Online ESL Teacher for Whales English
Summary(Review): Whales English Elite Education (formally Sprout and Whales English) now have 70K+ registered students on their platform and one of the few that achieve positive cash flow. Whales English is seeking teachers from the US, Canada, and the UK with a neutral accent. You must have a bachelor’s degree or above and a 120 hr TEFL/TESOL or other teaching certificates preferred. You will be teaching during typically Chinese peak hours of 7-9 PM Beijing time along with hours during the day and night on the weekends. Classes are group subject-based curriculum lessons of 2-3 students aged 3-18. There are consistent hours for regular teachers. Each lesson is 50 minutes long with an above-average pay rate of $18-$26 per 50-minute session. Some well qualified and advanced teachers reach $30+ per hour. With a renewal rate of over 83% throughout all courses we’re also the most engaging program.
Read this comprehensive application Guide for Whales EnglishJob Overview for Online ESL Teacher
Pay Rate per Hour:
Minimum: $18
Maximum: $26
Class Size:
2-3
Student Ages:
Preschool (age 3-5)
Elementary & Junior (age 5-15)
Class Schedule:
Evening (6pm-9pm)
Job Details for Online ESL Teacher
Accent(s):
Native North American
Native UK
Native Australian/New Zealand
Native Ireland
Degree Required:
Bachelor or above
Certification:
Yes
Years Experience:
1
Min Hours Week:
8
Internet Speed(Mbps):
Min Uploading: 20 MB/s
Min Downloading: 20 MB/s
Oakary works closely with Whales English and many schools. We help you land a job quicker and smoother by submitting one application and match you with MULTIPLE Teaching Jobs based on your teaching preferences and qualifications, and assisting you with the interview process and communication with the recruiters..
Online ESL Teacher Job Description
- Students age: 3 to 18
- Group Size: 2-3 students (average 2)
- Session Duration: 50 minutes (fixed schedule in every week)
- Available time slots (Beijing Time UTC+8)
- 6:55 pm to 9 pm during weekdays
- 9:10 am to 12:20 pm and 6:55 pm to 9 pm on weekends
- Other Teaching Subjects: English, Language Arts, Phonics, Literature, Sociology, History, Academic Writing, Life Science, Social Studies, Science, and more.
- Teaching materials and lesson plans are provided.
- The Curriculum: REACH HIGHER adopted from National Geographic Learning, and OXFORD READING TREE from Oxford University Press
- The Bookings: Parents select teachers. Whales English does not assign classes
- The Timing: Available to teach a minimum of 8 hours during the peak hours
- The contract term is extended to 12 months instead of 6 month
Teaching Levels
- Entry Level Teacher: PreK-GK level TESOL, 120-hour TEFL, or similar teaching certification preferred.
- Intermediate Level Teacher: G1-G2 level, Bachelor’s degree, and TESOL, 120-hour TEFL, or similar teaching certification preferred.
- Advanced Level Teacher: G3 level, Bachelor’s degree, and above, local teaching experience or local teaching certification is preferred. Ability to teach subjects such as History, Advanced Reading, Academic Writing, Persuasive Writing, and other subjects.
Teaching Positions
The teaching position is generally divided into 3 types: Trail Class Teacher, Regular Class Teacher, and Starter Course Teacher. There can be some conversion from the trial class teacher to the regular class teacher when the registered classes are growing.
Trial Class Teacher
- Trial class is a one-time-class, with a newly enrolled student from marketing, the first class for most students.
- Work experience requirements for the position
- Neutral accented speakers from the US or Canada
- Experience in education required
- TESOL, 120-hour TEFL, or similar teaching certification preferred
- Bachelor’s degree or above
- Peak hours are Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Beijing time.
- The non-peak teaching hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 6:00-9:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am- 5:00 pm Beijing time.
- The pay rate is $20-22
- The candidate does not have to cover all these hours but at least cover some weekend hours.
Regular Class Teacher
- Teachers are teaching a fixed group of students with about 25-30 weeks at a fixed time every week.
- The base salary:
- $20-22/h for entry-level
- $22/h-$25/h for intermediate level
- $30/h for advanced level, including subjects such as history, advanced reading, academic writing, persuasive writing, etc.
- Extra bonus and opportunities for raises
(NEW Course) Whales English Starter Course Teacher
- Teachers for beginners of the ages of 3-7 years old
- Parents will pick the time slots in this set of course, instead of the time arrangement style, which shorten the time where you can start teaching sooner than later
- Fast-track Scheduling Process: Parents don’t choose teachers, they choose the slots. This means teachers will experience shorter waiting times for classes to be booked. On the parent’s and students’ end they see a clearer learning path.
- Predictable Timetable: The Starter Course has an organized scheduling timeline and a set start time which allows the teacher to arrange their schedules ahead of time.
- Maximized Slots Booking Rate: Having trouble getting your weekday slots filled? The Starter Course can solve this problem perfectly and maximize your booking rate by prioritizing weekday slots.
- Diverse Teaching Experience: Despite of the popularity of the Starter Course, starter students normally take a class that ends no later than 20:00 BJT, so the teacher gets to enjoy teaching both Starter students and Reach/ORT students.
