Online teaching with Waijiaoyi — company reviews, application and working hours

Waijiaoyi is a relatively new online English company that's based in China and appears to have been established in 2017. This innovative company offers a unique business model, catering to training institutions and schools from third and fourth-tier Chinese cities, rather than parents looking to help their children improve their English after school. It's a fantastic opportunity for students who would otherwise never have had the chance to meet a foreign teacher, to learn now learn from a foreign English speaker. Teachers also benefit from this arrangement, as they have the chance to earn extra income while enjoying the comfort of their home.

Compared to other ESL companies, Waijiaoyi’s hiring policies are simple and easy, making it an excellent opportunity for any ESL teacher outside of North America to apply. However, you will need to have the stomach for conducting lessons with group classes, as class sizes range between 8 - 30 learners per lesson.

If you’re ready to find out more about what this online company has to offer, here are a few details you’ll need to know before submitting your application.

Job Requirements

If you’re searching for an online opportunity that has a more inclusive hiring policy, then Waijiaoyi is perfect. Apart from non-negotiables such as having relevant experience as an ESL teacher, their requirements are not outlandish and are pretty standard in comparison with other online English companies.

To make sure you meet the requirements, here are a few key elements you’ll need before considering whether to throw in your application to become an English teacher with Waijiaoyi:

• Native or Non-Native Speaker with fluent and neutral accent
• Bachelor’s degree or above
• TEFL/TESOL (or equivalent), or a willingness to obtain one
• Two years of teaching experience online or offline

Waijiaoyi is an excellent option to consider for those who are not native speakers, but you're looking to break into online teaching. As long as you have a neutral accent, you're more than welcome to apply with this company. However, please remember that you will need to have some form of experience as a teacher before throwing your hat in the ring.

Their technical requirements are quite simple. You’ll need a reliable laptop/computer that has an HD camera, and a stable internet connection with a 2Mbps download and upload speed. To improve the quality of your audio, you're required to have a headset to improve the audio quality of your classroom. Teachers need to have a relevant Waijiaoyi poster as their backdrop, which you'll receive once the onboarding process commences.

Job Overview

This fast-growing online teaching company offers prospective educators the opportunity to teach from anywhere in the world. All you need is a stable internet connection and a reliable laptop/computer - it’s that simple. They offer a reasonable income if you can meet the requirements, and are willing to offer more for teachers who have the relevant experience.

Waijiaoyi is unlike any other ESL company on the market. They cater to Chinese students aged 5 - 16 years old. If you enjoy teaching interactive group classes, then you’ll love this position. The size of each virtual classroom can range between 8 - 30 learners per class, and can either last 25-minutes or 50-minutes. If the thought of having lessons with large groups of students feels daunting - don’t worry - Waijiaoyi provides comprehensive training to help prepare you. You won’t be alone either. Each online teacher has a Chinese teaching assistant that will help them throughout the lesson!

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How much can you earn with Waijiaoyi?

Compared to other online schools that offer smaller group classes, the compensation offered by Waijiaoyi may be on the lower end of the pay scale for teaching larger groups of learners. The lowest base rate that prospective teachers receive is $9 per hour. However, this can increase to as much as $22 per hour and is dependent on your skills as a teacher, TEFL qualifications, and how well you do during the training.

As Waijiaoyi is a growing ESL company, they are searching for applicants who will grow them, and their teachers have the chance to increase their salary through a bonus at the end of each performance evaluation. It can often be challenging to teach a large group of students online, especially within a real classroom setting. But teachers are provided with constant training to bridge this gap. If you’re willing to complete the training offered by Waijiaoyi, you have the chance to increase your pay. At the moment all positions offered by this company are part-time.

Teachers receive their Waijiaoyi salary via a direct bank transfer on the 10th of each month via PayPal.

Application Process

Depending on when you submit your application (whether it’s peak season or not), the process can take approximately one week to complete. Here’s what you can expect when you start your Waijiaoyi application:

Submit Application

If you feel that Waijiaoyi is the company for you, then it’s time to submit all relevant documents. Head to their website and complete your profile. You’ll need to submit a professional or friendly-looking image of yourself, your nationality, and a well-polished resume. To stand out, make sure your resume includes all relevant education and experience that pertain to this position. If you’ve passed the initial screening, they will inform you of the next step within 24 hours after submitting your application.

Interview

Once you’ve passed the screening, you’ll receive an email asking you to schedule an interview with a Waijiaoyi recruiter, which you can do via your profile on the website. Choose a time that suits you, but remember that all times are based on Beijing Time, so make sure that you adjust your time accordingly. Despite this being a work from home opportunity, this is still a legitimate job position, so make sure you’ve thoroughly prepared for the interview.

The length of the interview will be 30 minutes. The first 25 minutes are dedicated to getting to know you, your qualifications and whether you've taught before. At the end of the interview, you’ll need to conduct a short five-minute demo lesson for the recruiter. Waijiaoyi will provide you with the material beforehand, or you can simply create a short lesson yourself. Choose an option that you're comfortable with.

Online Training and Demo Lesson

Waijiaoyi places a heavy emphasis on training their teachers. Therefore, this may be the lengthiest portion of the application process and could take a few days to complete, as you’ll have multiple training sessions.

Once you’ve passed your interview, you’ll be asked to schedule a 25-minute class with a trainer. This form of coaching is similar to a demo lesson and will be done one-on-one. Applicants are required to prepare and study the material that's provided beforehand, and this "demo lesson" is done with a trainer present. There’s no need to feel stressed when conducting this demo, as the trainer is there to help guide you by providing a few tips along the way.

