Online ESL School Reviews

Reviewed by Amanda L. | Teaching from USA | January 2026

I have been teaching with Shiliu for about eight months now. The pay is genuinely good for online ESL -- I make $18-$21/hour depending on the time slot, and payments come through on time every two weeks without fail. The curriculum is provided so there is minimal prep, and the students are mostly Chinese kids aged 5-12 whose parents are invested in their English education. The downside is scheduling: popular time slots (evenings Beijing time, which is early morning US Eastern) fill up fast, and you are expected to maintain a fairly consistent weekly schedule or risk losing your regular students. If you can commit to a set routine, it works well.

Reviewed by Marcus D. | Teaching from UK | March 2026

Preply gives you total control over your rates and schedule, which is the whole appeal. I charge $25/hour for conversation English and $32 for IELTS preparation, and I set exactly when I want to work. The problem is the commission structure: Preply takes 33% on your first lesson with each new student, then drops to 26%, 22%, and eventually 18% as you accumulate teaching hours. That means your effective hourly rate in the early months is significantly lower than your listed rate. You also need to actively market yourself -- good profile photos, a strong bio, and trial lesson pricing that attracts students. It is not passive income by any means, but once you build a base of 15-20 regular students, it becomes quite stable.

Reviewed by Priya S. | Teaching from India | February 2026

Cambly is one of the easiest platforms to get accepted onto. The application process took me about a week, and I was taking calls within days of approval. No degree required, no TEFL required, no demo lesson -- you just need native or near-native English. Students call in for conversation practice, so there is no curriculum to follow and no prep work. The trade-off is the pay: $10.20/hour (paid per minute of actual conversation), which is on the lower end. There is also no guaranteed minimum of student calls, so some weeks you might only get a few hours. It works well as supplementary income alongside another platform, but it is hard to make a full-time living on Cambly alone.

Reviewed by Tom H. | Teaching from Philippines | December 2025

Native Camp's main selling point is flexibility: no minimum hours, no fixed schedule, you just log in and take students as they come. They also accept teachers without degrees or teaching certificates, which makes it accessible. The problem is the pay structure is inconsistent. Standard lessons pay around $2/hour (yes, really), but "sudden" lessons (last-minute bookings) pay significantly more at around $10-$14/hour. Your actual earnings depend heavily on when you work and how many sudden lessons you can catch. Some teachers report making $300-$400/month working 20 hours a week; others barely clear $100. The platform is honest about what it is -- a volume-based, entry-level option -- but do not expect it to replace a full-time income.

Reviewed by Rachel W. | Teaching in China | November 2025

I did a year with EF at one of their training centers in Shanghai. The structured training program is genuinely good -- they provide a two-week onboarding with classroom observation and practice teaching, which is more than most companies offer. Pay was around 14,000 RMB/month ($2,000) with a housing allowance of 4,000 RMB. The curriculum and materials are provided, and class sizes are capped at 12-15 students. Where EF varies is location: my center in Shanghai was modern and well-maintained, but I have heard from teachers in smaller cities that the facilities and provided housing can be noticeably worse. The contract is a full year, so make sure you are committed before signing.

Reviewed by Kevin B. | Teaching from Australia | April 2026

Palfish has two programs: the Free Talk program (adult conversation, set your own rate) and the Kids Course (structured curriculum, company sets the rate around $14-$19/hour). I started with the Kids Course because it requires no preparation and the lessons are laid out for you. The teaching interface is decent -- built-in whiteboard, reward stars, and lesson materials. What frustrated me is that the curriculum changes frequently and sometimes without much notice, so you might prepare for a lesson structure that shifts the following week. The Free Talk side is better for experienced teachers who already have students or know how to market themselves. Good as a first platform, harder to build a long-term career on.

Reviewed by Elena M. | Teaching from Spain | May 2026

iTalki is excellent if you are willing to invest time in building your profile. The platform has a large, engaged student base -- people come to iTalki specifically looking for language tutors, not just to browse. Commission is 15% on the first lesson with a new student and 0% on subsequent lessons with that student, which is the best rate structure among the major marketplace platforms. I teach Spanish-to-English conversation classes at $20/hour and have built up 22 regular students over 10 months. The catch: iTalki periodically closes applications for new teachers in popular languages (English included), so you may need to wait for applications to reopen. Also, the first 2-3 months are slow while you accumulate reviews and visibility. Patience is non-negotiable here.