The sector for online TEFL teaching jobs is constantly changing as new language training platforms are launched while others merge, transition or even go bust. Here is an overview of the largest platforms for online English teaching, mostly based in Europe and the US, where you can teach English. All information is correct as of June 2025, however, you should do your own research before submitting your application.
Create-a-profile companies:
These are platforms where you set your own rate and the company charges a commission on what you earn.
Italki – the best-known and most coveted platform to work for, Italki has a commission rate of 21%. They offer two tiers of teacher: professional (for those with teaching qualifications) and community (for those without qualifications, but passionate about the subject).
On the downside, Italki is difficult to join, with applications for professional and community English teachers closed for the time being. Keep an eye on their application page, however, because recruitment windows do open now and again.
Verbling – A US company, recently acquired by Chegg, Verbling is also well-known in the language-learning sector and charges commission of 15%. In a change to policy, Verbling now requires a background check for teachers.
Preply – A powerful company which advertises heavily and attracts students from around the world. It charges more commission than other language sites, however, (especially at the beginning) which decreases as you teach more lessons. The commission structure is:
- 0-20 hours = 33%
- 21-50 hours = 28%
- 51-200 hours = 25%
- 201-400 hours = 22%
- 400+ hours = 18%
They also take 100% of the trial class. I have worked on this site and I can’t find a way to turn the trail class option off without hiding your profile in the listings, so I guess you’re stuck with it.
Verbal Planet – A language-teaching site where you set your rate and they charge the student 15% on top. I have never worked for this site, but when I have investigated, it always seemed pretty quiet to me. But maybe I’m wrong. If you work for Verbal Planet, tell us what it’s like.
LanguaTalk – A UK company where the tutor sets their rates and the site charges the student 16% on top. LanguaTalk is a small company which prides themselves on treating their tutors fairly. They recruit the best tutors only and so when approaching them make sure you have your Linkedin profile up to scratch with recommendations from previous students/ employers. If you wish to learn a language, I definitely recommend them also, because platforms with fair policies should be supported.
Tutoroo – A Singapore company, offering online and face-to-face classes. They want native speakers, but you do not need a teaching qualification. The teacher appears to set their own rate. The platform offers a bazar payment strategy whereby they collect the first two weeks of earning the teacher makes from a new student and then after that the student pays the tutor directly. More on that here.
AmazingTalker – A Chinese company where teachers set their own rate. You don’t have to be a native speaker, but non-native speakers have to have an English degree. Commission starts high at 30%, but is said to decrease as you teach more classes. However, they also seem to lump on 8% processing fee when paying you.
Create a profile companies for general tutoring
These companies offer a range of subjects, from maths to music to ESL. They are sometimes a way to pick up ESL student, however, you’ll have much more success on language-learning sites.
Superprof – Essentially an advertising site. The student pays a monthly subscription for access to tutors profiles. If selected, the tutor and student then decide the teaching location and payment between them.
Classgap – Easy to join, but don’t expect many students, Classgap offers a variety of subjects with ESL among them. Commission is set on a sliding scale depending on how many classes taught.
First Tutors – Only for tutors based in the UK, First Tutors offers a variety of subjects. They do not charge commission, instead the student pays a monthly fee to browse the profiles of the tutors and the tutor and student agree on the payment themselves.
Varsity Tutors – Only for tutors based in the US.
Take Lessons – Only for tutors based in the US.
Outschool – A massive company based in the US offering a variety of subjects taught to 3-18 year olds. Teachers set their own pay and no experience or qualification is required. The platform takes 30% commission.
Skooli – A Canadian company teaching a variety of subjects. Teachers should have a bachelor’s degree or higher in the field that they teach or a specialised instructor qualification. If you wish to teach languages, you must also be a native speaker. They pay a flat rate of $25 USD per hour.
Tutorful – Only for tutoring children, as such you need some sort of disclosure certificate to prove that you do not have a criminal record. Tutors set their own rates and Tutorful charges a commission on top.
Tus Clases Particularies – A Spanish company and essentially an advertising site like Superprof. The tutor sets up a profile and when a student contacts them, the payment is managed by the tutor.
Wyzant – A US company teaching a variety of subjects. Tutors set their own rates. It charges 25% commission.
