Online ESL Teacher for Boxfish
Summary(Review): Boxfish is a Chinese company that has an app for teaching ESL online. Working for Boxfish requires that you teach from either a smartphone or tablet. You cannot teach on Boxfish from your computer. The salary for Boxfish is $10 per 25-minute sessions and $20 an hour for back to back sessions. You teach one-on-one or groups of up to four people. With group lessons paying $11 per session. They only hire native English speakers from the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia. You will need a PayPal account, Skype or WeChat, and an Apple or Android with an up to date version running on each. You will increase your chances of getting hired if you have both types of devices and a backup internet connection.
We also suggest that you try Palfish and we have a complete guide to help you get started.Job Overview for Online ESL Teacher
Pay Rate per Hour:
Minimum: $20
Maximum: $22
Class Size:
one-on-one
Student Ages:
Elementary & Junior (age 5-15)
Class Schedule:
Late Afternoon (3pm-6pm)
Evening (6pm-9pm)
Night (9pm-12am)
Job Details for Online ESL Teacher
Accent(s):
Native North American
Native UK
Native Australian/New Zealand
Native Ireland
Degree Required:
No
College Student
Certification:
Yes
Years Experience:
0
Min Hours Week:
0
Internet Speed(Mbps):
Min Uploading: 2 MB/s
Min Downloading: 9 MB/s
Online ESL Teacher Job Description
- With BOXFiSH you can have a 25-minute online video call with Chinese K12 students and help them improve their English through fun and engaging discussions.
- Select your available time
- Match with a corresponding student
- All on your smartphone or tablet!
- Be your own boss by choosing your own hours, your own location, and chat with different students every day.
On Demand Classes
5-min and 10-min classes
The On Demand Class series is designed to let teachers help students review a lesson they just learned by themselves. The On Demand Class series features three exciting lesson types:
1. Review Classes (5 minutes)
2. Language Points Lesson (5 minutes)
3. Reading Lesson (10 minutes)
Teaching time for this class is quite flexible. You simply log in during our online hours (Monday to Friday 18:00 to 23:00 and Saturday and Sunday for the whole day) and take a class whenever you’re available.
1-on-1 Class
25-min Class
We recommend that teachers sign up for the 1-on-1 pre-booked class as this is the most popular and welcomed class type among young Chinese students. The 1-on-1 classes also allows teachers to track their students’ progress.
Here is the main video that explains how to get hired at Palfish along with other information:
Teaching Schedule
Weekdays
5:30 pm ~ 11:00 pm (Beijing time)
Weekends
9:00 am ~ 12:00 pm (Beijing time)
2:00 pm ~ 11:00 pm (Beijing time)
Teaching Materials
Classes Type
Q: What types of classes will I need to teach?
A:1) 5-min Review Class
5-min Review Classes are offered through the BOXFiSH App and allow students to go through classes on their own and then call on a standby teacher to review the content of the course they have just gone through. Each session lasts for 5 minutes. It’s as easy as receiving a call on your phone!
2) 25-min Class
25-min Classes consist of both 1-on-1 (pre-booked and Live) and 1-on-4 classes. Each class is 25 minutes long and can be scheduled through the BOXFiSH App based on your availabilities. Our system will automatically match your time slots with students who are free at the same time as you. A class will then be added to your schedule, and you will be able to download the teaching material through the BOXFiSH App. Considering the length and the more varied content of this type of class, we give priority to teachers who are capable of varied teaching methods, class management, and are familiar with TPR.br
We recommend teachers to sign up for the 1-on-1 pre-booked classes as this type of class is the most popular and welcomed class type among young Chinese students. The 1-on-1 type ensures effective learning and allows teachers to track their students’ progress properly.
Online ESL Teacher Job Requirements
- Are native English speakers from the USA, Canada, and the UK.
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree or above.
- Have a TEFL/TESOL certificate.
- Have prior online teaching experience (Over one year).
