With over 4,700 English teachers aged 40+ becoming TEFL certified through ITA (including many in their 60’s and 70’s), it’s not uncommon for some of them to want to teach English online instead of abroad and in-person.
It also isn’t uncommon for teachers within this age group to feel concerned about whether they are too old to secure an online teaching job. Simply put, the answer is no. While there may be some online platforms that prefer hiring younger teachers, there are others that welcome teachers of all ages.
In this post, we will highlight six platforms you can teach English online with that don’t discriminate based on age. Our list is broken into two groups:
- Structured Platforms: These are platforms that provide you with a set curriculum and lesson plans - there is no prep work on your end other than reviewing the materials before each lesson. These platforms often have a set base rate of pay and additional incentive-based rates you can achieve through things like positive reviews, 100% on-time attendance, etc.
- Open Marketplace Platforms: These are platforms in which you market yourself and your English-teaching abilities in order to attract students. More often than not, you will be required to create all your own lesson plans and materials for each lesson you teach as your student’s ages and levels will vary from young children all the way through to older adults. With these platforms, you set your own rate of pay and the platform will take a commission from it.
STRUCTURED PLATFORMS
1. Qkids
Qkids is an online education platform that connects North American English teachers with over 1 million international students from ages 4 to 12 years old. Using a narrative game-based learning platform, thousands of English teachers from the U.S. and Canada guide students through a fun and dynamic curricular experience. In our Teachers Over 40 Facebook Group, we’ve seen ITA alumni aged 54-61 teaching online with QKids.
Requirements:
- Eligible to legally work in the U.S. or Canada.
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Teaching license or English teaching certificate (TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, ESL) required before lessons assigned.
Other Details:
- Curriculum/lessons provided but you will need to prepare for each lesson by familiarizing yourself with the materials.
- Lessons are 30-minutes in length.
- You will be teaching 1-4 students per lesson.
- Base pay of $8 USD per 30-minute lesson + incentive and attendance-based bonuses available ($16 - $20 USD per hour).
- Set your own schedule.
- 6-month contract with the ability to extend upon re-evaluation.
You can find the link to the Qkids teacher application page here.
2. VIPKid
VIPKid is an online platform that makes ESL education accessible by bringing together young learners and educators through one-on-one online classes. VIPKid prides itself on finding educators who are knowledgeable, passionate, and ready to make an impact. They provide the curriculum and you teach English online on your own schedule.
VIPKid has a Diversity & Inclusion statement where they outline that their platform is an inclusive space where all are welcome and encouraged to bring their experience to the global classroom. They even have a non-discrimination policy highlighted on their site that protects against age amongst other things.
ITA alumna Ewa Schmitz is 55 years of age and teaching English online with VIPKid. You can read more about her experience here.
Requirements:
- At least two years of experience in teaching, tutoring, coaching, or mentoring recommended.
- Bachelor’s degree in any field.
- Legally eligible to work in the U.S. or Canada.
Other Details:
- A 6-month contract where you set your own schedule and teach as many hours as you like. No minimum hour commitment.
- Materials for every class provided to you.
- Classes are 25-minutes each.
- Classes are one-on-one - just you and the student.
- Earnings based on the number of classes you teach. The more classes you teach, the more you can earn. There is no limit.
- Base pay rate is between $7- $9 USD per class (the equivalent of $14-18 per hour plus incentives).
You can find the link to the VIPKid teacher application page here.
3. EF (English First)
Whether you’ve never taught before or have hours of classroom experience, EF’s sophisticated yet straightforward online classroom has all the necessary tools to help you with your online teaching journey. At EF, you can teach children or adults. We’ve seen ITA alumni in our Teachers Over 40 Facebook group teaching adults online with EF.
Requirements:
- TEFL Certification.
- Fully fluent English speaker (C2 level).
- Bachelor’s degree in any field.
- Adult classes: previous teaching experience is a bonus, but not necessary.
- Children: A clean background check is required.
- You should be living and authorized to work in the United States.
Other Details:
- Teaching materials and lesson plans provided for both children and adult classes.
- Contracts are offered for a six-month term with options for auto-renewal.
- Children: 25-minute one-on-one online English lessons to kids in China (ages 5-10)
- Children: Rates start at $13.20 USD per hour and can go up to $20 per hour if you satisfy incentive bonuses.
- Adults: Three class options - 20 and 40 min private lessons, and 45 min group classes with students from all over the world.
