In the last decade, the TEFL industry has shifted more and more online. Courses can be taken exclusively on the internet, video calls are stable enough for regular classes, and better remote internet speeds mean people can give lessons from anywhere on the planet.
But how does it compare to being an in-person TEFL teacher? Is it worth going fully online?
It’s a question thousands of people ask themselves, and I aim to give a balanced, reasoned view in this article.
We’ll start by looking at the merits and flaws of online TEFL courses. Then we’ll discuss what the experience of giving online classes is like, and finally we’ll consider the kind of careers and employment options available for online teachers.
But before all that, it’s important to note that everyone is different. There is no single correct answer for all people. Don’t just listen to what someone on the internet thinks, but look at all the information yourself and make a balanced judgement in the context of your specific situation.
If you’re thinking of becoming a TEFL teacher, I really recommend you take a look at my article Big Guide to Starting Out in TEFL: All you need to know. It takes you step-by-step through the whole process, from deciding if it’s right for you, all the way to getting your first job.
Is it worth doing a TEFL course online?
When it comes to getting your TEFL certificate, you have two main options:
- Do an online course in your own time, over the course of several months.
- Take an in-person course which lasts around a month, with a teacher and other students present.
In both cases, you’ll come out with the same qualification, most likely a 120-hour TEFL certificate, although some people may opt for longer courses.
To learn about the different types of TEFL course available, read my article explaining everything: What is the Best TEFL Certificate? Guide to choosing right.
Pros and cons of online TEFL courses
Online courses are the most popular way of getting certified as a TEFL teacher. Here are the reasons why you might want to do one:
- It’s MUCH cheaper than in-person courses.
- You can do it at your own pace (usually there’s a year time-limit). This means you can do it after work or school.
- All lessons are done from the comfort of your own home. No need to pay for travel or accommodation.
I got my initial 120-hour TEFL certificate online. My main reason for doing this was because I wasn’t sure if TEFL was going to be a major future career for me, and didn’t want to spend thousands on something that I may never use.
However, online courses have their downsides.
- You have very limited contact with anyone doing the course.
- Communication with instructors and tutors is minimal, so if you have issues or questions, it’s much more difficult to get them resolved.
- There’s nobody to check you’re on track and understanding the content.
- Real-life teaching practice is rare and usually with peers rather than actual students.
- It can be hard to motivate yourself when doing it alone over a long period of time.
Like all online courses of any subject, you don’t get much community and support. It can feel a bit lonely and disconnected from the real world of TEFL.
Honestly, I was bored while doing my online TEFL course. I had nobody to chat with and bounce ideas off, and the content was fairly prescriptive and passive. It was tough to maintain motivation and get to the end.
Pros and cons of in-person TEFL courses
For those looking for a more personal touch, the best course providers offer in-person options which typically last 4 weeks and take place in a training centre of your choice, either in your home country, or somewhere TEFL is a big industry.
Reasons you might prefer an in-person course are:
- You meet other people on the course and develop friendships.
- Direct contact with the teacher is a much better way of learning, as they can support you in the moment, and feel more trustworthy.
- You can do the course in a country you wish to teach in. The course often provides (or helps you find) accommodation and is a stepping stone to getting set up there. Plus, you get to enjoy the culture with peers during your free time.
- You don’t have to worry so much about self-motivation.
- Good course providers have practice lessons with real students on location.
There are a lot of positives for doing classes in-person. In fact, there aren’t many reasons why you wouldn’t want to do it, but those few reasons hold a lot of weight. They are:
- It’s expensive. Not only the course (paying a teacher to be there in-person), but travel and accommodation costs for a month. You could end up paying well over $3,000.
- It takes a full month of your time. That’s a problem if you have work or study commitments.
Cost is probably the biggest factor, and as was the case in my experience, it’s a lot of money to put into something you might not be certain about.
There is a third option, however. Very few course providers offer this, but you can take “combined” courses.
These let you do the theoretical part online, getting the full benefits of home study, before receiving real-life guidance and practice in preparing and delivering classes.
In terms of cost, they’re cheaper than the full in-person course, but more expensive than online only. The in-person part only takes a week, so it’s much easier to build into a busy schedule.
International TEFL and TESOL Training is a brilliant course provider and one of the rare companies that offer combined courses. Not only that, but they make sure your practice lessons are done with real students. That makes such a big difference. And very few other providers do this.
