How to Start Teaching English Online in 2025

Wondering how to start teaching English online? You’re in the right place.

I’ve been teaching English online since 2012, and can offer you some good insight on how to get started.

It is said that the online learning market will be a $370 billion industry by 2026, so there is a lot of earning potential when it comes to online teaching – especially if you’re teaching English, which is the world’s most popular second-language choice.

Starting a side-hustle OR fulltime career teaching English online is a great way to:

• earn money remotely
• interact with people from all over the world
• be your own boss by starting a tutoring business from home
• learn about different cultures
• have a side hustle to a 9-5 teaching job or other position

For some people, teaching ESL online is a way to make a side income in addition to a regular job. But I also know many people in our Facebook group who teach languages (including English) online as a full-time job.

So, here’s what you need to know about teaching English online, and how to get started!

Are You ‘Qualified’ to Teach English Online?

The first step to getting started teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) online, is to ensure that you’re qualified and feel comfortable teaching it.

Here’s a secret to teaching any language online: there are no official universal requirements.

Anyone who speaks English (regardless of level) is technically ‘qualified’ to teach it, but your level and qualifications will determine:

• which online ESL platforms you’re eligible to teach on (they all have their own individual requirements.) Some of them require native speakers from specific countries, but many do not. Some want to see degrees or TEFL qualification, but many do not.
  
• which students want to hire you as their tutor. (Some prefer native speakers, some prefer teachers who can work with beginners, others prefer someone who speak their own language, and so on.)

At the very least, you should ensure that you speak English proficiently.

You don’t have to be perfect, but you should be at least a B2 level to teach complete beginners, and a C1-C2 to teach intermediate.

Pro Tip: If you’re not a native English speaker, you can assess your English language level according to the CEFR Model.

I’ve been teaching English online for 12 years now, and I don’t have TEFL or any other special requirements for teaching ESL.

I do however, have a school teaching degree from my home country, and English is my native language.

Every online teacher will have different qualifications and skills they bring to the table – its about how you highlight those skills.

Should You Get Certified in TEFL, TESOL or TESL?

First, I want to point out that there are three different accredited courses that all mean the same thing:

• TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teaching English in a country where English IS NOT the first language
• TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) teaching English in a country where English is the main language, such as teaching immigrants
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

Since you’re teaching online, all of the above are pretty interchangeable and it doesn’t matter which one you get (or if you even get one of them at all.)

You can get certified in any of these in around 120 hours, and it will cost you around $200-$300 for the course.

Personally, I would hold off on any of the courses until you’re sure you want to teach ESL long-term. (You may try it for a while, and then realize that it’s not for you.)

If you already know you love teaching ESL and want to improve and hone your skills, then TEFL might be a good idea. It will certainly help you stand out more, and offer some helpful tips you may not have thought of.

2 Ways to Get Started Teaching English Online

If you want to start teaching English online ASAP, here are the things you should go do right now

Option #1: Apply to a language-learning platform

There are 20+ platforms to teach English (and/or other languages) online. The requirements to teach English on these platforms vary.

I will warn you, some of the platforms do not pay well, these days. Since the pandemic, there have been so many people applying to teach English online, that it has driven the prices down.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, and that you shouldn’t look for platforms where you will be paid well.

See my list of best platforms to teach English online here, and a list of several others; including what they pay.

After you’ve applied for your chosen online teaching platform(s), wait for acceptance. There may be an interview, or a demo that you have to do.

After you’re fully improved, you’ll set your prices and/or availability and wait for your first bookings from students.

Option #2: Go independent!

Set up your own website and/or social media profiles, and market yourself to drive students to you.

This is much harder to do, but you don’t have to pay commission fees and you can set your rates higher.

Pro Tip: You don’t necessarily have to choose between option 1 and 2- you can do both! Many online English teachers do a combination of teaching independently and on platforms.

*The only thing to keep in mind if you decide to do both, is that platforms don’t want you to take students from the platform and start teaching them independently, as they lose money. You could be removed from the platform if they find out you did this

Where to Market Yourself as an Online English Teacher

If you want to teach on platforms and set up your own independent business, then here are the things I would do:

• Create a simple website using Wix or Squarespace. Have an About Me page, with your qualifications and background, and ensure there’s another page that shows your classes and prices, and where the classes take place (Skype, Google Meets, etc.)
• Create social media profiles for your business on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube and any channel you want. (Pick 2 of them to start, if doing all is overwhelming)
• Create an email address associated with your business, it could even just be a Gmail address.
• Advertise your services through Facebook ads, in Facebook groups, and other social media
• Create profiles on UpWork and Fiverr

Pro Tip: If you’re a complete beginner to teaching or tutoring or even starting your own business, then option #1 the slightly easier route. It will be less intimidating, as the platform will do the marketing for you. Option # 2 is for ideal people who already have degrees and experience that they can use to build trust with their audience

How Long Does It Take to Start Teaching English Online?

From right this moment, it could take anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks to get started as an online English teacher.

From when you apply to an online English teaching platform, it usually takes a few days (anywhere from 48 hours up to 2 weeks for some platforms) for your application to be processed and accepted.

Then, you need to set up your profile.

What to Include in Your Online ESL Teaching Profile or Website

Any platform you teach on, as well as your personal website if you’re creating one, will require an introduction video, as well as a description about yourself.

