Do you have a good ear for spoken American English?
Have you ever tried tutoring before and enjoyed it?
Would you enjoy working with students to help them improve their English?
Then becoming a tutor at TutorABC might be something for you to get excited about!
What Exactly is TutorABC?
TutorABC is a site which hires English speaking tutors to help Asian students of all ages practice their spoken English. With this, you would be working with children, teens, adults, and sometimes even entire families. The majority of the students will come from China, but some will also come from Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong. All of them have some level of mastery of the English language, but want to improve. Your job as the tutor would be to do just that—help them improve!
You would need to feel comfortable working with small groups of six instead of a one-on-one basis. The really great news is that you can work 24/7 due in large to the time differences of Asia.
Some of your students may be actual students themselves wanting to practice what they have already learned in English classes or English literature classes. The classes are usually free for THEM, so they tend to want to take advantage of the service.
What Are the Computer Requirements for Working at TutorABC?
- Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer
What Are the Educational Requirements for Working at TutorABC?
They are:
- able to pass the TESOL/TEFL certification (if you don’t already have it)
- motivating and enthusiastic personality
- professional demure
- excellent communication skills
- no degree required
Yes, you saw that last bullet correctly. No degree required, but you will still need to pass the TESOL (Teaching English as Second Language)/TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) exam. Now, if you have a degree that definitely is a plus.
What is Training Like at TutorABC?
Once you have signed up and sent in a resume, you will be invited to a Skype interview. Depending upon how well the interview goes, training is roughly one to two weeks. You will need to run a computer test to make sure that you have the correct software mentioned above before training can begin.
How Much Money Can You Make As a Tutor at TutorABC?
It will vary based on how you are rated by students. Because most of the students are on the free plan, most (at least what I am hearing), do tend to be grateful and appreciative. You can also negotiate any past tutoring experience that you have at the interview. This is an independent contractor position.
The student sessions tend to average 15 to 20 minutes and you must maintain 15 tutoring sessions. Payment is monthly via PayPal or a wire transfer if you prefer.
My friend who works there tends to hit around $12 to $15 an hour (not a session).
What Do Others Think of TutorABC?
I have only talked to a few people, and their overall experience was good. Like all companies, you should look on Indeed, Glassdoor or Reddit for any possible reviews left behind. It doesn’t sound like something you could do full-time, but certainly a nice change of pace if you enjoy that type of thing. You also can’t beat 24/7 flexibility.
How Can an Interested Individual Apply to TutorABC?
Interested individuals wanting to become tutors should sign up and send their resume along with a cover letter stating why they are interested in the job. Then you will wait to receive an email for an interview via Skype. Just go to the SignUp page and click on the Become a Teacher button in the middle of the screen.
Good luck to all who apply. Drop me a comment sometime on the blog to let me know how it works out.
Do they consider native English speakers that aren’t American? My boyfriend and I, both have Australian accents (though quite mild in comparison to most Australian accents). I’ve taught for English First and found them quite good, though the pay isn’t the best. It sounds like TutorABC might be a better option.
Kelly, yes! As long as you can pass either one of the two tests mentioned! You should be able to do that, especially after teaching for English First.
AWESOME! This has come at the perfect timing! I am e-mailing this to a friend asap. She has been looking to take up tutoring online and had no idea where to begin. She is a retired teacher who now cares for her own children but since they started school, she is able to put her foot out the door and accept work again. Thanks for this info Leisa!
How do I file taxes with tutorabc? I see it says I would be considered an independent contractor but the company takes out taxes so in that case I would be getting taxed twice if I filed in the USA as self employed. Correct?
@Courtney – If Tutorabc does not take out taxes, then as a Independent Contractor, you have to keep record of them yourself. They should not be taking out taxes at all unless they switch to hiring employees.
This design is steller! You definitely know how to keep a reader enttreained.Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start myown blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved whatyou had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.Too cool!
I have worked for TutorABC for a few years, written lesson materials for them too.
The only reason I work for them is so I can continue to live in SE Asia.
They are an awful company with no sense of right and wrong. I am constantly at loggerheads with them over pay discrepancies, absenteeism discrepancies, and violations of the service agreement. More often than not I succeed, but it can take weeks and you are dealing with a company that refuses to accept any responsibility. It will always be YOUR fault and they will make things up to make it your fault.
The times I haven’t succeed are because I have simply given up trying to communicate with them. It becomes absolutely pointless.
Avoid if you can, but if you can handle stress well, don’t mind being paid the same as a non-native speaker with no teaching certificate, and are prepared to be treated as a commodity, then go for it.
@Das – I am so sorry to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing. I love it when people like you open up and share. While many of these work-at home companies are legit, they don’t always treat their workers (ICs or freelancers) well. I have hear good things about Tutor.com and Cambly. I wrote a review about Cambly at https://powerfullypurposedforsuccess.com/work-at-cambly-and-enjoy-helping-students-practice-their-english/
Also, I have worked at work-at-home companies before and sometimes two people can have two different experiences–one good, one bad.
Again, thanks for sharing.