When I was considering all the different TEFL companies to affiliate myself with, ITTT stood out for those reasons.
I recommend them to you wholeheartedly, noting that they’re the best value for money, regardless of what type of course you choose (their online courses are some of the lowest-priced and highest quality out there).
And by following this link, and others on my site, you get 15% off whichever course you choose. I receive compensation for this, so you’re supporting me, too. And please note, I could have chosen any course provider to have this kind of affiliation, and I picked ITTT for their quality and value.
If you’re still not convinced, read my full article: Which TEFL Course Provider to Choose? Why my pick is ITTT.
Is it worth giving TEFL classes online?
Online classes in all subjects have exploded in popularity in recent years. Improvements in technology mean connections are more stable, and teachers have more tools at their disposal.
In this section, we’ll look at the benefits and drawbacks of the online teaching process. It won’t be about things like earnings and career prospects, we’ll look at that a bit later (click here to skip there right now).
The virtual classroom environment is much different to real life, obviously. Some things classroom teachers take for granted are completely absent, while there are methods you can us online which would be near impossible in person.
Let’s look at the main differences.
1. Class expectations and behaviour
I can’t imagine anything much worse than trying to manage thirty young children on a video call. Herding cats seems simple in comparison. Online classes make large groups much less viable, especially for less experienced teachers.
As a result, expectations around participation and behaviour are different. Body language cues and swift interactions are limited by the camera and connection speed.
Not to mention the fact that students have trouble connecting, suffer audio issues, and may get interrupted by parents or worse, younger siblings.
Classes with just one student, or a small number are much better, though. While it’s not the same as in-person, you don’t have to radically adapt your approach.
During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, I taught a lot of private classes online, with students I usually met in person. While I found it frustrating to deal with technical problems, I didn’t have to revamp my behaviour management strategies.
2. Teaching content
If you’re a teacher who likes lots of group work, or dynamic and physical activities, virtual classrooms seriously limit your options.
Many of the games and activities I recommend on this website simply aren’t possible online.
However, if you’re tech savvy, you can create different learning experiences. Interactive presentations, whiteboards and visual clicking games are much easier when everyone is plugged in compared to trying to organise them in a real classroom.
And if it’s a one-to-one instructive or conversation lesson that doesn’t rely on lots of dynamic interactions, online classes are perfectly serviceable.
The classes I had most success with during lockdown were with older students who were capable of holding lengthy conversations. I struggled with younger kids who I usually taught with exciting games and energetic activities.
3. Logistics and time
One big benefit of teaching classes online is the fact you can do it from the comfort of your own home, and, just as importantly, students can do it where they’re safe and secure, too.
Nobody needs to travel anywhere, so no waiting for parents to pick kids up, or arriving late because of traffic. Students can’t forget to bring their books or homework because it’s either at home, or online.
That’s another positive. You can organise everything using Google Classroom and a number of other brilliant apps. Yes, you could do this with in-person classes, but usually students aren’t connected to devices during those lessons (nor do you want them to be).
If you want to learn more about how technology can assist English teaching check out my list of 9 Best Free Apps for EFL/ESL Teachers and How to Use Them.
As there’s no travel, you can be more flexible with lesson duration. If you’re journeying for half an hour across the city to get to the class, you want it to last at least an hour, otherwise it’s not worth it. But online, it could be just ten minutes and you haven’t wasted any time commuting.
On balance, I prefer in-person classes. You can teach in a variety of different ways, which is especially important with younger learners, and you develop a better rapport.
Is it worth starting a career as an online TEFL teacher?
This is going to be the most controversial part of the article. As I said before, I’m going to try to present the facts in a balanced way and let you decide for yourself.
The recent history of the online English tutoring industry
In the late 2010s, online TEFL teaching was booming. Lots of people were giving classes over the internet to students all around the world and making decent money from it.
Sure, nobody was getting super rich, but it was a full-time income for some, and a good side gig for others.
But that changed in mid-2021. The Chinese government banned online tutoring, leaving the industry in shock. They enforced this law to ease the pressure on parents and students who felt they couldn’t be successful without paying for expensive tutors.
Why is this important? Well, China was by far and away the largest market for online TEFL classes. Thousands of online TEFL teachers found themselves without work.
Okay, so you can’t teach Chinese students, but aren’t there plenty of other countries? Yes, you’re right. But all those teachers who lost their Chinese students are now trying to get work elsewhere, meaning the companies that host the private classes are inundated with applicants.
