Teach English Online with No Experience in 2023 (9 Companies Hiring)

Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links, meaning that when you make a purchase, I earn a small commission. Affiliate links cost you nothing to use and help keep my content free. It is a win-win for us both! For more info, see the Disclosure Policy.

Did you know that tutoring English online with no experience is possible? Yes, you’ve heard that right! 

When you gain experience tutoring online, more possibilities are open. It is possible to begin teaching online for the first time, although your options are more limited.

If you like talking to people, and learning about different cultures, then teaching English online might be for you!

How can I teach English online without experience?

It is recommended to get certified with a teaching certificate, such as a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA. This shows that you are qualified to teach English as a second language. 

You can then start applying for online teaching companies, preferably companies that provide you with preplanned lesson material to make your job even more comfortable.

Step 1: Get TEFL-Certified (recommended)

Step 2: Apply for an Online Teaching Company

Online Teaching Companies (No Experience Required)

Some online teaching companies don’t require any teaching experience. However, you will need to be confident and passionate to gain these roles because they are still competitive.

1. Cambly

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers
• Pay: $10.20 per hour
• Equipment: reliable internet connection, laptop, headset, webcam
• How to Apply: Create a profile and introductory video, wait until your profile is accepted

Cambly is an online platform based in California that teaches English online to students worldwide. 

Teachers don’t require any experience to teach with Cambly. Classes are relaxed, and students can choose to talk to the teacher or study some lesson material already available on the platform.

Classes require no lesson planning, and the teacher is welcome to do whatever the student wants to learn. Teachers need to be good conversationalists on this platform, as most of the lessons are just chatting about general topics. 

Teachers can think about more questions to carry on conversations using the 5W1H model (who, what, where, when, why, how).

All in all, Cambly is a great place to get started, but it can take some time for them to accept your application, as the barrier to entry is relatively low. Check out my Cambly review here.

Apply to Cambly.

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

2. Cambly Kids 

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers
• Pay: up to $12 per hour
• Equipment: stable wifi connection, laptop, headset, webcam
• How to Apply: create your profile and check the box that you want to teach kids. Create an intro video and a brief video of you teaching a lesson

Cambly Kids is dedicated to children around the world from the ages 4 to 15.

If you are interested in gaining experience teaching children specifically, this might be a good opportunity for you. Classes are one on one, and there is a 24/7 schedule available for booking. 

Cambly Kids pays a little higher than Cambly for adults; however, children require more energy to teach, so consider that into the equation!

Nevertheless, if you are passionate about children and having some fun in the online classroom, this is a flexible option for teachers who wish to add some teaching hours to their online schedule.

For more information, read our Cambly Kids review.

Apply to Cambly Kids.

3. Education First (EF)

• Requirements: UK and US citizens and must reside there or in their office in China, TEFL certification
• Pay: $13-$15 per hour
• Equipment: laptop, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: complete their application form, and they will be in touch

Education First provides opportunities to teach English abroad and online. This is an opportunity for new US and UK teachers to gain experience teaching online. 

They also offer opportunities to teach English online from their Shanghai offices in China. They will give you training, support, regular classes, and a competitive local salary.

EF is looking for teachers with energy and passion for teaching to adapt to an online teaching environment. They want teachers to have computer proficiency and an engaging online presence.

Their English lessons are 20-45 minutes long, and teachers deliver preplanned lessons, so no lesson planning is required.

EF offers one-on-one and group classes. Teachers can also develop custom content to match student needs best when requested. 

After each lesson, teachers provide students with written feedback.

Teachers have access to a supportive online community to help them and professional development courses that offer teachers a solid foundation in teaching and education.

4. PalFish

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers, TEFL certification
• Pay: up to $8-$11 per hour
• Equipment: Tablet or phone, nice teacher background, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: fill in basic information, create your profile, complete a recorded interview, and short teacher quiz

PalFish is an online teaching app that enables teachers from native English-speaking countries to earn money from home.

When teachers first sign up on the app and create their profile, they will be allowed to open their schedule to adults and children who wish to call them. This is the “Free Talk Course,” and students from China can use audio call teachers to practice speaking. This is open to native and non-native speakers, and you can set you own rates. While it is uncertain how active the Free Talk Couse is in 2023, teachers reported $10-$17 in pre-pandemic times.

Teachers can also apply to teach the Kids’ Course. Teachers must be from a native English-speaking country to apply to the Kids Course.

PalFish will also ask teachers if they have any teaching experience but don’t speculate how much.

PalFish can be accessed by phone or tablet, and when teachers pass their application for the kids’ course, they can teach students between the ages of 3-12. 

All lesson material is provided, but teachers must market themselves by posting pictures and improving their profiles. Students can pick teachers to teach them, and eventually, teachers build up a steady stream of regular students. Read my PalFish review for more information.

Apply to PalFish Kids Course (native English speakers)

Apply to PalFish (Philippines’ Course)

5. Preply

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers, TEFL certification
• Pay: set your own rates; most popular teachers earn $550 per week
• Equipment: laptop, headset, webcam, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: create your profile, and wait to get accepted

Preply is a freelance teaching marketplace where teachers can advertise themselves via their profiles and set their own rates.

