The 10 Best Companies for Teaching English Online in 2026

Thousands of teachers around the world earn a livable income from the comfort of their own homes. How? By teaching English online! You too can become TEFL certified and teach English without taking a single step outside of your house! 

Teaching English online allows people a location-independent lifestyle, whether you want to work in your pajamas at home or travel the world while bringing your work with you. Continue reading to find out the 10 best companies for teaching English online in 2026!

Read more: How to Teach English Online

You don’t always have to go abroad to reap the benefits of teaching English as a foreign language. Teaching English online allows you to:

• Earn money and gain experience from home: Teaching online eliminates the tedious commute and adds more time to your day – all while earning more money from home! You can even become TEFL certified from home in a few weeks.
• Travel while you work: Online teaching is compatible with the digital nomad lifestyle. Not only can you see the world, but teaching English online allows you to earn money while traveling, making it one of the best jobs for digital nomads. Just make sure that wherever you are has a stable internet connection!
• Teach students from all over the world: Teaching online isn’t just about delivering a strict curriculum. Personalizing lessons and developing rapport with eager students from all over the world can provide you with unique cultural insight.
• Work a flexible schedule: Will you rest on weekends, or do you want to work as often as you can? As an online English teacher, you can work whenever you want! Some online ESL companies have scheduling requirements, but others allow you full responsibility for setting your own hours.

Read more: Teaching English Online Salary Expectations - How Much Can I Make?

Just like any other job, there are requirements for teaching English online, and they will vary from one company to another. Some of the most common requirements include:

• TEFL certification
• Native or native-level English proficiency
• Bachelor’s degree
• Fast, stable internet connection
• Quality microphone and webcam

Some companies may not require a bachelor’s degree but lower requirements will likely mean pay less. If you lack experience, are a non-degree holder, or are a non-native English speaker, becoming TEFL certified will boost your employability and salary potential in the online ESL world. 

Read more: The 12 Best Online TEFL Courses

Before getting into the specifics, let's take a look at the best companies to teach English online and how they compare.

The online ESL market can change instantly depending on company policies, government regulations, hiring seasons, and so on. We have created this list based on the best information at the current time.

• Requirements: None
• Hourly rate & benefits: Rate decided by teacher
• Age of students: All ages
• Lesson length: Trial lesson is 1 hour; subsequent length negotiated between student and teacher

✅Pros: No requirements, set your own schedule 
❌Cons: It may be difficult getting students at first 

Preply connects students from over 180 countries with supportive online English tutors. It's perfect for digital nomads who are looking to teach from wherever they're located in the world! 

Students are free to pick their tutors from Preply's tutor menu and class sizes range from 1:1 lessons to group sessions. Preply allows teachers to set their schedules and hourly rates. Additionally, if you’re fluent in more than one language or specialize in a particular subject (e.g. science or business) you can teach more than just English! 

If you're a newbie to teaching, Preply offers helpful tools to develop confidence, such as lesson curriculum, video tutorials, vocab tools, lesson notes, and an interactive whiteboard.

• Requirements: Native speaker or C2 level for non-native speakers, TEFL certificate, bachelor's degree
• Hourly rate & benefits: $12 USD an hour base pay with opportunities for increases, 12.07% holiday pay increase for teaching and training hours Age of students: Adults Lesson length: 20-45 minutes
• Age of students: Adults
• Lesson length: 20-45 minutes

✅Pros: Increased holiday pay, lesson materials are online so you don’t need to spend time lesson-planning 
❌Cons: Demanding interview process and training 

EF Education First has classrooms all across the world, and online teachers are not required to have any experience to apply. EF’s teaching materials are uploaded onto the platform in advance of lessons, which means that you don’t need to spend much time preparing lesson activities! 

EF has a top-notch reputation in the TEFL industry, and its interview process is one of the more rigorous ones for online teaching. Currently, only teachers based in the US and the UK can work from home. In other eligible countries, teachers teach online from the EF center.

• Requirements: Native English proficiency
• Hourly rate & benefits: $10.20 USD an hour with Cambly and $12.00 USD an hour with Cambly Kids
• Age of students: All ages
• Lesson length: no set time for adults, 30 minutes for Cambly Kids

✅Pros: You can teach from your phone, and there are no minimum required hours to commit to 
❌Cons: Payment isn’t as high as other online ESL companies 

As an online English teacher for Cambly, all you need is a smartphone to teach from the app. You’ll be developing the conversational skills of English learners from all corners of the globe in a 1:1 setting. 

Additionally, there are no monthly minimum hours to commit to, making it a great way to supplement your income when you have time to spare. Students are located in different time zones across the globe so regardless where you live, you can find learners online when you are. 

While the pay isn’t particularly high, requirements are minimal, making this a very flexible option for those who aren’t yet fully committed to teaching as a profession or for those living in a low cost of living area.