That means they can lower how much they pay tutors. Supply and demand. This affects you as a prospective online TEFL teacher, because you can’t get paid nearly as much as you would before China passed this law.
How much can you earn?
LatinHire is one of the biggest tutoring companies, providing classes to students in Latin America. Pay there can be as little as $7 an hour, and that doesn’t include preparation and planning time.
Even if you get paid the top rate at the company ($13) an hour and give 30 hours of classes a week, you’ll earn $1,560 a month. Given you’ll need prep time, that’s 40-50 hours a week, giving you a real wage of $8-10 per hour.
Most people in the USA wouldn’t be able to pay rent and eat on that kind of wage. And that’s the highest wage they offer.
Admittedly, most companies pay a little better than this. At the top end, Protostar pays $15 for a 40-minute lesson, while plenty of companies, like Preply and iTalki let you set your own hourly rates.
But you need to get the hours. And make sure you’re paid. Online tutoring companies are developing a particularly nasty reputation for treating their teachers poorly. Inconsistent teaching hours, late pay, ignoring abusive students and unfair reviews… it’s all a bit dodgy, if you ask me.
I’m sure there are great companies out there. And if this is something you’re getting into, you should definitely do a lot of research into which company you choose.
Is there any hope?
It’s not all doom and gloom. If it were, nobody would be doing it. And the truth is, thousands and thousands of people make good money from online English tutoring.
As long as you understand you won’t get rich, and your income may vary, you can still make it a success.
For those hoping to live in a wealthy country like the USA or UK, it’s hard to earn enough to survive, but if you move to a country where the monthly living costs are low, you can earn more than you spend and actually save some money!
The digital nomad lifestyle is becoming more and more viable as remote internet connections get better, and it’s perfectly possible to travel to multiple countries around Asia, South America, and Africa while earning enough to keep afloat.
Alternatively, you can squeeze more money from the industry if you’re experienced and qualified. On a platform where you set your own rates, you can advertise yourself as a high-quality tutor and charge well over $20 an hour.
Yes, it’s competitive. But if you present yourself well and have the credentials to back it up, you can certainly make a full-time income. It’s not nearly as secure as fixed employment, but hey, you don’t have a boss!
So, is online English teaching a serious long-term career?
For the vast majority of people, no.
It’s a good option for those hoping to travel the world and earn a bit of income as they go, or those wanting to get a side gig doing something they enjoy – teaching.
Getting a full-time wage while working from home as a tutor is complicated. But not impossible. If you’re really determined, you can make it work.
But I would ask, why would you, when you can earn much more giving in-person classes? Even in English-speaking countries there are opportunities for TEFL teachers to get work teaching foreign students and immigrants.
And in-person private classes are much more lucrative. You can earn twice or even three times as much as online classes, and you don’t have to deal with questionable companies.
For more on how to get started as a private EFL/ESL teacher, read my article on the topic: How to Get Started as an EFL/ESL Private Tutor: Full guide.
Conclusion
As I said at the start, your unique circumstances inform whether doing TEFL online is worth it or not.
Your location, access to in-person students, internet availability, ability to travel, and financial needs all come into the picture.
Hopefully, I’ve presented both sides of the coin in a way that helps you decide. But I urge you to do your own research. Explore your options and seek opinions from people who have done online teaching, or online courses.
And whatever happens, you should know that teaching English is an exciting, fulfilling thing to do, both online and off.
To learn more about becoming a TEFL teacher, you should definitely read my other articles:
Big Guide to Starting Out in TEFL: All you need to know
Is TEFL Teaching Hard? A guide to whether TEFL is right for you
What Are EFL/ESL Classes Like For Teachers?
Is TEFL Legit? Guide to trustworthy certificates and jobs
Do You Need a Degree to Work as a TEFL Teacher?
How to Pick the Right TEFL Destination: 5 steps to success
What Type of TEFL Teaching is For You? Jobs explained
What is the Best TEFL Certificate? Guide to choosing right
TEFL vs. CELTA: What’s the difference? Which is best?
10 Steps to Passing Your TEFL: Study and assignment tips
Is There an Exam for TEFL Courses? What you need to pass
Which TEFL Course Provider to Choose? Why my pick is ITTT
Is it Hard to Get a TEFL Job? Tips on finding employment
