Teaching In-Class Or Online: Which Pays More?

How much do teachers make? Does TEFL pay well? Teaching in-class or online: which pays more?

Teaching English as a foreign language is such a flexible job. You can teach:

• all over the world 
• in English-speaking or non-English-speaking countries
• students of all ages
• in kindergartens, schools, language schools, universities
• one-to-one or groups
• online 

This flexibility is one of the reasons many people decide to get involved in TEFL: why be stuck to the same desk for the rest of your life? Why not choose a career that can go with the flow of your life and all the ups and downs that go with it?

Read more: 7 Unexpected Outcomes Of A TEFL Life

This flexibility means that TEFL teachers can choose whether they want to teach face-to-face in a classroom, or online in a virtual classroom. There are differences between the two, but it’s any TEFL teacher can do either. 

Let’s look at the similarities and differences between teaching English in-class and teaching online.

Teaching requirements

The teaching qualifications for teaching English in-class and teaching English online online are pretty much the same. Some jobs require you to have a Bachelor’s degree, some don’t, but all require a 120-hour TEFL qualification. If a degree is required, the field of the degree is not important, but it needs to be a degree and not a diploma.

If you are teaching face-to-face in a classroom, no matter what country you are in, you’ll probably need to apply for a work permit or visa to work legally in the country. This might mean you need a few extra bits and bobs to apply for that permit, such as a clean criminal record or proof of your English level. 

If you’re teaching online, this isn’t necessary as you don’t require a visa to work online.

Read more: What Are My Teaching Options Without A Degree?

If you’re teaching online, there are a few other requirements that come into play on a practical level. You need to have a decent laptop, a headset, a good internet connection, and a quiet space to teach. You need to prove your internet speed during your job interview.

Teaching schedule

It’s difficult to speak in general about teaching schedules because they can differ so much from school to school, country to country, teacher to teacher. But here are a few possible scenarios for a TEFL teacher schedule:

• A TEFL teacher in a primary school in Thailand teaches five 45-minute lessons a day, Monday to Friday. They are required to be at school from 7 am to 4 pm. On occasion, they might be asked to attend an after-school function.

• A TEFL teacher in a language school in the UK teaches 7 hours a day, Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 6 pm. They only need to be present at the school for their lessons and staff meetings. Any extra work events they attend are paid for, though this seldom happens.

• A TEFL teacher at a language school in Vietnam teaches 5 hours a day, Monday to Friday. They teach 2 hours between 9 am and 12 pm and 3 hours between 5 pm and 9 pm.

• A TEFL teacher in Dubai teaches 4 hours a day, Sunday to Thursday. They teach between 8 am and 12 pm. In summer, they only work four days a week, and often those hours will be after 6 pm.

• A TEFL teacher working online teaches 25 hours a week, Monday to Sunday. These lessons take place whenever the students have scheduled them so their schedule changes regularly. Lessons are often late at night or early in the morning due to time differences between the teacher’s and the student’s countries of residence.

Teaching salaries

Now let’s get to the interesting bit: how much do you earn with TEFL?

It’s tricky to put a definitive number on TEFL salaries because it depends on where you’re teaching, what you’re teaching, and how much you’re teaching. 

TEFL salaries by country, of course, differ but shouldn’t be compared in numerical value only. The cost of living of that particular country must be taken into consideration.

One difference between salaries when teaching online versus teaching in a class is that a school gives you a contract and you are a salaried employee. This means that you have guaranteed work for a certain time period (usually 12 months) and you are paid a salary at the end of every month. The salary amount might differ slightly from month to month depending on if you do a few extra duties, but generally, it is the same.

Teaching in a language school you earn an hourly rate. You are paid at the end of each month (sometimes every week or second week) but your earnings depend on the number of hours you’ve worked. This doesn’t usually change much from month to month, though.

Read more: 10 EFL Language Schools You Should Know

Teaching for an online company you are seldom asked to sign a fixed-term contract. You don’t receive a set salary but you are paid per lesson taught. You can be paid on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. How much you get paid totally depends on the number of lessons you have taught. A portion of your earnings may go to commission for the online platform.

In terms of actual earning potential, we can’t put an exact number on it but we can make some generalisations:

• A TEFL teacher in a primary school in Thailand usually earns around THB 35,000 – THB 45,000 a month.

• A TEFL teacher in a language school in the UK usually earns around £20 an hour. For a schedule of 25 hours a week that makes £2,000 a month.

• An online TEFL teacher usually earns between $15 and $25 an hour. For a schedule of 25 hours a week that makes $1,500 and $2,500 a month.

Read more: How Much Money Can I Really Make Teaching English Online?

But, wait!

Salaries are not only about the numbers. 

A teaching contract in a school, for example, can include many benefits. Common benefits of in-country teaching contracts include:

• Accommodation or a housing allowance
• Remuneration for flights and visa costs
• Paid sick leave
• Paid holidays
• Contract completion or re-signing bonus

All of this can add up to a lot of savings.

Teaching online provides no such benefits. Any sick days or holidays you take are unpaid. There are no flights to be paid for. Your employer doesn’t need to worry about your accommodation. 

However, when you’re an online teacher you don’t need to worry about moving to another country, which is a costly venture. You don’t need to pay for a daily commute, either in terms of petrol or public transport. Plus, that time usually spent commuting can be spent working, so you’re not only saving money at that time but earning money.

So, is it better to teach English online or teach in the classroom?

That’s difficult for us to say, because it depends on a lot of factors.

There are numerous differences between teaching English as a foreign language in-class and teaching English as a foreign language online. Both are sustainable as full-time jobs. Which one you choose totally depends on you!

Read more: Teaching English Online Versus Teaching English Abroad

And if you’re looking for a teaching job abroad or online, don’t forget to check out our Jobs Board!