Teaching English online: Teach for Palfish

Teach for Palfish if you want an easy, fun, part-time gig you can do from anywhere. Palfish is a great fit for someone who wants to teach from their mobile phone or their tablet and wants flexibility.
The company lets you teach using a wifi connection from anywhere in the world, so this is a great opportunity for a digital nomad. If you want to travel and explore the world, Palfish is a good fit for you. (This post is geared towards native speakers of English who want to teach kids classes. If you are a non-native speaker and interested in setting your own rates via Freetalk, click here.)
What students do I teach on Palfish?
The students on Palfish are usually Chinese kids from 3 to 12 years old. In my experience, students tend to be quite young. If you can entertain and teach phonics (sing the ABCs, teach basic reading) to a five-year-old for 25 minutes with fun stuffed animals and stickers, then then you will excel at this platform. Make sure you have a fun classroom backdrop!
The button above leads to my personal invitation website. If you use it, I receive a referral bonus. I only get the bonus if you get hired though, so message me too and I will do whatever I can to get you hired. 😉 You can also use my invitation code and write it directly into the website when you apply. Either way, I will then see your progress in my own Palfish app and I can help mentor you through the hiring process.
My referral code: 51471950

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Hello!
Palfish will give you 100 Yuan (around $20) once you’ve been approved to be an Official Kids Course Teacher. This money is for you to go spend on props. You can absolutely buy all your needed props with this, as a simple stuffed animal, whiteboard and whiteboard marker, and some stickers is enough for you to get started. You can buy all this at a Dollar store for probably less than ten dollars if you are located in the USA.
Palfish hires people to teach two kinds of classes.
- Freetalk classes, which are conversation classes with adults. You do not need to be a native speaker for these! You set your own pay. Learn more here.
- Official Kids Classes, which are courses for children.
*NOTE That Palfish has dropped their rates! Official Kids courses used to pay $14-$18 an hour. Now, they pay $12 an hour.
This pay decrease was instated in response to China’s new regulations against foreign online teachers. As these regulations are still being rolled out, it is unclear how they will affect the industry. Join Facebook groups to ask current Palfish teachers about real-time pay to get the most up-to-date info, or shoot me a message directly.
See below for more information on pay and incentive rates.
You can also teach LIVE stream classes, called LIVES. You set your own rate and students purchase your LIVES.
Everything you need to know about Palfish Pay
Palfish pays you per 25-minute lesson. The pay depends on how many points you make each month (see the points level below).

*There has been a temporary pay decrease was instated in response to China’s new regulations against foreign online teachers. Please contact me or other current Palfish teachers on FB for current rates.

You get points for each lesson taught during Peak Times, for no lateness, for no absences, and so on. The more classes you teach and finish with on-time grading, the higher your points will be each month. This is an incentive pay.
Teacher requirements for the Official Kids Course on Palfish
- You need to be a native English speaker
- You need a TEFL or TESOL certificate
- (from the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand). You need the citizenship/nationality of one of these countries to pass the online check of your requirements
You do not need:
- You do NOT need a degree.
- You do NOT need teaching experience (but it is welcomed).
What time do I teach on Palfish?
To be successful at Palfish and get lots of booked classes, you should be available during Peak Teaching Times in Beijing (PTT Beijing Time).
- Monday – Friday: 5:30 pm – 9 pm
- Saturday – Sunday 9 am – 9 pm
Minimum hour requirement to teach
- 4 hours a week during peak hours
How to Apply to Palfish
Step 1.
If you don’t have it, you should get your TEFL or TESOL certificate. Either one is fine and you can read here about the difference between the two. This costs about 30 dollars and can be done online. Click here to learn more.
Step 2:
Sign up to the Palfish app on phone with your phone number. If you sign up through this site, I will see the status of your application and I will be able to message you directly to mentor you through the application. Or, you can use my referral code 51471950 by entering it directly.
The phone number you use to apply can be from any country. I am American and have a US number but I applied while I was in Romania. I signed up with my Romanian phone number and it was fine.
If you use my invitation code 51471950, then I will your mentor in the app and this helps me easily track your progress and help you with your application. We will be automatically connected on the app so I answer questions you might have and get you started. I also receive a referral bonus at no cost to you.
Step 3
Set up your Palfish Profile
Username, name, and upload pictures of your teaching certificate and work experience and write a lovely profile.
Step 4
Schedule an online demo class. The interview is easy. You teach a lesson and interact with them as if a child waster. There won’t be a child there! You have to pretend you are teaching a kid.
Be sure to mount your phone or Palfish on something!
Hot tip for phone mounts for Palfish: for free, you can take an egg carton and cut it in half to make a phone mount.
Here are some tips while practicing for the Palfish demo class.
SUCCESS!
That’s it! You are all set up and ready to be booked for classes!
If you don’t immediately get booked, then here are some tips for how to increase booking on Palfish.
For great reward ideas, check out my Palfish Reward Blog Post where you can download reward systems straight from my site.
Every day our children spread their dreams beneath our feet. We should tread softly.
Ken Robinson
Also, you can check out other online ESL companies by scrolling through my handy ESL company comparison chart.
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