Teaching English Online:
Everything I Wish I’d Known
Written by Rita Serra | Published Mar 16, 2026
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I got my first job teaching English online from a group chat.
I was staying at a digital nomad hostel, and someone posted a job offer in the group chat. No experience needed. Native speaker only. I had never stood in front of a classroom in my life. I applied anyway.
I got the job. And it changed everything.
Teaching English first in the classroom, then online, was how I funded my early years abroad. It’s how I kept traveling when the savings started running thin. For three years, it was my income, my structure, and honestly, some of the most unexpectedly rewarding work I’ve ever done. If you’re curious about what long-term expat life actually looks like on the ground, I wrote about my full experience in Relocating to Albania: My Honest Take After 5 Years.
It was also, eventually, exhausting. But we’ll get to that.
If you’re thinking about moving abroad and wondering how to actually pay for it, especially if you don’t have a remote job lined up, ESL teaching is one of the most accessible paths out there. You don’t need to be a teacher. You don’t need a degree (more on that in a minute). You need English, patience, and a decent wifi connection.
Here’s everything I know about it, the real version, updated for where the industry actually stands today.
First, What Even Is a TEFL?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It’s the certification most schools and online platforms ask for when you apply to teach English. You might also see TESOL, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which is essentially the same thing, and the terms are used interchangeably.
In practical terms, a TEFL course covers basic and advanced grammar, classroom management, how to keep students engaged, and how to handle common questions. If you’ve never taught before, it gives you enough of a framework that when you sit down in front of a student for the first time, you’re not completely flying blind.
(You’ll still be a little bit flying blind. That’s normal. You figure it out fast.)
My honest take: If you’ve never taught before, get the TEFL. Not because every platform requires it, but because even a basic course gives you enough confidence to start. The first few lessons are awkward, but once you do it, it gets easier and easier.
TEFL vs. CELTA — Do You Need the Expensive One?
There’s another certification worth knowing about: CELTA, the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, designed by Cambridge University. It’s considered the gold standard in the industry, it’s internationally recognized, and it costs anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000, depending on where you take it.
Unless you want to teach in highly competitive markets or work for premium institutions, you don’t need it. A TEFL is sufficient for the vast majority of online platforms and many in-person schools abroad. CELTA is worth considering if you want to build a long-term teaching career, but if your goal is to fund your travels for a year or two, a standard TEFL will get you there.
How to Get Certified Without Spending a Fortune
Here’s something the teaching industry doesn’t advertise loudly: you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on TEFL certification.
I got mine for $17. Yes, really. I found an accredited provider on Groupon, yes, Groupon is still a thing, and paid almost nothing for a fully legitimate 160-hour certification. The company was TEFL Full Circle, and the certificate was accepted everywhere I applied.
A few things to know before you buy:
- Make sure the provider is accredited. A quick Google search of the company name plus ‘accredited’ or ‘legitimate’ will tell you quickly. Do not skip this step.
- The standard minimum is 120 hours. I went with 160 hours because it didn’t cost much more, and more hours is always better on an application.
- You do not need a physical certificate. Digital is fine everywhere.
- Check the company’s own website before buying through a deals site, sometimes they have the same price or better directly.
The time it takes to complete the course depends entirely on you. Some people finish in a few days of dedicated studying. Others take months. I finished in a few weeks because I was putting in long hours each day, but there’s no deadline, so you can move at whatever pace works.
Budget: expect to spend $20–$50 for a quality online TEFL. Anything significantly more than that for a basic certification is not necessary.
Skip the $300 courses unless you have a specific reason to pay more. The accreditation is what matters, not the price tag.
Online Teaching vs. In-Person: The Real Difference
Teaching Online
Online ESL teaching is what most people picture when they think about funding a nomadic lifestyle. You log on from wherever you are in the world, teach a class, log off, and go live your life.
The reality is mostly that, but with some catches.
When I was teaching online, I had flexibility. I made my own schedule with the platform I used. But not all platforms give you that. Many assign you students who expect consistency, meaning once you commit to a slot, you’re in it for months. The platform wants the student to have the same teacher every session. That limits how freely you can travel while teaching.
The other reality nobody talks about: after about three years of online teaching, I was drained. You’re sitting for hours, often back-to-back sessions with small breaks, performing energy and engagement even on days when you have none. I worked an enormous number of hours during COVID. By the end of each day, I genuinely did not want to speak to another person.
That’s not a reason to avoid it. It’s a reason to treat it as a tool, use it to fund your first chapter, build savings, give yourself stability while you figure out what comes next. Don’t let it become the whole thing.
Teaching In-Person Abroad
This is actually how I started before I had any certification, before I had any plan. Someone posted a job in a group chat, I applied, and I was in a classroom.