• Requirements: Native or near-native English proficiency for “community teachers”; TEFL certificate or teaching experience for “professional teachers”
• Hourly rate & benefits: Rate decided by teacher (iTalki takes 15% commission)
• Age of students: All ages
• Lesson length: Trial lesson is 30 minutes; subsequent lessons can be 45, 60, or 90 minutes

✅Pros: Set your own rate, teach in multiple languages if you’re bilingual 
❌Cons: Low demand means a long waiting list for English teachers 

iTalki is another great option for teachers from outside of Canada, the US, and the UK. iTalki also has a more diverse student pool, educating over 10 million students across the world in more than 150 languages. This means that you can choose to teach more than one language if you’re bilingual. 

iTalki operates in two different ways. You can either be a community tutor, which doesn’t require a TEFL certificate, or a “professional teacher”, which requires TEFL certification or prior teaching experience. Similar to Preply, you will have to market yourself and compete with other teachers on the app in order to grow your student base.

• Requirements: Native English proficiency
• Hourly rate & benefits: Rate decided by teacher
• Age of students: All ages
• Lesson length: 25 minutes

✅Pros: Lesson flexibility as you can use teaching materials or create your own lesson plans, set your own rates 
❌Cons: You’ll have to market yourself to obtain students 

SkimaTalk caters to a wide range of students, from young learners to adult business professionals in Japan. You set your own hourly rate which means you’ll have to market yourself to attract potential students. The best way to do this is by earning fantastic reviews from your students and being active on the platform. 

Teachers can work as many or as few hours as they want, making it a great option for both committed and flexible teachers. A teaching certificate and experience aren’t necessary, but they are preferred and will help you compete against other teachers online.

• Requirements: Native speaker from the US, Canada, or the UK, TEFL certificate
• Hourly rate & benefits: $12-$25 USD an hour
• Age of students: Children ages 6-14
• Lesson length: 30 minutes

✅Pros: Higher salary than other companies 
❌Cons: Positions are competitive 

StarKid is an online teaching company based in Hong Kong. Its curriculum follows Cambridge English as well as the Jolly Phonics system to teach English phonics to young learners. Lessons are 30 minutes long and are conducted one-on-one. 

The hiring process is said to be selective but it's worth it for the higher rates of pay when compared to other companies. There are no minimum hours to commit to, but you will benefit more by committing to a structured schedule as the company prefers consistent teachers.

• Requirements: Native speaker from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, or Australia, TEFL certificate, bachelor's degree, 1 year teaching experience
• Hourly rate & benefits: Up to $22 USD per lesson - consists of $15 base pay plus $7 bonus based on attendance and performance
• Age of students: Young students
• Lesson length: 40 minutes

✅Pros: Contracts and fixed schedules can offer security 
❌Cons: Requires one-year in-class teaching experience, less schedule flexibility 

US-based company Protostar has ties with Hong Kong and China to provide interactive online English lessons based on US Common Core standards. Although it is probably one of the least flexible options, it's a good choice for committed teachers who want a predictable work schedule. Teachers can work from 5:50 pm to 9 pm Beijing time, which accommodates teachers based in the EU much more than those in the US. 

Contracts run for 12 months and class times are consistent each week. Teachers will work with the same students for at least 18 weeks or longer which is great for developing rapport and witnessing their progress!

• Requirements: Native English proficiency or C2 level, TEFL certificate, minimum 2 of teaching experience
• Hourly rate & benefits: $11+ USD an hour
• Age of students: Adults
• Lesson length: Up to 60 minutes

✅Pros: Caters to adult professionals who want to improve English within a professional context 
❌Cons: Compensation may not reflect previous business experience 

Lingoda is an online ESL company that caters more to business-oriented adult students. Teachers will lead small group classes of adult students, many of whom are employees of powerhouse multinational corporations like Google, Adidas, BMW, and more. Lingoda is also Cambridge Assessment Approved which is an impressive bit of experience to add to your resume. 

Lingoda prefers candidates who are career teachers. Despite this, though, it caters to the busy lifestyles of its teachers and allows them to work on a flexible schedule. Despite the perks, teachers with both business and teaching experience may find that the required credentials are not compensated as competitively as other online ESL companies.

• Requirements: Bachelor’s degree
• Hourly rate & benefits: $14 - $22 an hour
• Age of students: Young learners
• Lesson length: 25 minutes

✅Pros: No lesson planning or scheduling requirements 
❌Cons: The rate is extremely low for non-native English speakers 

VIP Teacher - also known as VIP Kid for students - is a well-known online ESL provider that offers teachers the ability to work as much or as little as they want. Additionally, the platform encourages proactivity and teacher development. 

Teachers can complete additional training to earn certifications that will appear on their teacher’s profile. These can be used to maximize the amount of student bookings in their schedule. Teachers can become certified in free talk, grammar, vocabulary, guided reading, and many more in order to encourage students to learn with you!

Online English teaching is a rewarding way to earn a primary income or supplement a full-time job while living at home or traveling abroad. With the right TEFL course, effective marketing, and a passion for teaching, you’ll be on your way to a new and lucrative career to support your future adventures, whether you’re a digital nomad or a homebody. 

Read more about teaching English online:

• Teaching English Online Salary Expectations - How much can I make?
• Best ESL Games for Teaching English Online
• How to Keep Students Engaged when Teaching ESL Online