Hey Mamas!
I felt really inspired to write about the topic of stabilizing your income as an ESL teacher because most, if not all of us have felt insecure about the stability of our jobs online. The fact is, we are only contractors, we’re not employees, we get paid on a class by class basis and there are no “benefits”, …well, except for the fact that we get to work from home and spend more time with our families...which is great but of course, it would be even greater if we knew exactly how much we would bring in every single month and be sure that our jobs aren’t going anywhere.
Unfortunately, when it comes to online ESL teaching, you constantly need to be on your toes! Why?- one month your company may be “the best company ever!” and you may be getting the most classes with the best hourly rate, with an amazing bonus system, awesome students, then boom! All of a sudden everything changes…you’re getting fewer classes, they are finding ways to cut our bonuses,our hourly rate and on top of all that, you’re seeing ads everywhere that your company is “urgently hiring”!! Which, of course, confuses you because why in the world are they hiring more teachers and their current teachers aren’t happy and aren't getting classes!! ( I foresee writing a blog post on why ESL companies continue to hire teachers when it seems there aren’t enough classes to go around, so stay tuned) This makes you nervous and uneasy and you’re stressing about the bills getting paid. I know, I totally get it. But it’s important to understand that’s just the nature of the beast. Most ESL companies, especially the ones based out of China, can make whatever adjustments and changes they want and there’s really nothing we can do about it. Why? - 1. They are protected under the Chinese government and laws which are totally different from what we’re used to and 2. We’re not employees, only contractors. So, what do we do??
In view of the aforementioned, as online ESL teachers, we need to take matters into our hands. We cannot depend on our companies for absolute stability, even if things are going great now, we still need to plan for if things suddenly change overnight. But how? –Well, I’ve compiled some tips and secrets I’ve used to personally stabilize my income and methods other teachers have used in the online ESL industry.
Affiliate disclaimer: I cherish the little community that I’m building so I’ll always be totally transparent with you guys, some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which simply means I will receive a commission if you successfully sign up for the programs using my links at no extra cost to you. Please note, I am 100% behind the companies I recommend on this site and want you to feel confident that you will be getting value in return. You guys are really important to me, and I really appreciate your support so I promise you this: all profits that are brought in through affiliate links and referrals will be used for building a better website, to improve research and make it a better resource for you mamas!
1. View online ESL teaching as YOUR business
It’s important that you view your online ESL career as a business you are running and you are the product. Do your best to become an expert in your field and don’t only offer your product (your expert teaching abilities) to only one school/company. Think about it, if you were running a brick and mortar business and you were selling products, would you only sell to one customer? No way! Your business will surely fail! So my advice would always be to work for two or more companies/schools. In that way, if things go south with one company, you still have your other means of income!
Here are a few companies with 24/7 schedules that I recommend as a secondary source of income:
www.lingoda.com - Lingoda - Pay is on the low side between $8-10 per hour for native English teachers, but you can schedule classes at any hour of the day or night
www.tutorabc.com/apply - TutorABC - Pay depends on your location. You can schedule classes 24/7
2. Apply for and inquire about secondary positions
Trust me, a lot of companies have a secondary position available and many online ESL teachers are missing out on this great opportunity. Once you have honed your skills as an excellent ESL teacher, you can offer your “customers” more. Secondary positions are a great way to stabilize your income if your classes may be slowing down or want to bring in a larger income. Some secondary positions are training and mentoring new teachers, lesson plan writing, curriculum design, proofreading lesson plans, recruiting and coaching.
One thing I’ve learned since running an online business is to simply ask for what you want and don’t be afraid to do so. Most of the time opportunities are there sitting waiting for us, we just have to be brave enough to grab them!
3. Look for companies that affiliate themselves with schools so you can teach the same students for a semester.
I know there are companies that offer something similar, like SayABC, I heard they are a great company but you can lose your homerooms (regular students) with the simple blink of an eye. Don’t you dare get sick, have a power outage or another genuine unforeseen emergency, your homerooms will be gone along with your income. So I’m not talking about companies like that! I’m talking about companies that you’re certain you will be the only teacher for a group of students for the period of a semester (at least). These schools usually have programs with brick and mortar schools in China and can be a great way to guarantee a stable income and classes. Below are a few companies I personally recommend for almost guaranteed stability.
Companies where you can receive a stable income: (Please check out the official website for requirements needed to apply)
31ABC - The base wage is $8 per class for the first 2 months. After that probation period, the base wage is increased to $9 per class, and the bonus rate is $2 per class. Trial classes: 28 min/class. Regular classes: 28min/class. Please send your resume and introduction video to teacherbecky94@gmail.com if you'd like to apply.
Class100 - Teacher payment is calculated on a per-class basis (scheduled in 30-minute slots) and is composed of a minimum pay between $6.00 - $9.00 plus bonuses. Please send your resume and introduction video to teacherbecky94@gmail.com if you'd like to apply.
ClassTalk - Pay rate is between $25-$30 USD per hour. It's interesting to note that at ClassTalk you can apply for other positions aside from teaching from the inception, like IT support and Course-ware Designer (teachers must be North American, but any nationality can apply for their other positions). If you're interested in applying through me for any of these positions, you can send your resume and introduction video to me at teacherbecky94@gmail.com
4. Do other online jobs!
Listen, you mamas are highly educated, ambitious business women. Don’t just limit your income stream to online ESL teaching, yes, teaching is your biggest passion but remember we’re working in a volatile industry where things can change at any moment and guess what? -The bills will remain the same. So why not look into other online opportunities that you do can in conjunction with your teaching business? I would suggest freelancing! Find something you are passionate about and do that! The internet is a great place to earn an income, you just have to be a little vigilant in finding what that income stream should be.
Personal tip: I have a 2-year-old at home, so I try to find freelance jobs that I can do around my son's schedule because trying to get him to stay quiet for 2 hours in the morning is already difficult enough!
I have compiled a list of mommy-friendly jobs you can do from home, as well as my personal favorite freelancing companies and companies where you can start a business from home.
I personally love Fiverr if you have special skills and you’re interested in starting a business of your own! The great thing about Fiverr is that once you’re apart of their platform, you automatically have access to thousands of people looking to hire someone for a job every day!
www.fiverr.com- start your own business as a writer, graphic designer..etc..
If you’re interested in freelancing, check these out!
www.freelancer.com - For freelancing
www.UPwork.com - For freelancing
www.NoDeskProject.com - For freelancing
www.TranscribeMe.com - Work-from-home transcription jobs
If you're looking to make some extra cash but don't have the time to dedicate to a business or freelancing job, check this out:
If any of these tips helped you mamas out in some way, please let me know! I would love your feedback!
Join my Facebook support group for mamas building their online ESL career: www.facebook.com/leabeccasahadeo/
With all my love,
Becky xoxo