Preply requires no teaching experience and might be intimidating for a new teacher to get started on however, if teachers set their rates low and advertise their specialties (for example, conversational English, English for business, proofreading, etc.). Preply also provides some lesson materials for teachers to choose. You can find some other great teaching websites that will provide you with an abundance of lesson material. See: Best Online Websites for Teachers.

Teachers are sure to find many students who need help achieving their language learning goals.

Teachers increase their visibility by teaching many classes and receiving positive reviews. Teachers can open their schedules 24/7 and accept students from all over the world.

Teachers are free to register on the platform but have to pay a commission on their hourly rate (18% to 33%). Read our full Preply review.

6. iTalki

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers, TEFL certification
• Pay: set your own rates
• Equipment: laptop, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: fill out an application form on their website and get approved to teach

iTalki is similar to Preply, except teachers are divided into community tutors and professional tutors. 

Professional Tutors 

Professional tutors have a teaching qualification (minimum). Professional teachers charge their own rates but make an average of about $15-$19 per hour, but teachers with a particular specialization earn about $18-$22 per hour.

Community Tutors

Community tutors do not have any qualifications or teaching certification; they just have to be native or native-like speakers of English. These teachers offer language exchange services and no lesson plans. These teachers earn about $9-$13 per hour on average.

Currently, iTalki is not accepting English teachers, but this may change in the future, so teachers can bookmark the site for later. 

Teachers can apply by going to the iTalki Teaching Application on the website, filling out their details, and uploading an introductory video. 

Apply to iTalki.

7. Skimatalk

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers, TEFL certification
• Pay: $16 minimum rate, teachers set their own rates
• Equipment: laptop and reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: Basic information, recorded interview, and short teacher quiz

Skimatalk is a platform that allows one-on-one lessons with teens and adults. Skimatalk is an attractive offer as $16 is the minimum rate teachers can charge per hour, stopping any price wars common to marketplaces for teaching English.

Students are mainly Japanese business professionals to help with interview prep, small talk, and other business English content. 

Skimatalk offers a flexible, 24/7 schedule, and students can choose to learn from Skimatalk’s preplanned courses or have a conversational class with a teacher. 

Skimatalk takes a 20% commission on earnings, as they market and host teachers for free on their platform.

If you are interested in learning more about Skimatalk, read my Skimatalk review.

Apply to Skimatalk.

8. Lyngo

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers, TEFL certification
• Pay: 900 JPY to 1500 JPY per hour (8.73 USD to 14.55 USD)
• Equipment: laptop, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: apply on the website and upload resume

Lyngo is an online company based in Japan. They offer conversation and business English lessons to clients.

They have written (in bold) on their site that teachers do not need teaching experience to apply. They don’t even need teaching certification. The company provides all training.

Lyngo offers between $8.74 to $14.55 per hour. They pay via Paypal.

Lyngo accepts native English speakers and Japanese natives to apply. Current teachers work up to 40 hours weekly, providing all lesson material.

Classes are conducted from 5 am to 1:30 am (Japanese time), and teachers are most highly demanded between 8 pm to midnight.

Apply to Lyngo.

9. Open English

• Requirements: must be a North American teacher, ESL certification
• Pay: up to $15 per hour, paid twice per month
• Equipment: laptop, webcam, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: fill out the application; if selected, you will complete some onboarding training before contract signing

Open English is an online company in Latin America for children and adults. The business teaches students in the United States and South America and may be expanding into other countries such as Turkey.

Open English requires North American teachers with a teaching certificate. They pay up to $15 per hour, and teachers can be located anywhere.

Classes run 24/7, and teachers can flexibly change their schedules through a drop-and-pick shift system, allowing teachers to trade classes with each other and adjust their schedules according to their preferences.

Teachers must teach a minimum of 10 hours weekly at Open English, and while it is low-paying, it might be an excellent job for teachers who are just learning the ropes of online teaching and need flexibility.

If you want to find out more information about Open English, read the Open English review.

Apply to Open English here.

How do I get paid by these companies?

Some companies will pay directly to your bank account.

If you have a currency other than USD, this might come with some unfavorable exchange rates. Banks mark up the exchange rate, and there is a noticeable difference between what you’ve earned and what you get paid each month.

There is no reason why independent contractors should have to give up so much of their earnings to a bank!

My best advice would be to provide bank details of an account that accepts multicurrency.

I use Transferwise because it has the cheapest fees and best market rates (they charge 0.5% in fees and never mark up the exchange rate.) Compared to other financial services like Paypal, which charges a 2.9% – 4.4% fee per transaction plus a flat fee, this is a sweet deal!

If the company accepts bank details, I highly recommend setting up a free Transferwise account and asking them to send your payments to those bank details.

You can get a Transferwise account here.