Once the trainer feels confident in your abilities, you’ll need to complete Waijiaoyi’s self-study session, which includes training videos and demo examples - this should take three hours to complete. Once you’ve completed this training, you’ll be required to schedule a second demo lesson with a trainer. During this second demo lesson, you’ll need to apply the skills you’ve learned from your self-study session and the feedback you received from the trainer. If you’re well-prepared, this second demo should be a breeze. However, if you do stumble, you have the opportunity to complete this demo lesson again. In total, the training should take you seven days to complete.

Mock Class

Once you’ve passed this second demo lesson, it’s time to start conducting classes with students. You’ll be asked to complete a 25-minute mock class with a group of real online learners. Once again, you’ll be required to showcase all the knowledge you’ve learned over the last few days. It’s incredibly important to do your best during this stage, as your mock class will be shown to clients/schools to help promote your classes, which will help you to get more bookings.

Probation

Before you become an official Waijiaoyi teacher, you'll need to complete a one month probation period. After your first month, you’ll be re-evaluated by an HR staff member to see whether you're still a good fit. Don’t worry, during this period you’ll receive plenty of feedback from your trainer to help improve your lessons.

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Teaching Hours

It’s important to note that Waijiaoyi offers teachers a great way to make extra money part-time. Because you’ll be conducting classes with learners who are studying within a training institution or school setting, you’ll need to provide Waijiaoyi with a fixed schedule of your working hours.

All teachers are required to be available for a minimum of three working hours, but if you think you can work more than that, you’re more than welcome to. Unlike other online teaching companies who work after school (18:00-21:00), you’ll be working according to the school times in China, which can run from 08:00 - 18:00 Beijing Time.

However; because this is a part-time position, lessons only run during certain periods (March-June and September -December), and is usually conducted from 08:00-18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. During the school vacations (July - August and January - February), you’ll have the opportunity to conduct lessons from Monday to Sunday. It’s crucial that you double-check your time zone if you’re working outside of China.

There are various pros and cons to having a fixed schedule. You’ll have a stable income and consistent bookings, providing you with more security. However, because you’ll be working alongside actual schools, it will be difficult to adjust your schedule when emergencies pop up.

Platform and Curriculum

Platform

Waijiaoyi does have its video-calling platform called ClassIn, but some teachers have reported that they utilize more than one platform to conduct classes. Schools are allowed to choose a video-calling platform that suits them, which can include Skype and DingTalk. Unfortunately, this isn’t very convenient for teachers, so making sure you keep a level head while trying to juggle different platforms is vital. To avoid feeling flustered or coming late to class, make sure you’re prepared, and that all relevant platforms are readily available.

Class Structure

As previously mentioned, Waijiaoyi is well-known for having larger virtual English classrooms, with each class consisting of students between 4 - 16 years of age. The class size varies depending on the school and can range anywhere between 8 - 30 students per class. You may feel daunted by the number of students present, but each class will have an assistant available to support you during the lesson. The length of each lesson can either be 25-minutes or 50-minutes, with the latter offering a 5-minute break for students to rest before continuing. Similar to other ESL companies, Waijiaoyi takes punctuality very seriously. Showing up late to class will result in a penalization through a deduction in your pay.

Curriculum

This ESL company does provide a self-developed curriculum that focuses on the student’s age and proficiency levels. English teachers will need to supplement some of the material with a few fun and interactive games that will help engage learners. During your training, applicants are taught how to create a fun and engaging atmosphere, especially when providing a lesson to a class of 30 students.

Cancellations

Waijiaoyi tries to provide their clients with “stable teaching services", so it’s strongly encouraged that you don’t cancel or change classes. If you do need to cancel a class, you will be penalized for this through deductions in your remuneration. It's always a good idea to let a staff member know 24-hours before cancelling your lesson.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• If you’re someone who enjoys consistency, then this company's fixed schedule could be perfect for you.
• They have a very inclusive hiring policy, and they accept native and non-native speakers from around the world.
• They offer an opportunity for teachers to grow within the company by offering you the chance to increase your pay through performance evaluations and additional training.

Cons

• Having a fixed schedule is not for everyone, especially a teacher with a busy lifestyle.
• If you’re someone who hates conducts lesson to large groups of learners, then this is not the company for you.
• They have multiple platforms that they utilize, which can make it difficult to keep track of things.
• They have a strong no-cancellation policy, which makes it difficult to cancel lessons if you run into an emergency or get sick.

Should you apply to Waijiaoyi?

If you’re comfortable with large groups of learners while working part-time and earning a good salary from the comfort of your home, then Waijiaoyi should be on your radar. It's also a terrific opportunity for non-native speakers who are eager to get into online English teaching, and their fixed schedule provides you with a constant stream of classes. However, because their business model is unique, and they work directly with Chinese schools, this may not be the perfect fit for everyone who's looking for a more flexible arrangement.

If you're ready to start your online ESL journey with Waijiaoyi, make sure you brush up your resume and begin the registration process here.

Q&A

Do I need a TEFL/TESOL?

You will need this qualification; however, if you don’t have one at the moment, you need to show that you’re willing to obtain this certificate eventually.

Do I need teaching experience?

Yes, you do. You need at least two years teaching experience.

I'm a non-native English speaker, can I still apply?

Yes! If you're a non-native ESL teacher and have a neutral accent, you are more than welcome to apply.

Waijiaoyi Reviews

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