Teach English online.
Work from anywhere.
The lowest-barrier remote job that pays predictably. Here's what you actually need, what it pays, and where the legitimate work is.
$15–35/hr
typical pay
120hr
TEFL cert
Anywhere
with internet
2–4 weeks
to first paid hour
Why this is the easiest entry point
Most remote jobs require a portfolio, a reference, or a credential that takes years to build. Teaching English needs about three weeks of prep: a TEFL certificate, a webcam, and the willingness to talk to strangers about grammar. Demand is global and steady. You can start part-time, see if the schedule fits, and scale from there.
What you actually need
- TEFL or TESOL certificate. 120-hour courses run about $200 and take 2–4 weeks. Required by most platforms; optional but recommended if you go direct.
- Quiet space, decent gear. Webcam, headset, neutral background, good lighting. Students judge audio quality first; video second.
- Reliable internet. 10+ Mbps upload. Wired beats Wi-Fi for stability.
- A schedule you can defend. Most demand sits in Asia mornings or Europe evenings. Pick a slot you can hold for 12 weeks straight, or students churn.
Where the real jobs are
Two paths, and most teachers run both:
Marketplaces
Fastest start. Set your rate, get matched with students, platform handles billing. Trade-off: 20–33% commission and a constant churn of new students.
Preply is the largest by booking volume. Tutors set hourly rates ($5–80) and Preply takes a sliding commission that drops as you teach more hours. No degree required, TEFL strongly recommended.
Start tutoring on Preply →Direct schools
Slower to land, pays more per hour, gives you steady scheduling. You apply directly, get hired by a school, and teach their curriculum to their students.
Our sister site ESL Careers is a dedicated job board for English-teaching roles — online and in-person, marketplaces filtered out. Free to browse, free to apply, free to upload a resume.
Browse teaching jobs →Partner offer
Try Preply before you teach there
Use our partner link if you want to test the student side of the marketplace before building a tutor profile.
Open Preply →Realistic first 90 days
- Weeks 1–3: Knock out a TEFL course. Premier TEFL, i-to-i, and The TEFL Academy all ship 120-hour certs in this range.
- Weeks 4–6: Set up a Preply profile (or italki, Cambly). Record an intro video that doesn't look like every other intro video.
- Weeks 7–12: Apply to 5–10 direct school roles per week via ESL Careers. Direct contracts pay more and stabilize income once you land one.
FAQ
Do I need a degree to teach English online?
Not always. Direct schools and many tutoring marketplaces (Preply, italki, Cambly) accept teachers without degrees if you have a TEFL/TESOL certificate and strong English. Some Asian-market platforms still require a bachelor's degree for visa-related reasons.
How much does online English teaching pay?
Marketplace tutoring typically pays $10–25 per hour after platform fees. Direct school contracts pay $15–35 per hour. Specialist niches (business English, IELTS prep, exam coaching) can reach $40–80 per hour with experience.
What do I actually need to start?
A TEFL or TESOL certificate (120 hours, ~$200), a quiet space with good lighting, a webcam and headset, and reliable internet (10+ Mbps upload). A degree helps but isn't universal. A neutral, audible accent matters more than nationality.
Marketplace vs. direct school — which is better?
Marketplaces (Preply, italki) are faster to start with but take 20–33% commission and put you on a treadmill of student acquisition. Direct school contracts pay more per hour and give you steady scheduling, but applications take longer.
Is it actually a good remote job?
It's one of the lowest-barrier remote jobs that pays predictably. The downside is timezone friction — most demand sits in Asia (early-morning UTC) or Europe (evenings). If you're flexible about hours, it works.
Looking for non-teaching remote roles instead?
Browse remote jobs on Weightless →