- The Contract: Independent contractor for 12 months, start work immediately
Why Whales English?
Personal Support
Each teacher is paired with a designated support staff for personal and individualized support.
Professional Development
We’re partnered with National Geographic Learning and Oxford University Press, and we offer free tailored training and resources for every teacher.
Competitive Payment
- Earn an average of $1500 per month plus performance-based bonuses.
- Typically, the number of classes the teacher teaches increases threefold in the second month of fivefold by the third month.
Job Security
A fixed schedule and fixed income enable the teacher to bond with students and watch them grow through a wide range of levels.
Online ESL Teacher Job Requirements
- Neutral accented speakers from the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand
- Minimum of 8 hours per week.
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Minimum 1 year of kid English teaching experience
- Teacher Certification (120-hour TEFL, TESOL, CELTA, etc)
- Teachers are required to provide least 8 hours per week with a minimum of 4 hours every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, 19:00-21:00 Beijing time.
- ESL teaching experience (preferred)
- Desire to engage young learners
- Whales English prefers teachers that are able to provide consistent teaching hours for a period of 6+ months. It also requires a 6-month contract.
Online ESL Teacher Salary and Compensation
- The base pay rate of $18-26 per 50-minute class, plus performance-based bonuses
- The base salary:
- $20-22/h for entry-level
- $22/h-$25/h for intermediate level
- $30/h for advanced level, including subjects such as history, advanced reading, academic writing, persuasive writing, etc.
- Pay rate varies from level to level and from class to class
- Extra bonus and opportunities for raises. A pay raise evaluation will be conducted every 6 months.
- Payment is submitted monthly by the 15th of every month vis Payoneer or bank transfer.
- The pay is in USD.
- Contract type: Independent contractor; must be available to teach 8 hours during our peak hours every week for 10 months at least
- Earn up to $1500 per month.
Will I be paid for the trial class?
The trial class is intended for new students who haven’t signed up for regular classes yet. Yes, you’ll get a base pay and student enrollment bonus.
Bonuses
- The performance review is conducted every 6 months to determine the pay raise.
- There will be a weekend peak hour bonus.
Student No-show
If your class is booked and the students are no-show (which less likely, because 2-3 students per class), but if you stay for 30 minutes then you will get full pay.
Contract Term
- 12 months
What’s the payment period and method?
- Payment period – monthly
- Payment method? Payoneer or bank transfer on the 15th of the month. Pay in the US dollar.
How to Apply to Online ESL Teacher?
Oakary works closely with Whales English and many schools. We help you land a job quicker and smoother by submitting one application and match you with MULTIPLE Teaching Jobs based on your teaching preferences and qualifications, and assisting you with the interview process and communication with the recruiters..
Online ESL Teacher Interview Process & Tips
Read this comprehensive application Guide for Whales English
- Resume screening
- Mock interview (30 minutes of mock class)
- Paperwork and sign the contract
- Ready to teach once the students book the class!
For the mock class, you’re expected to demonstrate your teaching skills and abilities by using the teaching materials provided. Lesson materials will be included in the mock invitation.
All interviews are conducted via Zoom, a video conference platform. You may join the meeting room using the provided meeting ID without signing up. The meeting ID will be provided upon your confirmation of the interview time.
Here is an interview tips guide to prepare for your online English teaching job interviews.
Company Information for Whales English
We cater to language learners aged 3 to 18 who have different attainment levels and different learning needs. We aim to provide high-quality education for children from all socio-economic backgrounds to minimize the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged. Our unique group class model offers students and teachers stability and the chance to form lasting bonds and connections. With a student renewal rate of over 83% throughout all courses, we’ve also been recognized as the most sought-after program.
In 2012, a group of Chinese parents met in an online forum and bonded over their struggles to find excellent English classes for their children. In their minds, the domestic school system was failing to introduce fluency and modern teaching methods. Subsequently, many parents volunteered to connect with American teachers and formed Sprout, a non-profit organization for ESL, providing an American curriculum to Chinese students.
Soon, Sprout expanded its courses to move from simple ESL to building a virtual school, offering additional subjects such as Science and Social Studies.
Today, the brand is called Whales English, expanding its unique model all across China. Partnered with National Geographic Learning, Oxford University Press, and other prestigious publishers and learning centers, Whales English went from a non-profit organization into a fully corporate operation that just celebrated its 8th anniversary in 2020.
Whales English, (also known as Rouchi or Sprout due to their company entity), is an online teaching company based in China. jingyuxiaoban.com
Online ESL Teacher Reviews
Pros
Pros- Relatively good pay, $18-30 per 50-min class base pay depending on qualification.
- I am enjoying it a lot this far. I will say it is a long onboarding process and lots of training required so keep that in mind. However, it’s worth it in my opinion. They pay very well and are professional.
- Whales English’s course runs the entire semester and that you can teach subjects other than English. You’ll have the same recurring students for the whole semester (about 25 weeks). You get booked for a whole term once you get a class.
- Whales hire teachers with solid teaching experience, preferably ones with experience in the American educational system. They sometimes hire retired American, Canadian, and British school teachers to provide quality education to their students.
