5 Best Companies for Teaching Online to Kids

If you want to teach kids online, there are a lot of online teaching companies that will hire you. And, compared to teaching adults, the pay for teaching English to children is fantastic.

But, the online ESL landscape has changed a lot in the last few years. Things have become a bit more difficult since the Chinese regulations limited a lot of the ESL companies that catered to Chinese children. Below, I break down the current landscape of online ESL jobs for kids.

Who is the Ideal Online English Teacher for Kids?

This is a lucrative and very fun field if you have the high energy and patience that this job requires. You can still make about love singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” with preschoolers.

But, only pursue this if you truly love teaching kids, because you simply cannot fake it to a third-grader. After ten classes in a row, you need to genuinely feel all warm and fuzzy when a third-grader shows you their action figure for the hundredth time or wants to pretend to be a dinosaur for the entire thirty-minute lesson. Ideally, you have a bunch of your own to show them, too!

Why Teach English to Kids Online?

Though singing “The Wheels on the Bus” over and over…and over again might sound simple, it’s not.

Early language learning is a serious professional field. If you are interested in teaching very young children, then you will have to jump through a few more hoops to get hired. You often need a Bachelor’s degree, at the minimum, if you are interested in working for companies that cater to children.

Additionally, you should do some research to learn some basics of CVC phonic blends, long and short vowel sounds, the best methods to engage young learners through play, and so on.

Top 5 Companies

Check out these top 5 companies to teach English to kids. They are all hiring in 2023.

Try HelloKid

HelloKid pays up to $22 an hour. They may even hire you if you are a non native Speaker, as long as you are fluent in English. They require a TEFL certificate, but they don’t require a BA.

Cambly Kids

Cambly is by far the easiest to apply to (no interview or demo class needed, just sign up) and you can teach for Camblykids. Unlike regular Cambly teachers (who teach adults), Cambly for kids requires a set schedule. However, Camblykids pays more too.

Cambly Kids Pay

$0.20 USD per minute.
$12 USD per hour.
While you chat with students, Cambly automatically tracks your time.
Cambly pays you every Monday via Paypal.

Palfish

Palfish is the most flexible and portable. You can teach from Wifi and from your phone! You can teach kids or adults. $11-$17/hr

VIPKid Global

VIPKid was extremely popular a few years ago. Recently, it has had to pivot since the Chinese crackdown on remote, freelance foreign language teachers. Their pay dropped to around $14/hour and their student base shifted. Still, the company is worth looking into if you are an American teacher who wants to teach kids. They are poised to regroup.