My Background
Hi, my name is Laura. I started teaching EFL straight out of university after releasing I wanted a job that would allow me to see the world. I taught in language schools in Spain, Italy and South Korea before making the move to online teaching in October 2017.
If you need help, you can email me, or fill in the form below. The form also allows you to send me your resume.
Teaching Tips
Demo Lesson Tips
After an initial interview and platform training, most applicants go on to teach a demo lesson with a real student. This demo is key to getting the job and plays a big part in determining your hourly pay so it’s important to be prepared! Here are some of my top tips for demo lessons.
- Spend a little time getting to know your student. While lessons are provided we are really given the freedom to connect with our students and tailor our lessons to their needs and interests. Taking the time to find out more about your student helps them feel more comfortable, gives you an idea of their level and gives you something refer to back to later in the lesson. Even young students can show/tell you their favourite toys or animals with pictures and TPR!
- Try and expand the lesson content and relate it to the student. You can do this even with low-level students by asking them about their likes and dislikes.
- Have your classroom prepared. Wear light blue if you can and have a clean or educational background.
- Use TPR and props. You don’t need to go out and buy lots of props but a puppet and some lesson related props can help engage the student. In a pinch, I’ve even hand drawn flashcards or showed pictures on my phone!
- Give plenty of positive praise and don’t forget the stars! You can give students five stars for each lesson which they can collect and exchange for toys and merchandise. If you give them alongside secondary rewards (I like to build an ice-cream with my younger students) they can be a great way to break up the lesson and give you a chance to think about what comes next!
Requirements and Information for DaDaABC
If you can use Facebook and operate a slideshow then you can use their digital platform. If you can teach a class of 30, well one-to-one will be a breeze. Most of the children are extremely well-behaved and eager to learn.
Should have bachelor’s degree or TEFL certificate and be a native English speaker.
Weekday hours are 6 – 9 pm Beijing time Monday to Friday.
The weekend offers a range of hours from morning to night. At least 14 available hours over the weekend.
Contract time is guaranteed & requires an ongoing 6-month commitment, but part-time hours are flexible. The minimum is 2 hours.
Pros:
- Good pay $16-25 USD an hour with most teachers making $16-20 on average
- Interview is straightforward- Interview and internet connection test. One demo class with an ACTUAL student.
- Curriculum/lesson plan made for you, basically look at it really quickly the day before/right before class.
- Class length is 30 min or 14 min for a trial class. Super flexible what you can do. Play a lot of games in class or sing songs to supplement teaching material. Free talk about whatever the student wants to talk about
- Your schedule fills up FAST! Plus, even if you don’t have a class you still get paid (half pay).
- Good bonuses on flexible and seasonal basis.
Cons:
- Must work at least 2 days for 2 hours. Not that big a deal, but less flexible than other online places.
- They pay in RMB, so have to transfer money, the fee for that, plus conversion fee. I use PayPal, the first paycheck was about 5% taken for fee/exchange.
- If you take more than two days off a month there is a 10% reduction.
- You have to do assessments after each lesson.
Tip: You can do a 6 month or 12-month contract. Negotiate pay based on length of a contract. If you are going to do a 12-month contract, ask for $25 US. You’ll settle on around $20. Also, if 6 months is too long, ask about doing a 3-month contract instead. I’m on a 6 month because I want to negotiate more than $20 USD per hour ASAP
Here is the teaching time (Beijing time)
Monday to Friday 18:00-21:10
Saturday and Sunday 10:00-12:06 & 14:00-16:06 & 18:00-21:10
What devices do I need?
1. A computer with a webcam (HD webcam preferred);
2. A headset with microphone;
3. Stable Internet connection (wired connection preferred);
4. Google Chrome browser or DaDaClass software.
What’s the recruiting process like?
1.Uploading CV/resume
2. Initial interview
3. Internet connection testing & system training
4. TPR training
5. Watch the video records of qualified teachers
6. Demo class
7. Sign contract
8. Start paid work!