- Whales treat their staff well and provide training.
- you are paid for classes that are unbooked. Half pay. If they assign a class and no one signs up, that’s half pay. You stay for 10 minutes and leave. If they sign up for the class and don’t show, you stay 30 minutes and leave with full pay.
- Good class booking in general. Whales offer a lot of hours on the weekend.
- Good leave policy. Whales English has pretty high expectations from their teachers, but great for ones eager to progress as a teacher.
- High contract renewal rate – renewal rate of over 83% throughout all courses.
Cons
- High standard in teacher qualification. As a result, difficult to get hired. BUT you get good pay and stable recurring students once hired.
- Only hire American, Canadian, and British teachers with a minimum of 2 years of teaching experience with a teaching certificate.
Class Booking
How is the class scheduled and booked?
You would need to open at least 8 teaching hours during Beijing time Monday-Friday 5pm-9pm and Weekends 8am-9pm. The classes run for the entire semester with recurring 2-3 students per class. so very stable job compare to the ones that you need consistent worry about getting new students.
Teaching Materials
Whales English provides the teaching materials. They try to follow U.S. Common Core-aligned lesson material for about 2-3 students per class. The class is 50 min long and delivered via Zoom.
I teach 2 hours per week (you can also request more) and a very minimal amount of homework that I correct each week. Typically, a couple of minutes to correct the papers from the students who have completed a writing assignment.
Hi there everyone,
I had several issues with this company.
1. EDU-TAINMENT. As you might be trying to avoid, this company is actually not at all as academically-oriented as you would guess. Their lesson plans had inconsistencies, and were sometimes incoherent (or oftentimes?).
2. NOT RESPECTING SET BOOKINGS AND 12 WEEK SEMESTERS. They did not practice what they preached, and students came and went as they pleased. Classes cancelled and students came back to you after 2-3 days (and had advanced in the courseware).
3. UNEDUCATED QUALITY CONTROL. The quality control section makes arbitrary recommendations. I use “ums” and “ahs” in comical ways, and yet I was reprimanded for something that is part of the English vernacular.
4. CLASS PREP & EVALUATIONS. i have never seen so much paperwork and lesson planning for an online environment. Typically, 1 teaching hour equals 1.25 to 1.5 hours of total work. Yet, with Whales, 1 teaching hour equals 1.75 or 2.0 hours of work. Homework screenshots are sent to you and you have to open the screenshots and use your own editing tech to write comments. It can become quite laborious. It’s worse when there are so many deadlines & BIG FINES for these administrative tasks.
5. HUGE FINES FOR EVERYTHING. I can’t even begin to list all of the fines that they have. They have 20-30 different kinds of CLASS FINISH TYPES (i.e., finish early but start early, finish early but start late, finish late and start early, finish late and start late). You can actually be fined 10% for finishing late just 5-10% late (and giving kids more teaching time).
6. NO FLEXIBILITY IN LESSON PLAN EXECUTION. You have to cover every slide, period. You are a teacher, yet you have no autonomy in lesson plan execution. Furthermore, the whole lesson plan slides are oftentimes quite excessive and rushed. If a student has a question or interest, such a question could seriously thwart your ability to execute all of the lesson afterwards.
7. LOWEST PAY IN THE ONLINE WORLD. After you factor in the huge prep time, i have never been paid so low online. More over, the bonus pays are so convoluted (and changing) that is quite hard to get these bonuses unless you work like a HORSE. Sometimes, the bonuses don’t even make sense. You can get a bonus if you work 200 or 250 hours, yet the company does not even have this many time slots.
8. CONVOLUTED & PERPETUALLY CHANGING COURSEWARES & TRAINING. I can barely keep up with the constant trainings and courseware updates. Any given day I would get between 3-10 emails from them about so many things that I couldn’t even keep track of.
9. FINES FINES FINES. You’ll never understand all of the fines, but they’re everywhere. Basically, with needing to mark homework, do regular assessments, then some sort of 5x class assessment, and this and that, there are always deadlines and fines (from 10% to even 50%) for everything.
10. TEACHER NUMBER #, PLEASE COME TO.. . Enough said. However, on the 2-3 occasions where I questioned policy, student absents, and bonuses, my classes were suddenly taken away from me (between 25-50% of my classes). I can’t be certain, but I might have been punished. Ironically, I didn’t really care, because I was so overworked by the administrative duties that I really needed the time. But beware. I think you GET PUNISHED if you speak out. (Oh, I was kicked out of the TEACHER FB GROUP within 1-3 days of resigning. They really didn’t want me spreading bad seeds to new recruits, I guess.)
In sum, a lot of people prop up this company FB and YT, but from my 5+ years in education in both public and private schools, I do not believe that they care (or even understand) education and curriculum as much as they claim to. They are a young company founded by parents, and perhaps this lack of educational experience is indicative of why they struggle with basic concepts of creating coherent policy, and coursewares. In any case, I could go on and cite the nuances of the company, but I think I have covered the most relevant details that I can remember.
But if Edu-tainment is your thing, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy working at WHALES.
Whales English was closed on Aug 18th, the company laid off all employees.