Requires experience but may still be a suitable option:

1. Magic Ears

Update: no longer hiring

• Requirements: Native English speakers from the US, Canada, and South Africa, TEFL certification
• Pay: up to $26 per hour
• Equipment: laptop, nice teacher background, headset, webcam, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: Basic information, recorded interview, demo class, and contract signing

Magic Ears is an online teaching company in China that accepts teachers from the US, Canada, and South Africa. Students are up to 12, and teachers have up to four students in group classes.

Magic Ears accepts those in their final year of study at University or teachers who have a bachelor’s degree. While they require at least one year of teaching experience, teaching experience can come in many forms and is not limited to the physical classroom. Teaching experience can be:

• Volunteering 
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Homeschool
• Child-minding 

If teachers can talk about some kind of experience like this in their interview, it will boost their chances of getting hired. They must say they have at least one year of experience.

Magic Ears is one of the highest-paying companies in the industry, offering up to $26 per hour to US and Canadian residents and up to $12 for South African teachers. 

If you would like to know more about Magic Ears, read our Magic Ears Review.

Apply to Magic Ears.

2. Gogokid

Update: no longer hiring

• Requirements: Native English speakers from the US or Canada, TEFL certification
• Pay: up to $25 per hour
• Equipment: laptop, webcam, headset, nice teacher background, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: Basic information, recorded interview, and contract signing

Gogokid is an online teaching company that accepts US and Canadian teachers for their online teaching position. Teachers can teach students between the ages of 3-12 on their platform.

While teaching experience is required, like Magic Ears, teaching experience can come in many forms and is not limited to the physical classroom:

• Volunteering 
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Homeschooling
• Child-minding 

Teachers need to say they have at least one year of teaching experience.

Gogokid has a short but strict teaching demo, which teachers have to pass to work for Gogokid. The demo is a short recorded interview and sample where teachers demonstrate their teaching skills. Applicants can reapply in a month if they don’t pass their interview the first time.

You can read more about Gogokid in my Gogokid teaching review.

Apply to Gogokid.

3. Amazing Talker

• Requirements: native and non-native English speakers
• Pay: top tutors earn between $26-$49 per hour
• Equipment: laptop, webcam, headset, reliable Wifi connection
• How to Apply: Create an account and complete a demo class with a student

Amazing Talker is a freelance platform, similar to Preply and iTalki mentioned above.

At Amazing Talker, top tutors earn between $26-$49 per hour. Classes are divided into 25-minute trial lessons and 50-minute private lessons.

Teachers are native and non-native English speakers, and the platform also offers courses in other languages, such as Japanese and Chinese.

What’s different about Amazing Talker from other platforms is that teachers can teach private one-on-one or group lessons. Teachers can get creative and provide their own courses.

Amazing Talker recruits teachers who are fluent in English, and teaching experience and certification are preferred.

Apply to Amazing Talker here.

Tips for Teachers who have no experience

If you have little to no teaching experience, here are some tips to help you if you wish to start teaching online.

Don’t focus on your ‘lack of’ experience.

Think about your previous roles, which involved working with other adults or children, and your educational experience. You can use other experiences that are relevant to teaching when you are applying for online teaching companies.

Be Confident

Believe in yourself and know that you can do it anyway! It takes confidence and passion to pass the interviews and begin teaching online.

Gain the experience you need voluntarily

Many voluntary teaching opportunities give teachers the experience they need to apply to other teaching jobs. Voluntary experience can provide teachers with enough insight and confidence to pursue their career goals as new teachers while helping others.

Get TEFL-Certified

Here are some of the things you need to look for in a TEFL certificate:

• The course qualifies you for a 120-hour certification.
• The course is officially regulated and therefore internationally recognized.
• The professionals delivering the course are suitably qualified.
• The course is updated and reflects true academic standards of excellence.

If you want to teach English and think you might be in it for the long run, I highly recommend taking The TEFL Academy 168-Hour TEFL Course. It is the equivalent of a Level 5 course, such as a diploma. 

This will help give you a leg up in finding the best and high paying teaching jobs. It has a wealth of knowledge, and the staff support the teachers find a job when they complete their studies.

If you are looking for a quick option and just want to teach online for a couple of hours a week, I suggest taking The International Open Academy TEFL Course.

This is a 120-hour course (but realistically can be completed in just a few hours). This is the minimum qualification required to teach online at most companies and is a very popular certificate for online teachers.

When you get your TEFL certification, you are ready to teach online! It’s easy to apply to online teaching companies and follow their schedule. 

Conclusion 

Teaching English online is a great opportunity for many people to work from home on their own schedule. There are many online teaching companies that you can apply to, even if you do not have any teaching experience.

When you gain some teaching experience, you will be able to apply for even better roles for teaching online.

Choosing one of the companies above would be a great place for teachers to start without experience. You can use a transfer payment system such as Wise to get paid. They offer the cheapest exchange rates and the most comprehensive fees.

Best of luck with your just search!

Useful Links

• How to Become an Online English Teacher
• Teach English Online without a Degree
• TEFL vs. TESOL– What’s the difference?
• Setting up Your Teaching Background
• 12 Things Every Online English Teacher Needs
• Best Practices for Online Teaching