With all the challenges that teachers are facing these days, many teachers are looking at ways to continue doing the job they love in a different way. During the pandemic, I was one of the few people that actually kind of liked teaching online. While colleagues were having (understandable) meltdowns about getting the technology to work, I was relieved to be able to teach in an environment with less stress and less classroom management issues.
In this post I’ll review three of the companies that I’ve taught online with in the past years. If this review is helpful and you apply, please consider putting that I, Kristin Montgomery, referred you, because I think I get a bonus 
VIPKid: Teaching English Online to Students in China
One of the reasons I felt more comfortable teaching online is because I had been doing it for a number of years on a part-time basis. Before the pandemic, I had signed up with VIPKid to teach English to students in China. VIPKid provided the platform and all of the materials for one-to-one lessons that were 25-28 minutes (yes, you had to finish within that time period). I would spend about five minutes per class prepping, mostly reading over the slides and thinking about which rewards or extension activities I would do with the student based on their age, level, and preferences.
To teach with VIPKid you don’t need to be a certified teacher but you need to have a college degree and be a native English teacher.
The pay scale wasn’t great, but to be able to choose my own hours and work in my pajama bottoms was amazing! I made around $8 per 30-minute class, and the pay increased the more classes I taught each month, so with a fuller schedule I was making around $17 an hour.
Some of the students I would only teach for a class or two, but I also had some regulars who were with me every week, a few for more than a year. I really enjoyed this, as I actually got to know the student, built a relationship with them, and saw them progressing in English.
It took a bit of time to get used to teaching online. There was always the possibility of a tech issue, a terrible wifi connection or a power outage. But in general, after the first couple of classes, I got comfortable teaching online quickly.
Unfortunately, in 2021 China changed its laws about private teaching and tutoring, restricting when students can take classes and with whom. As a result, many educational companies in China went bankrupt.
VIPKid pivoted and still exists as VIPTeacher. It has since expanded into other markets like Korea and Saudi Arabia. However, the pay was reduced and currently, it’s very difficult to get a class, since there are still many more teachers than demand warrants.
I’m still a teacher with VIPKid, but I haven’t taught a class in almost two years.
Book Nook: Reading tutoring for K-8 students
In 2002 I learned about BookNook, as they partnered temporarily with VIPKid to fill tutor positions. BookNook provides online reading tutoring to K-8 students in the U.S. in small groups of 1-4 students.
I was a reading tutor and twice a week got to read books with kids! My two students were just learning how to read, so we did lots of phonics. The curriculum and platform were provided. Some of the books were better than others, but I liked that the company was focused on diverse books, relationship-building, and culturally appropriate teaching. I also enjoyed being with the same students for a whole semester and forming a relationship with them.
BookNook’s website says that tutors currently earn $18 an hour, plus the potential for bonuses. It seems like you don’t even need a college degree for these positions, so it could be a great opportunity for future teachers while they are in college!
Elevate K-12: Online Teaching for Certified Teachers
Last year, when I was considering changing careers, I took a year off to travel and figure out my next step. I needed a lot of flexibility, but also needed to make some sort of income. I found out about a company called Elevate K-12 that was looking for certified U.S. teachers to teach online.
Elevate K-12 hires online teachers who are streamed into a brick-and-mortar classroom in schools that can’t find teachers for specific subjects. Students log in to the Elevate K-12 platform which has the curriculum slides, a class and private chat feature, and more.
There is always a classroom coach from the school that is often an aide or assistant teacher. They are there for classroom management, tech support, and as a liaison for the school. Having a good classroom coach can make or break the whole experience. It is difficult to provide good classroom management as the online teacher, considering that you can’t even see all of the students at one time on the classroom webcam.
I’ve taught Spanish 1-4 and was not very impressed with the curriculum. It felt very patched together, with the upper-level classes being way too hard. The Spanish 1 curriculum was fine in terms of ability but speckled with errors and very grammar-based.
Fortunately, teachers are being given more and more tools to teach the way that they want to teach. They can share their screens, create their own assignments in the robust OTUS platform, and bring in more interesting cultural lessons.
Spanish pay is now up to $33 an hour, which is very good. Teachers also get an additional 20% for each class, so if the class was an hour long you’d get automatically paid for 1.25 hours. The company also pays for professional development each semester and there are optional paid bonus PD sessions throughout the year. No benefits are available though, so if you are looking for a full-time position this may be difficult.
I was teaching classes in New Jersey last year, a state which I don’t have a license for, and the company paid all my expenses to get my Wisconsin license validated in New Jersey, plus a $200 bonus.
Overall Elevate K-12 Review
Things I like:
- Teachers can take up to three days off a month with no questions asked. This was great for me when I was traveling a lot.
- Pay is very good compared to other online English teaching platforms.
- Teachers choose the classes they want to pick up and there are opportunities to sub for extra hours, so the flexibility is very good.
- The teaching platform works well, grading is minimal, and the tech support is excellent.
- There is no contact with parents or out-of-class contact with students.
- There are lots of things that Elevate K-12 is actively improving based on feedback.
Things I don’t like:
- The curriculum (at least for Spanish) needs a lot of improvement.
- It is hard to develop relationships with the students.
- It is a one-size-fits-all approach and there is little concern or discussion about what to do for students who are not achieving.
- It feels like the company’s focus is on teachers delivering instruction and not on students actually learning.
- Morally, I feel a bit guilty teaching online when I know it’s better for students to have an in-person teacher.
Overall, I think teaching online is a great option for teachers who are looking for a little extra cash or more flexibility. Online teaching has come a long way, so if you are scarred from trying to figure out Zoom during 2020, I promise it is much easier now. I hope this post has given you some ideas. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions I can answer.
