified to teach English, which means there is some good competition out there and competitive prices.

Final Thoughts on Websites to Teach English Online

By now, you know most of the English-teaching platforms and what you can expect to earn form them. Usually, I find that you can earn more overall by setting your own rates.

Most of the English teaching platforms don’t advertise what they pay, or what their tutors typically earn, because the rates are not attractive. Depending on your situation, it may be hard to earn a livable income from teaching ESL online and you may want to supplement it with another side business.

Overall, teaching ESL online can be a great opportunity. It supported me with extra funds when I was single parent, and I’ve met so many great people.

If you’re a teacher looking for other suitable careers, check out my ideas for education related jobs that aren’t teaching.

6 Best (And Worst) Platforms for Teaching English Online in 2025