Business-to-business language training companies
Business-to-business (B2B) language training companies, provide services to other businesses. For example, if the telecoms company Vodafone needs its Spanish workforce to speak English, they’ll outsource the task to a (usually large) language training company. The advantage of online B2B language training companies is that they’ll usually keep your calendar full with classes. The disadvantage is that because they’re finding you work, the pay is less than you would charge your own students. As there have been a lot of mergers of these companies lately, this list only includes the largest with the hope that most of these names will be around in the coming years.
English First (EF) – Headquartered in Switzerland, English First provides language training for school children, university students and companies. Pay is reported to be $11.85-12.60 USD per hour.
Learnlight – based in Barcelona, Learnlight is a growing company which has made a number of acquisitions of competitors in the last few years. They teach business English to employees of multi-national companies based in Europe. Again the pay is low at €10-12 (euros) an hour.
Learnship – based in Germany, Learnship has also been expanding, acquiring Global English from Pearson in the past few years. They specialise in business English and pay around €17 (euros) per hour.
Speexx – also based in Germany, Speex also specialises in business English. Teachers must have a English-teaching certificate and speak another language at a B2 level. They pay €6 for a one-to one class (25-minute unit + 5 minutes admin). I have a feeling that Speex pays more than this after you’ve been with the company awhile as they have very good ratings on Glassdoor. Watch this place for updates.
1to1Progress – based in France and they teach business English to adult students in France. Teachers must write a lesson reports at the end of each session. They want native speakers with a language teaching certificate. You don’t need to be bilingual, but if you know French, Italian or Spanish, it is a plus.
Myngle –based in the Netherlands Myingle teaches business English to European and Japanese students. They pay €15 for one-to-one classes and €20 for group classes. Each class is 45 minutes long.
Ginseng English – based in Boston, they teach both general and business English. There is no information on their site about pay but they state that they pay more than other companies and so are looking for the best teachers. Non-native speakers are welcome and it is an advantage if you hold a masters degree.
Lingo Live – based in of New York, Lingo Live teaches business English to tech industry professionals. Teachers should have a university degree or 5 years of experience. It pays between $14 to $18 USD per hour.
Talaera – based in New York, Talaera provides business English and cultural training. There is word that the company only hires teachers in the US and Canada, although I personally know someone in Argentina who works for them, so perhaps they have broadened the hiring criteria. The company does not publicly disclose salaries, but pay according to Reddit threads seems to be $22 to $25 USD per hour.
Voxy – based in New York, Voxy teaches business English to companies primarily in South America and Europe. Teachers should have a university degree and speak another language. It pays about $18 USD per hour
Business-to-client companies
Business-to-client (B2C) companies find you private students who wish to learn a language. Again, the upside is that they should keep your calendar full, but the downside is the pay. Here is a list of the largest.
Accent Advisor – an US company that specialises in teaching the American accent. Most students live in the US and already speak fluent English, but want to reduce their accent. Tutors must have a North American accent, at least two years of ESL teaching experience and hold either an English teaching certificate or a degree in Linguistics. The company pays $16 USD per hour with an increase of $1 USD per hour for every 500 teaching hours until you reach $25 USD.
Cambly – based in San Francisco, Cambly is famous (or shall we say infamous) in the TEFL world. Teachers don’t prepare classes but give students speaking practice with conversation. Students don’t book a class, they logon to join the teacher who they wish to speak to. The work is easy but the pay is low. The company pays $0.17 cents per minute or $10.20 USD per hour for adults and up to $12 USD per hour with Cambly Kids. Bear in mind the first five minutes of the class is unpaid.
Lingoda – A German company with over 1500 teachers, Lingoda offers group and one-to-one classes. The pay is so low at €8 to €12 per hour, I only mention them here for you to avoid them.
Babbel – Babble, a language-learning app, has also begun to give classes. They provide materials and a flexible schedule. The pay a minimum of $12USD per hour and a maximum of $35 with bonuses.
Inglesissimo – based in Spain this company has around 900 teachers and offers business and general English classes. They pay from $8 to $14 USD per hour.
Oxinity – also based in Spain, I believe, Oxinity teaches one-to-one and group classes (of maximum three students) with the material provided. They say on their website that they use Big Data to determine students’ needs and presumably suggest topics to teach. Pay starts at 14€ per hour and goes up to a maximum of 35€. Click for Glass Door reviews.
Woospeak– based in France, teachers should speak French. Pay starts at $16 to $18 per hour.
So that’s our list, but always do your own research before you commit to work for a platform. Glass Door reviews, Reddit Threads and Facebook groups can help you in this regard. Check out this post for more.
