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 English

Job 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:

Min Hours Week:

Internet Speed(Mbps):

Min Uploading: 20 MB/s
Min Downloading: 20 MB/s

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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 two types: Trail class teacher and a regular class teacher. There can be some conversion from the trial class teacher to the regular class teacher when the registered classes are growing.

Trial class teachers 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 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

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?

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

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.