- Adults: Rates start at $12 USD per hour-long class.
You can find the link to the EF teacher application page here.
OPEN-MARKETPLACE PLATFORMS
4. Preply
Preply is a marketplace-type platform where you can provide and market your English teaching services and earn money sharing your expert knowledge with students. Being a Preply tutor puts you in control of just about everything - from setting your own rate of pay, teaching your own lessons with lesson plans you’ve created, and contacting and securing your own students, you are in the driver’s seat from beginning to end.
At the age of 54, ITA alumna Alexandra May is teaching English online through Preply and charging $30 per hour. You can read more about her experience here.
Requirements:
- No teaching experience is required.
- No teaching certification required although having a TEFL certification will allow you to charge higher rates and make your tutor profile more attractive to students.
- No degree required.
Other Details:
- Teach students from over 180 countries.
- A majority of students are adults - you have control of which students you would like to teach as you can proactively find them on Preply.
- No curriculum or lesson plans provided - you have control to create your own lesson plans that you think will best benefit your students.
- Choose your hourly rate and change it anytime. On average, English tutors charge $15-25 per hour.
- Preply will take a commission from whatever rate of pay you set. The commission for a trial lesson with a new student is 100%. The commission for the subsequent lessons starts at 33% and decreases to 18% - the more hours you teach on Preply, the lower the rate of commission. You can find out more about their commission structure here.
- Decide when and how many hours you want to teach. No minimum time commitment or fixed schedule.
You can find the link to the Preply teacher application page here.
5. Cambly
Cambly has three different divisions under it: Cambly, Cambly Kids, and Cambly for Organizations. In this piece, we will be focusing on the division that is geared towards teaching adults (known just as Cambly). While you can teach from your laptop or desktop computer, Cambly also has both Android and iPhone apps so you can teach from just your cell phone!
In our Teacher Over 40 Facebook Group, we’ve seen ITA alumni in their mid to late 50’s teaching with Cambly.
Requirements:
- No degree required.
- No teaching experience required.
- No teaching certification required although having a TEFL certification will allow you to charge higher rates and make your tutor profile more attractive to students.
Other Details:
- Teach adult-aged students.
- One-on-one lessons.
- Earn $0.17/min ($10.20/hour).
- Most students have already taken English courses and are looking for tutors to practice their conversation with. Other students are preparing for an exam (TOEFL, IELTS, etc.) and wish to go over grammar, speaking, or listening exercises, so you will need to prepare your lessons based on your students’ needs and what they are looking to achieve.
- Cambly provides access to a large bank of free resources and lessons that you can cover with your students here and also to courses you can follow here.
You can find the link to the Cambly teacher application page here.
6. Wyzant
Whether you’re new to tutoring or an established pro, listing your services on Wyzant’s marketplace is an effective way to build and manage your own successful tutoring business. Wyzant lets you create a free online profile complete with pictures, videos, student reviews, and more. Your profile has everything you need to showcase your qualifications and experience for potential students to review.
Wyzant is not limited to just ESL tutors though - they have tutors for all languages, and even for subjects like math, computer science, and coding! ITA alumna Anna Greenfield, 52, offers her ESL-tutoring services on Wyzant. You can read more about her experience here.
Requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old, reside in the United States, and possess a valid Social Security Number.
- No degree required.
- No teaching certification required although having a TEFL certification will allow you to charge higher rates and make your tutor profile more attractive to students.
Other Details:
- Teach students of all ages with a majority of students being adults.
- One-on-one lessons.
- Set your own hourly rate.
- All tutors will retain 75% of their posted hourly rate for lessons with students and Wyzant will retain a 25% platform fee.
- No curriculum or lesson plans provided - you have complete control to create the lesson plans you think will best benefit your students.
What makes Wyzant different from other online marketplaces is that it’s not only limited to teaching online - you can even find in-person tutoring opportunities and proactively seek out students looking for a teacher in your area by using their ‘Find Tutoring Jobs’ tool!
You can find the link to the Wyzant teacher application page here.
Additional Resources for TEFL Teachers Over 40:
- Am I Too Old to Teach English Abroad?
- 5 Best Countries for Teaching English Abroad When You're 40+
- Are There Age Limits or Restrictions to Teach English Abroad?
- Visit the Teaching Abroad Over 40 section of our blog to read articles and Q&As from ITA alumni that are over 40 and teaching English abroad and online!