For your video, make sure that:

• You speak clearly and audibly
• There’s little to no background noise
• There’s enough light in the room to be able to see you clearly

For the description about yourself, be sure to include:

• Why you want to teach English, and how long you’ve been teaching it for
• WHO you want to teach – adults, kids, businesspeople, immigrants?
• What you’re like as a teacher (supportive, understanding, good listener?)
• Hobbies and interests – if you offer conversational lessons, it helps students to know if you’ll find common things to talk about and discuss
• Any special qualifications or abilities you have, such as teaching kids, Business English, or Test Preparation

Some added bonus (good to have, but not 100% necessary) are:

• Subtitles
• Very light background music
• Some basic video editing
• A note that you are welcome to everyone, and LGBT-friendly (this makes LGBT students feel more comfortable to book)

*Don’t be afraid to show your skills and unique personality in your video and profile. Being yourself is part of what will make your profile resonate with the right students.

What to NOT include in your profile or video

• Your age. I see a lot of ESL teachers including their age in their profile. Unless its important to you that your students are the same age as you, I would leave that out. (Plus, you’d have to edit it once a year)
  
• Saying that your English is “native-level” if it’s not. If you haven’t grown up in an English-speaking country, be honest about how you’ve come to grasp the language so well – students will see this as a strength, as they hope that they can achieve what you did!

Wait for students to book

Your first booking from a student on a platform will depend on a lot of things:

• How you present yourself in your profile
• If you have any special skills that people are looking for (such as test preparation, or Business English)
• What your prices are like (more on that below)

If you go independent, then you will need to market yourself and find your own students, which can take a bit longer to start getting bookings from students.

How to Get Paid from Online ESL Teaching

If you teach through a platform, then they will often pay you through either PayPal or Payoneer. (PayPal is the more common one.)

If you teaching independently, you also may also accept Paypal payments. If you and your students are both located in the US, you could also use Vemo.

Pro Tip: Just remember that if you’re teaching independently that Paypal will charge you a small fee if someone is paying you for a product or service. It goes by percentage, and which country you’re set to – you can see the rates here.

How Much Can You Make Teaching English Online?

The International TEFL Academy says that English teachers can earn between $10 and $40 per hour, and I would say that’s about right.

Some platforms have a set rate that they pay, and others allow you to set your own rates.

The platforms that have a pre-set rate tend to pay pretty low (often between $10 and $15 per hour.) Some pay more, but this is generally what they pay.

I recommend applying to one of the platforms that allow you to set your own rates, because it allows you to earn more (although not always.)

I have thoroughly researched all the English teaching platforms, and what the earning potential is. Check out my post on the best platforms to teach English online here.

How to Set Your Own Rates

If you live in Europe, North America or Oceania, then you may want to start at around $20 USD as a minimum when getting started, to make it worth your while – and then increase your prices with experience and good ratings.

You can get away with charging even MORE than that for online English teaching if:

• You have a teaching certification
• You have experience teaching English online
• You’re a native English speaker
• You were born or grew up in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or UK or Ireland
• You have a special sought-after qualification, such as Business English, or teaching to children

If any of the above apply to you, then I would charge at least $20 per hour to start off with, and increase from there if you see fit.

If all of the above are true, then you could probably end up earning closer to $30 per hour. I know teachers in our italki teacher community who charge $25-$35 or more for each 50-minute lesson.

I would start slightly lower and build up some ratings before you increase to your maximum price.

If teaching English online is new for you, and you think you may struggle with the confidence aspect of it, then I recommend reading one of our recommended books on career change.

The mindset-based ones can really help you with confidence, preventing burnout, and charging a sustainable rate.

Resources for Teaching English Online

• Teacher’s Pay Teachers has both free and paid resources for ESL and many other subjects
• Reddit – OnlineESLTeaching subreddit is an active group where people share resources, and discuss different online English teaching platforms. Also, each platform, such as italki, has their own subreddit you can join
• For $80 a year (or $30 every few months) you can access the TeachThis database of lots of resources you can use in your lessons
• Use AI tools, like Chat GBT to create dialogues and simple texts to use in your classes. You can tell it to make a text using a specific level, for a certain age group, and interests – and then tweak it after.

Teaching English Online FAQ

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about teaching English online

Which is the highest-paying online ESL teaching?

There isn’t really an online ESL teaching platform that pays ‘highest’ because the majority of them have you set your own rates. In terms of set rates, the English teaching platform that pays the highest is Vip Kid at $16 per hour. But, you can earn more by teaching on a platform that lets you set your own rates.

How do I start teaching English for beginners?

Teaching English to beginners can be a special skill, because unless you know their language, there is a communication barrier that makes it hard to explain things to them. Teaching beginners is a specialized skill that not everyone is comfortable doing. Here are some tips on teaching beginner ESL learners.

How can I become an online English teacher?

To become an online English teacher, apply to an online ESL platform and wait for a response. If approved, create a profile introducing yourself to students

How can I start teaching English online with no experience?

If you want to teach English online but have no experience, then apply to one of the online ESL platforms where no experience is needed. Some of these include Amazing Talker, italki and Tweenix.

Final Thoughts on Teaching English Online

How to Start Teaching English Online, so that you can get started today. It’s a fun and rewarding way to make some extra money. For some, it can even turn into a full-time career.

In the group I run on Facebook, there are people who teach English online as their full-time job, so it is possible – but it can take a while to build up a reliable student base, ratings, and experience to be able to do it full time, sustainable for long term.

If you’re a teacher in other capacities, you could consider education-related jobs that aren’t teaching, as something to consider before your online ESL career takes off.