Frequently Asked Questions & Issues
FAQs
What's different about The Online Teacher (TOT)? How do they look after their teachers?
Here are three key reasons why TOT is teacher-centric:
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The-Online-Teacher works directly with the human resources staff at the online ESL schools to ensure the fastest possible response time for an applicant.
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The-Online-Teacher signs contracts with each company to make sure they pay teachers fairly, on time, and never misrepresent themselves.
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The-Online-Teacher will never, ever, ask you for money. They get paid by the schools.
Why can't I just find online schools by myself?
You can. But you may spend days/weeks of your time researching schools looking for online teaching positions. And while there are many reputable online schools, you may not be sure how reputable some schools you found are.
Probably more important is finding the right fit with your teaching preferences, i.e how you want to teach...to what specific student segment...to your schedule. TOT does this matching for you. And if we don't get it right the first time, we send you an another, second option.
With TOT, you also won't have to worry about:
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Schools that don't pay what they promise and don't uphold all terms and conditions of their teaching contract
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Schools you ask you to do a demo class and complete their training—then you never hear back from them again
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the cumbersome hiring processes of more than a few online companies.
What can The Online Teacher (TOT) do for me?
Some of the key benefits to using TOT are:
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They match you with the highest rated employers with the highest pay possible.
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They have a maximum of a 1 week to get back to you quickly.
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They have a direct contact in each school that gives you higher priority than other "walk-in" applicants.
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If your application is unsuccessful with a school, TOT will immediately find a new school for you with a new offer.
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The-Online-Teacher is very motivated to help teachers. They only get paid if you get a job. They will work their butt off for you--not the online ESL schools. You have to be with the school for two weeks before they get paid.
How many online jobs are there?
The Online Teacher has thousands of vacancies from dozens of companies. New companies—and scores of jobs—are being added all the time. The demand for English teachers has never been greater.
What qualifications do I need to apply to be an online teacher? What do I need to get started?
We've created a Qualifications page with complete details, but in general, the "ideal" qualified candidate will be:
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A native or proficient English speaker - at least a C1 on the CEFR proficiency scale.
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BA/BS – you should be educated to the bachelor’s degree level
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TEFL certification – you should have undergone a minimum of 120 hours of teaching training that included teaching real students in a practicum.
Some of the above criteria can be waived on a case-by-case basis. Keep in the mind that the hiring schools make these qualifications based upon the requirements of the market.
What if I don’t like the job The Online Teacher has provided for me?
If you don’t like the first job you’re presented, we submit a second position for you. If you don’t like that we present yet another job…and will do so until you find a job that meets your requirements.
Given the high level of attention I will get from The Online Teacher, how much will the service cost me?
It’s completely free for teachers. The recruiting school pays the all related costs to the platform. You just need to make your own individual Online Teacher Profile.
How many hours do I have to teach?
The Online Teacher requires a minimum commitment of 5 hours per week. Most teachers typically work 15 to 25 hours per week.
What is the pay rate?
This will obviously vary from company to company and the type of class taught. And your qualifications, but the salary range will be US$15 to US$25 dollars per hour.
How does The Online Teacher know which companies are reputable and honest?
There are two main ways. The first is that all the companies we recruit for must have a minimum of a 3-star rating on www.glassdoor.com.
Secondly, The Online Teacher monitors all its partner companies. If we learn of problems with teachers recruited on our platform—and those issues are warranted—we ban that company recruiting through our platform.
How does The Online Teacher select teaching jobs for me?
First off, we don't use algorithms or automatic procedures to pair teacher with our partner companies. We have dedicated Teacher Matching Experts to review each Online Teaching portfolio to match a teacher's qualifications and stated preferences with an individual company's teaching requirement.
Will I be teaching individuals in a private tutoring setting or will I be teaching classes?
Both. The majority of our online teaching positions are one-on-one tutoring. But we do have requirements for conference teaching and, particularly in China, for teaching online to a class in a public school classroom of say 20 students.
Will I have to make a lesson plan for each class?
No. The company you work for will provide lesson plans and a teaching guide for every class you teach. You will just need to be able to spend a few minutes reviewing this in preparing for your class.
What’s the key ingredient for a successful online teacher?
In a word, ‘enthusiasm.” And while you need pretty much the same skill-set of a traditional classroom teacher, enthusiasm is particularly important skill to help minimized the physical distance between you and your student.
Create your FREE Online Teacher Profile today!
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