March 7th, 2022
Look around any online tutor support group on Facebook and you’ll unfortunately find many stories on disreputable TEFL companies not paying teachers or reducing pay checks through punitive fines. This happens because online TEFL companies can operate from anywhere, meaning they are not held to account to western labour laws.
The dust is still settling after the chaos caused by the Chinese government’s new regulations for online teaching. Some tutors were treated quite poorly by these companies during the implementation of these new rules.
The only thing that we can do as ESL tutors is to reject bad companies, help each other find good ones, and help these companies grow. To help you distinguish the good from the bad, check out these tips below.
The different types of online TEFL companies
First, it’s important to understand how the online TEFL industry works. There are two types of teaching platforms: create-a-profile companies which teach private students and online academies which actively sell packages of lessons to companies or parents and pass the teaching on to you.
With create-a-profile companies, the company does not (or should not) make too many demands upon you, as they provide only the platform for payment and booking. You therefore run your own classes, using your own material and decide how many hours you will work.
With online academies, though you are still an independent contractor, you are also working in partnership with the company. You will likely, therefore, have to commit to a certain number of hours, teach your classes in a certain way, and possibly use their materials. These classes can vary drastically depending on the company. Some specialize in teaching children and others specialize in teaching business English to professionals.
There are positives and negatives to both. With create-a-profile platforms, you have no guarantee of work and must attract students, competing against thousands of other tutors. With online academies, you have more assurance of getting work, however, they have more control over you and the way that you teach.
How reputable online TEFL academies operate
If you do go down the online academy route, here are some of the ways good TEFL companies operate and why you shouldn’t accept anything less.
Teachers must be able to communicate with one another regularly and freely
At our company, teachers communicate through our very active Slack group. We ask and answer questions about the platform, we share materials, make suggestions about how to improve the user experience and post any concerns. Our Slack group is one of the best things about teaching on our platform. Chatting to each other freely creates a feeling of trust and transparency within the company.
I have read about several online companies who do not allow tutors to speak to each other, or others like Landi English who used to have a Facebook page where tutors communicated, but have since taken it down.
This is a red flag. If the company doesn’t allow its tutors to communicate, it is a sign that it treats its workforce poorly and wishes to keep problems hidden by separating tutors from each other, rather than allowing them to work as a team.
You should be able to withdraw the money you make on a regular basis
Online TEFL teaching is essentially gig work. You should therefore get paid at regular intervals, ideally when you want or at the end of the week. Never sign up for a company will only pay you less than once a month. Online teaching is too unstable for this level of trust and companies fail all the time.
The longest that I would accept between payments is two weeks, and that is for a very established company which has been operating for at least six years.
No-show fines are normal in this industry, but they should not be punitive
Read the terms and conditions before you join the company. If you don’t show up to a class, you won’t get paid and it is common to get a small fine.
However, you should not be fined if you have to cancel a class due to an illness or emergency. In addition, no one can guarantee a perfect internet connection all of the time and so you should be penalized for the odd interruption to classes due to connectivity problems. Remember, tech companies also suffer tech problems when their website goes down due to server issues. You don’t fine them for the loss of business when that happens, and so there should be an understanding.
TEFL academies can ask you to work for a minimum number of hours, but they cannot stop you working for anyone else
It is common for ESL tutors to hedge their bets and work for several different companies at once. As you are an independent contractor and not an employee, the TEFL academy cannot prevent you from doing this.
Where to go for information about online TEFL companies
Facebook groups such as Hired Online TEFL Teachers with Job Reviews and Online ESL Teachers are run by TEFL teachers to collect and disseminate information about online TEFL companies. They are a great source of information about which companies to work for and which to avoid.
Before applying to a company, I advise joining these groups and posting in the forums. You’re sure to find someone who works for the company, or has worked for them in the past who can give you their honest opinion.
And finally…
Online TEFL teaching is still a great opportunity to earn a decent living working from home. There are lots of companies to work for and so do your research before signing up and don’t sell yourself short. This way you’ll find a company who truly deserves you.
Andromeda Jones is the author of “The Ultimate ESL Teaching Manual”
https://www.bilinguanation.com