First Leap
First Leap Review
First Leap <—– (Click here to Apply) is now offering online English courses for the first time ever in 2021. Their headquarters are in Beijing and they are owned by TAL Education Group. They have more than 100,000 students in 80 cities in China. Their curriculum is called “Starlight” from Cambridge and it is a speaking-based curriculum. Their online classes are focused on improving the listening and speaking skills of students in an entertaining way. Their students are mostly kids aged 2 – 12 years old who will study a variety of subjects (science, art, music, sports, etc.) in a type of English immersion class. Classes have about 4 students in them, last for 45 minutes and usually take place between 5:00pm and 8:30pm (Beijing time). Teachers should commit to at least 12 hours of teaching time per week. Teachers must be native speakers of English, with one year of teaching experience, have a Bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate (TESL/TEFL/CELTA). They pay $13-$19 USD per each 45 minute class which can equal $18 – $26 per hour with bonuses (bonuses include $2 per class completion and $1 for full attendance).
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2 Comments
Heidi Brown
I applied a month ago and they sent an email saying they wanted my computer specs. I sent that, they said my computer wasn’t fast enough, with criteria as to what they wanted, and when I checked my specs, it met the criteria with flying colors. I emailed them, inquiring as to why this was. They send another email saying my experience wasn’t enough. I sent a reply stating I have 10 years at a brick and mortar, 4 years as an online ELL teacher, a masters degree in education, and a TESOL certification. I also invited them to do a background check if there were questions. What is wrong with this place? Is this some sort of scam?
Kela
I started working for First Leap in March 2021. They are new to online teaching so lots and lots of glitches on their platform. They pay super late. Pay is finalized up to the 6 or 7 of the new month and can be a week after that to get your pay. Wish they had a platform where you can see your pay after teaching.
Not sure why they advertise $18 per hour when everyone was offered $13.50 as base pay for 45 mins and $2 for completing the 45 mins. Extra $1 for each class you taught in the month. Most teachers did not get this extra bonus because they were never told you were not allowed to start class at the same time it starts. They want you to start class within 5 minutes before it starts.
They blame platform issues on teachers saying its their internet. I really doubt 120+ teachers all have internet issues at once. I restart my router between classes. So annoying since I teach with 2 other companies and never have to restart my router and I teach up to 10 back to back classes. Over all, maybe as time goes on they will get better.