- Have a warm personality and are patient.
- Are punctual and responsible.
Online ESL Teacher Salary and Compensation
Base Salary
- Each 5-minute session will earn teachers USD $2.00. This means that an hour of work can earn a teacher as much as USD $24.00.
- Each 25-min session will earn tutors USD $11.00, which includes USD $10.00 for teaching as well as USD $1.00 for an after-class evaluation.
Payment
- Payments will be sent around the 20th of the following month via bank transfer.
How to Apply to Online ESL Teacher?
Company Information for Boxfish
BOXFiSH is a mobile internet technology company focusing on K12 education. Our goal is to promote education reform in China by implementing our innovative technology and invaluable insights in order to create more happiness and success for the next generation.
Our product ‘BOXFiSH English’ is a comprehensive English Teaching-Learning system based on mobile devices which is free for public schools in China. The product is already widely used in regular English Classes in Public Schools across various provinces in China. This includes 100% of the key middle schools in Beijing and a further 5000 schools nationwide.
Online ESL Teacher Reviews
Teacher Reviews
Read the post here.
Boxfish review
I promised someone on this page that I would write this a few days ago, but I am lazy. Sorry!
Students
Boxfish students are from China, aged 5-16. They have a very wide range of abilities – some are high level and others don’t know the difference between a dog and a potato, but in general they all seem quite keen and enthusiastic. Of course you get a few students who just don’t want to engage, but on the whole I really enjoy teaching them. Students are randomly matched with teachers, and you usually won’t find out anything about the student until you’re in the lesson. Students can also invite teachers to class at a particular time.
I also occasionally teach adults. They are always Boxfish employees and they always pretend they are not. I don’t know why, it’s fairly obvious when I can see them sitting in the Boxfish office. I assume they do it to check up on the teachers, but this was never mentioned at any time during my interview or demo class.
Material
The material is incredibly easy to teach and requires very little preparation. Sometimes it’s interesting and engaging but it can be pretty poor too. I’ve had a couple of problems with the material being inappropriate – for example, one of my classes used a video clip from South Park that contained the words ‘f*ck’ and ‘nutsack’!
You teach through the Boxfish app, using either an apple or android system. The app has great potential as a platform for teaching, but it’s pretty glitchy at the moment. I get kicked out of class a lot for no apparent reason.
Payment
Each lesson lasts 25 mins and you are paid $10 per class. If you have 2 classes back to back, that’s $20 per hour. Boxfish have always paid accurately and on time, I’ve never had any problem with payment.
If the student doesn’t show up, you must wait in the classroom for 10 minutes. After this time, you can leave and will be paid $6. This is probably the biggest problem I have have with Boxfish – the students just don’t come to class. If I have 5 classes booked, I can guarantee that at least 2 of them won’t show up. It’s very frustrating to just sit there watching your life tick away on the timer, but at least you get paid something for it!
Peak hours are 6pm – 9pm Beijing time, plus Saturday and Sunday morning. I very rarely get any classes after 9pm or after 12pm at the weekend. It is definitely a part time job.. I cannot see how anyone could live with this as their only source of income. It’s great in terms of flexibility, but not great if you need regular hours. The number of hours you work per day can fluctuate pretty wildly – you never know how many (or if any) students will be assigned to you.
This was far longer than I intended it to be! Well done if you made it this far! If anyone has more questions I’d be happy to answer them. If you think you’d like to apply then you can do so via their website or you can send me your resume and a video introducing yourself and I’ll pass it on (if you do this and you get hired, I get cash. Please do this. I like money.)
On the whole, I like Boxfish. Yes it has some issues, but I think most online companies do. Hope this has helped anyone considering working for them.
Past Teacher says
Boxfish review
I promised someone on this page that I would write this a few days ago, but I am lazy. Sorry!
