Have you ever thought about teaching English online but got discouraged because you heard or saw that you need to have a degree to get a job?
Well, today I’m going to dispel this common myth regarding teaching English online. I’m going to tell you about 15 companies that hire English teachers without a degree.

I often get emails from readers asking whether it’s really possible to find work teaching English online because they don’t have a degree. This is a common belief because many of the most popular companies right now do require a degree to teach with them.
Let me tell you about my wife. She’s been teaching online for over four years with a company that pays really well. And guess what? She doesn’t have a degree! She got her TESOL certificate and was able to find a job right after finishing her certification program. Does she work for an inferior company because of not having a degree? No! In fact, I ended up working for the same company as her because of the quality of the work offered!
Why do people say you need a degree?
Companies like VIPKid, for example, require a degree because they are working with private schools in China and must meet certain requirements to maintain a certain expectation from parents. However, not all companies have the same circumstances or policies.
So if you don’t have a degree you need to look for companies that don’t have these specific requirements. Today I’m going to give you a headstart and give you 15 companies that hire English teachers without a degree.
Why you don’t need a degree to teach English online!
First keep these four things in mind:
- There are companies hiring online English teachers without a degree
- A degree is not necessary to find work teaching English online
- You can find work that pays well even without a degree
- Having a TESOL certification and/or experience will likely be necessary
Companies Hiring Teachers without a degree
EnglishKey
EnglishKey is a company based in New Hampshire and they are looking to hire native English teachers. They require that teachers work at least 10 hours a week in the afternoons and evenings. Students are from Latin America, so bilingual teachers have an advantage. Teaching experience is not required.
Cambly
Cambly is based in San Francisco. They seem to have mostly Arab and Korean students. They require that teachers be native speakers. This is a platform where the students choose their own teachers, so you will need to market yourself well to attract your students.
SkimaTalk
SkimaTalk is based in Japan. They allow teachers to set up their own profile on their platform and after an initial starting period to set your own pay. You can make your own schedule. No experience is required and you are provided with some help with teaching materials. You will need to make yourself stand out on the platform to attract your students.
Open English
Open English is really popular across Latin America, where the majority of the students are from. They require that their teachers are native speakers with a North American accent. They also require that teachers are able to work legally in the United States.
QKids- UPDATED
QKids is now requiring a degree for its teachers. To find out why, check out this post. QKids works to connect North American teachers with Chinese students ages 4-12 years old. They use a narrative game-based learning platform to teach their students. Also, they offer a flexible schedule that you can set yourself. They also pay well up to $20/hour. Even though you don’t need to have a degree you will need to have a TESOL certificate or a plan in place to obtain one.
Wonderkids- UPDATED
WonderKids is now requiring degrees for their teachers. It’s a China-based company. They require that their teachers have at least 1 year of teaching experience. All the students are Chinese children between the ages of 5-15 years old. They pay $16-23/hour.
AmazingTalker
AmazingTalker is an online platform connecting students with English teachers. You must be a native speaker but no experience is required. Also, you will need to prepare your own lessons to meet the needs of your students. Another benefit is that you can set your own schedule and rates.
Lingoda
Lingoda is another platform matching teachers with students. Here you will also create a profile and students are able to choose their own teachers. So you will need to make yourself stand out! You can set your own schedule and set your rate of pay.
EnglishHunt
EnglishHunt is a company based in South Korea. They train their English teachers and have managers based in the US. They do have peak hours that may require early mornings depending on where you are located.
TutorEye
TutorEye is an American based company and they are looking for English teachers as well as specific science and math teachers. They have mainly one-on-one lessons.
Magic Ears- UPDATED
Magic Ears is now requiring teachers to have a degree. It’s based in China and they teach Chinese children from 5-12 years old. They do only want teachers from Canada or the USA. You will need to have a TESOL certificate or teaching experience. You can earn up to $26/hour.
Facebook Groups
On Facebook there are many Groups that are specifically to help English teachers to find jobs. They will post job openings and schools will often post openings in these groups. Here are a few that may be helpful:
- Online English Teaching Jobs
- Online teaching jobs (ESL) Digital Nomads – Teach English online
- ESL Teachers Board
- ESL Teachers Playground
Bonus! Italki
Here’s an extra one just for you! Italki is another popular online teaching platform. You can set your own schedule and set your rate of pay. I gave a tutorial on getting started on this platform, check it out!
As you can see there are many opportunities available to start teaching English online even without a degree! This is just scratching the surface. In our course, we have an app with hundreds of companies that are hiring teachers without a degree!
I hope this list will help get you started!
I really hope you got value out of this blog post as you continue your journey towards teaching English online! If you want to keep learning why not subscribe to this blog by clicking here.
You can also check out and subscribe to my daily podcast called You Can Teach English Online by clicking here, available on iTunes, Spotify and more.
Also, be sure to get your FREE Report Top Online English Teaching Companies where I share the secret top companies that nobody is talking about but that will pay you the most money to teach English online right now!
Are you an online English teacher without a degree? Share in the comments your experience finding work online!
Thanks so much for this information! I have been wanting to know this for awhile.
That’s great! I hope this information proves to be helpful!
Thanks for sharing! Definitely opportunities out there! I need to research the TESOL a bit more…..
Your welcome! Check out our post about finding the right TESOL course for some helpful information!
Wow this is great! Well am pretty sad that they only want natives North Americans ! Am not but I can speak fluent English.
Hi Maria, these are just a few companies out of many! Although some companies do look for English teachers from a certain region, others do not. Maybe we’ll do a post about this in the future!
Wow thank you for this list! Its very encouraging to know that so many sites dont require a BA! However, about a month ago I emailed Qkids about their hiring requirements and they told me that they do require either a BA or proof that you are currently enrolled in a BA program.
Thanks for your comment! You can refer to the requirements listed in Qkids job description here: https://teacher.qkids.net/faq I think they prefer BA degree but it’s not required. It’s always best to apply as your other skills and experience could be attractive to a potential employer!
Yes, there are some updates with companies based in China, because of new regulations. I’ll be updating this post soon!
I really appreciate this article, I applied to several companies and I was not hired -I believe- because I don’t have a degree! I appreciate this post! Thank you Antoine and Kanicia
Hello,
Teaching English for me it would be the last option since I’ve seen that many of the website don’t require a degree because you must be native. So, do you know any website to teach spanish online?
Thank you
Hi Laura, you can check out sites like italki.com where you can set yourself up as a teacher and even set your own rates!
You can also check out this site: https://www.goodairlanguage.com/ensena-espanol-online/
Thank you for this information. It has put my mind at rest. 🙂 I have subscribed to your podcast. When it talks about experience, I have taught in a preschool classroom for 20+ years. I do have experience teaching, but not necessarily teaching English……..?
Hi, I feel so informed by the article. It has very useful information.