Must-Follow: Magic Ears Requirements for Teachers in 2023

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Are you up for the challenge of teaching at Magic Ears?

Magic Ears is an online ESL company that connects teachers to kids from China. Magic Ears operate a 1-on-4 teaching model, meaning that there could be up to four students in the online classroom.

Today we will discuss Magic Ears requirements for teachers, which you should consider before signing up. If you do not pass these requirements, your application will be automatically rejected.

Magic Ears Basic Requirements

To be considered as a Magic Ears teacher, applicants:

Must speak English at an idiomatic level
Have a bachelor’s degree in any subject or pursuing a bachelor’s degree
Have a 120-Hour ESL Certificate
Passion for teaching and a love for kids
ESL/teaching experience preferred

1. Speak English at an Idiomatic Level

Magic Ears primarily looked for US and Canadian teachers to join; however, they have recently opened their employment opportunities to other countries, such as South Africa. Due to AB5 regulations, they do not accept candidates from California.

They were also accepting UK citizens for a while, but this seems to be a testing period, and it is unclear whether they are still hiring from here.

You can teach from anywhere as long as you have a stable wifi connection!

2. Bachelor’s Degree in Any Subject

Teachers must also have a bachelor’s degree in any subject to join Magic Ears. If you have a bachelor’s degree in education, that is even better! You will likely earn more for your efforts.

They will require an official transcript. Unfortunately, if you do not meet this criterion, your application will be automatically rejected.

3. Pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree

If you are a college student, you can also apply to Magic Ears!

As long as you can show your transcripts and can prove that you are actively enrolled in university, you can apply to Magic Ears and get hired.

For this, you can select “undergraduate student” on the application.

4. Have a 120-Hour ESL Certificate

Teaching ESL requires a certificate. Fortunately, you can get one very cheaply if you just want to teach online.

An ESL certificate, such as a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA, is required. We partnered with the International Open Academy to give you a HUGE discount on your ESL certificate here.

This course will give you the certification you need to get a job at Magic Ears. All you have to do is give them the certificate number when you get the job.

Alternatively, if you are looking to teach ESL abroad or online as a long-term career and have more time, I would suggest taking this course.

Even if you have a teaching degree or early childhood education, you must still do an ESL course.

5. Passion for Teaching and Kids

At Magic Ears, teachers will be holding classes with up to four kids in each class. This means that teachers will need a lot of energy and passion for the classes.

They want teachers to smile and enjoy the classes with the students.

You may also be interested in: The Best English Teaching Companies in 2022.

6. ESL/Teaching Experience Preferred

Please read this because it is important.

If you are applying for Magic Ears, you want to check that you have at least one year of teaching experience on your application; otherwise, your application will automatically be rejected.

This means that if you put down “0” on your application under the years of experience question, your application will be rejected.

Mentoring, coaching, and volunteering experience also apply as teaching experience. It does not have to be strictly teaching experience.

Technical Requirements for Teaching at Magic Ears

Windows desktop or laptop with Windows 7/MacOSX 10.11 or later
4GB of memory or above
CPU i5 4th Generation processor, models with suffices M, HQ, HK, or above
Stable internet connection with 20Mpbs download and 5 Mbps upload speed
Ethernet cable recommended

Good Working Laptop or Desktop

Magic Ears do not accept Chromebooks or iPads, so a fast and efficient laptop is critical for your success. Here are some laptops you might want to consider.

Models with a Y suffix stand for low energy consumption and can cause a lot of problems on the platform. A10 generation and below won’t work for AMD processors. Radeon and Pentium processors will also not work.

Stable Internet Connection

Internet speed is important, especially for group classes.

You can check your internet speed here. Magic Ears requires a 20 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload speed.

You may have to switch providers to get the speed you want.

Ethernet Cable is Preferred

An ethernet cable can help you maintain your high internet speed and provide a more stable connection.

An ethernet cable can be connected from your modem directly to your computer. You can clip this along the wall to hide the cable.

If your modem is much too far away, you might like to try using a powerline adapter. This works by connecting a powerline adaptor to your router (via an electrical socket). Connect the other powerline adapter to your laptop using an electrical socket. As simple as that!

A powerline adapter is not as good as an ethernet cable, but it is worth considering if you simply can’t use an ethernet cable.

Other Magic Ears Requirements

Other things you may not have thought about but need to be taken into consideration:

At least two props in each lesson
Office equipment, such as a headset, webcam, and lighting
Suitable teaching background, such as a map or tapestry

Props

Magic Ears requires at least two props in each lesson.

Props include flashcards, puppets, toys, or other objects. See more prop ideas. You can buy some reasonably cheap from the Dollar Tree or Amazon.

Equipment

You are required to have a headset with a microphone.

There are lots of options on Amazon. See this headset.

It’s a good idea to get a headset that has noise-canceling properties and plugs into your USB port.

You are also required to have a webcam.

You may already have an HD webcam built into your laptop, but if not, there are plenty of options like this one. See our webcam recommendations for more.

Last but not least, don’t forget your lighting.

Magic Ears really emphasize good lighting. Make sure your lighting looks good, even in the early hours of the morning. See some lighting options here.

Classroom Setup

Have a kid-friendly teacher background. Some teachers go all out, and some teachers prefer a more simplistic background.

Possible classroom setup ideas are the Magic Ears logo, pom poms, flag or map, tapestry. For more ideas, please see our review of the best teaching backgrounds.

You Don’t Need to Speak Chinese

You are only required to speak English in class. Therefore, knowing how to speak Chinese is not necessarily to be understood. Everything is explained through visuals and simple language so students can understand.

Teach at Magic Ears

New to Magic Ears? Apply to Magic Ears here. Email hello@tprteaching.com for additional help and guidance to ensure you are hired!

In Conclusion

These are the Magic Ears requirements that you should try to meet before applying.

Follow the links below to learn more about Magic Ears.

Useful Links

Caitriona Maria

Education writer at TPR Teaching | https://www.tprteaching.com

Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.

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