Students
Boxfish students are from China, aged 5-16. They have a very wide range of abilities – some are high level and others don’t know the difference between a dog and a potato, but in general they all seem quite keen and enthusiastic. Of course you get a few students who just don’t want to engage, but on the whole I really enjoy teaching them. Students are randomly matched with teachers, and you usually won’t find out anything about the student until you’re in the lesson. Students can also invite teachers to class at a particular time.
I also occasionally teach adults. They are always Boxfish employees and they always pretend they are not. I don’t know why, it’s fairly obvious when I can see them sitting in the Boxfish office. I assume they do it to check up on the teachers, but this was never mentioned at any time during my interview or demo class.
Material
The material is incredibly easy to teach and requires very little preparation. Sometimes it’s interesting and engaging but it can be pretty poor too. I’ve had a couple of problems with the material being inappropriate – for example, one of my classes used a video clip from South Park that contained the words ‘f*ck’ and ‘nutsack’!
You teach through the Boxfish app, using either an apple or android system. The app has great potential as a platform for teaching, but it’s pretty glitchy at the moment. I get kicked out of class a lot for no apparent reason.
Payment
Each lesson lasts 25 mins and you are paid $10 per class. If you have 2 classes back to back, that’s $20 per hour. Boxfish have always paid accurately and on time, I’ve never had any problem with payment.
If the student doesn’t show up, you must wait in the classroom for 10 minutes. After this time, you can leave and will be paid $6. This is probably the biggest problem I have have with Boxfish – the students just don’t come to class. If I have 5 classes booked, I can guarantee that at least 2 of them won’t show up. It’s very frustrating to just sit there watching your life tick away on the timer, but at least you get paid something for it!
Peak hours are 6pm – 9pm Beijing time, plus Saturday and Sunday morning. I very rarely get any classes after 9pm or after 12pm at the weekend. It is definitely a part time job.. I cannot see how anyone could live with this as their only source of income. It’s great in terms of flexibility, but not great if you need regular hours. The number of hours you work per day can fluctuate pretty wildly – you never know how many (or if any) students will be assigned to you.
This was far longer than I intended it to be! Well done if you made it this far! If anyone has more questions I’d be happy to answer them. If you think you’d like to apply then you can do so via their website or you can send me your resume and a video introducing yourself and I’ll pass it on (if you do this and you get hired, I get cash. Please do this. I like money.)
On the whole, I like Boxfish. Yes it has some issues, but I think most online companies do. Hope this has helped anyone considering working for them.
Christine says
Hey,
Thanks for your review of Boxfish. Please can you tell me which country you live in?
I live in the UK and Beijing is 8 hours behind, so 6 – 9pm Beijing time would be 10am to 1pm UK time. Also 9am to 12 midday Beijing time would be 2 am to 5 am.
I have applied to work for Boxfish.
Cheers.
Christine
oetjobs says
Hi Christine in case you do not get a response I suggest that you use this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/online.esl.job.reviews/search/?query=boxfish. We have a lot of reviews and information on BoxFish in that group.
Most of the teachers are very responsive as well. Of course, that is if you are on FB :).
From what I can tell the poster of the comment lives in SE Asia.
oetjobs says
Ohhh, I should have added in that PalFish has become rather popular over the last few months https://oetjobs.com/online-esl-school/palfish-job-application/. The reason why is due to a large amount of advertising along with Chinese celebrity endorsements and online engagements. Hope that helps!
Alejandra Matos says
Greetings, teacher
I’m interested in applying to this company. Are you still working here?
Rudolph says
How much does boxfish pay for the review classes
Maeve Johnson says
Good presentation. Thank you. It was informative. The teacher and has a stable / reliable presence and was helpful. I’m a native English speaker from South Africa. I have applied to Boxfish through OET jobs with my TESOL, Drama – Arts degree from UCT. However, the information on the Boxfish website does not list South Africans as approved native English speakers and online experienced is specified. Pity.
If this changes, I’ll be sure to sign up. Keep well.
Warm regards
Maeve