Check a route before you prepare an application
Availability and eligibility can change without notice. Use the employer’s own application page, save the role description, and confirm that it accepts applicants in your location. Two current examples illustrate why careful reading matters: Magic Ears’ published role specifies native English, degree or current degree study, and treats teaching experience and TEFL credentials as preferred. 51Talk’s own FAQ lists fluent English, a bachelor’s degree, diploma, or equivalent experience, calls experience preferred and TEFL an advantage, and describes home-based equipment and 25 minute lessons. Neither example establishes a general wage, hiring level, or route for every teacher.
Plan around the learner, not a stereotype
Chinese learners are not one group. Ask a child’s parent or the adult learner about goals, previous learning, preferred correction, homework capacity, and school or work deadlines. Use the language you learn from them. Avoid treating nationality as a measure of motivation, personality, proficiency, or learning style.
A flexible lesson frame
- Reconnect: review one useful item from the last lesson.
- Set a small target: state what the learner will be able to say, understand, or write.
- Model: demonstrate the target with a short, clear example.
- Practise: move from guided practice to a meaningful choice or role play.
- Close: give one specific success note and one optional next step.
Prepare for young learners
For children, agree the platform’s safeguarding and parent communication rules first. Use short activity changes, visible instructions, and an accessible reward or progress system that suits the individual child. Check whether the employer provides curriculum and whether teachers may bring additional materials. Do not assume an employer’s policy from a previous school or platform.
Use time zones carefully
China Standard Time is UTC+8 and does not use daylight saving time. Convert the exact proposed lesson time from the learner’s local time to your own calendar before opening availability, then check again when your own location changes clocks. Ask the learner which times they can genuinely keep rather than presenting a generic “peak” schedule.
Read next
- Teaching English online to children
- Design a weekly teaching schedule
- How Plain Chalk checks employers
Primary sources consulted: Magic Ears job posting and 51Talk teacher FAQ. Check each employer’s current route and terms.