In-person teaching is harder. You’re responsible for a curriculum. You’re managing a room full of students. You’re physically present in a way that takes more energy than a screen session. Teachers who do this work do not get nearly enough credit.
But it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. The human connection is different. You learn about people, about cultures, about how language actually works in practice. It’s a genuinely life-changing experience, and it often comes with better pay and sometimes housing included.
If you want to teach in-person, research specific schools in your target country. Many post jobs on Dave’s ESL Cafe (one of the oldest ESL job boards still running) and on country-specific Facebook expat groups. Requirements vary; some schools want a degree, some want CELTA, some just want a warm body who speaks English natively.
Where to Find Work: The Honest Updated List
This section is where the guide I originally wrote needed the most updating because the ESL landscape has changed significantly.
The short version: China largely exited the market for international online teachers in 2021 due to government regulations on private tutoring. Platforms like VIPKid and Magic Ears, which were the dominant names for years, either shut down their international operations or pivoted away from foreign teachers.
The good news is the demand for English instruction hasn’t gone anywhere; it just moved. Here’s where to actually look now:
Online Platforms Worth Your Time:
- Engoo: casual conversation practice, no lesson planning required; they have their own lessons and Daily News Articles to read with the student. Pays per 25-minute lesson. Great for starting out and building confidence.
- Cambly: casual conversation practice, no lesson planning required, pay per minute of talk time. Great for starting out and building confidence.
- iTalki: You set your own rate, find your own students, and keep most of the fee. More work to get started, but more earning potential long-term.
- Preply: similar to iTalki, good volume of students, slightly higher platform cut.
- Outschool: classes for kids ages 3–18, you design and list your own classes. Higher earning potential if you build a following.
- Verbling: professional market, often adult learners, competitive but good rates.
For In-Person Opportunities
- Dave’s ESL Cafe: still one of the most comprehensive boards for in-country teaching jobs worldwide.
- Country-specific Facebook expat groups: often where the real leads are, especially for smaller schools that don’t advertise widely.
- Direct outreach to language schools in your target city: more work but often better results than job boards.
Pay range across these platforms runs roughly $10–$25 per hour online, and in-person positions abroad vary enormously depending on country and school, but many include housing, which changes the math significantly.
Things Nobody Told Me Before I Started
The Bachelor’s Degree Question
Many schools and some platforms require a bachelor’s degree. I don’t have one, and I still landed two good jobs. But I won’t pretend it was easy; there were doors that closed, applications that went nowhere.
If you have a degree, you’re in a stronger position than you might realize. If you don’t, it’s not impossible, but be honest with yourself about the extra effort involved in finding the right fit.
The Wifi and Quiet Space Reality
This sounds obvious until you’re traveling and your accommodation has unreliable wifi and paper-thin walls. You need stable, consistent internet and a space where you can speak out loud without disturbing people or being disturbed. Students can and do report background noise, and on some platforms, enough complaints affect your standing.
Check wifi speeds before you book anything when you’re teaching remotely. Ask in expat groups about specific cities and neighborhoods. It matters more than you’d think.
Non-Native Speakers: It’s Harder, Not Impossible
If English is not your first language, finding ESL work is more challenging, but it’s not a dead end. Your English needs to be genuinely strong, and your accent needs to be easy to understand. Some platforms require a C2 Proficiency qualification (Cambridge’s highest level), which proves mastery of the language.
Platforms that have historically hired non-native speakers include Engoo, Fluentbe, and allright.io. Requirements change, so check current policies before applying. Your strongest asset will be pairing a TEFL with strong English proficiency documentation.
Is ESL Teaching Right For You?
When I first considered it, I didn’t think it was for me. I wasn’t a teacher. I had never wanted to be a teacher. I only said yes because an opportunity fell into my lap and I needed income.
Three years later, I understood why people make a career of it. You learn things. You grow patience you didn’t know you had. You connect with people across language and culture in a way that’s genuinely rare. You also sometimes become a small but real part of someone else’s life, the teacher who helped them get a job, pass an exam, or move to a new country.
It’s not glamorous. It can be repetitive. It can be draining. But it is reliable, it is accessible, and it is one of the most honest answers to the question every person asks when they’re considering a move abroad: how do I actually pay for this?
You figure it out. Teaching online was how I started figuring it out. And if you’re still trying to figure out where to go, start here: Debating Moving Abroad? Find the Best Country for You.
If it’s calling you, say yes to the opportunity even if you feel unqualified. The certification takes weeks. The confidence comes from doing it. You’ll be more ready than you think.
Have questions about getting started with teaching English online? Drop them in the comments, I read every one. And if you’re thinking about the bigger move abroad, you can read my post How to Move Abroad as an American: Everything You Need to Prepare for a Smooth Relocation. It covers everything I wish I’d had when I was planning mine.
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