AirClass Review Summary

AirClass provides online 1-on-1 tuition in K-12 subjects for children between 4-18 years. They cover 70+ countries, and take on experienced Native and Non-Native English Speakers with a degree or enrolled. However, pay offers have been as low as $0.80 per hour, while consistent classes are hard to secure.

AirClass Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Open to applications from Non-Native Speakers from many countries
• Teaching certificate not necessary
• Only teaching children 1v1, for those who prefer it

Cons:

• No common pay rate, with some people being offered derisory amounts, and trials paying 50%
• Difficult to get regular classes, with trials offered on a first come-first served basis that must then be converted
• Periodic hiring
• 7.8% selection rate according to the company
• Seemingly more demand for UK teachers

Is AirClass Legit?

AirClass 1-on-1 (not to be confused with Air Tutors, who are also hiring), is a legitimate online tutoring company that was founded in 2014 in London and Singapore and operates globally, having served over half a million students from 113 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North America. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (code ZME) and has raised more than $400 million in investments, while it has a Trustpilot score of 4.3 out of 5.

What Is AirClass?

AirClass caters for children between the ages of 4-18 years, with a focus on online one-on-one tuition, as emphasized in their branding. They claim to have hired over 10,000 tutors for more than 500,000 students internationally. AirClass tutoring aims to support all K-12 subjects across 70+ countries, including:

• SATs, GCSE, A-Level and IB in the UK
• SSAT/ISEE, and SAT/ACT/AP in the USA
• Placement Test/PSLE, O-Level, and A-Level/SAT in Singapore
• PBS, PT3/SPM, and A-Level/STPM in Malaysia
• Placement Exam, HKDSE, and A-Level/SAT in Hong Kong
• Educación Primaria and Selectividad/IB in Spain

Here is a recorded example of an AirClass tutorial:

How Much Does AirClass Pay?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of inconsistent information online regarding the AirClass tutor pay rate. In some places it is claimed that the company offers up to $24/£18 an hour (supposedly dependent upon ‘teaching ability’, ‘demo evaluation/skill and experience’). This does not reflect reality, however, and you can find numerous examples in public forums of teachers being offered much less than this following interview, even as low as $0.80 per 50-minute class for one Non-Native Speaker:

Here are three other teachers discussing the low and varying rates each was offered, from $1.90 to $6 an hour:

The highest offer reported in this thread was $16, though it worked out as less than this in practice because trial classes counted as half-pay, a pro-rata amount was paid only for the minutes taught, while a further deduction was taken when trials failed to convert:

AirClass Hours

AirClass 1-on-1 classes last either 25 or 50 minutes.

Teachers must commit to a minimum of 6 hours a week during peak times (after-school and weekends).

Trial classes are posted within a teachers’ group, and are allocated on a first come-first served basis (for those who meet the specific requirements). Trials must be converted to retain the student for subsequent classes.

AirClass Requirements

AirClass requires its applicants to:

• Be at least 18 years of age with a school leaving qualification
• Have completed or are currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program
• Demonstrate good communication skills and clear spoken English
• Possess experience teaching relevant subjects
• Exhibit patience and passion for online teaching
• Own a computer with:
  • At least 8GB RAM, Core i3 equivalent
  • A stable internet connection with 10Mbps download and 2-3Mbps upload (test your internet speed)
  • Noise-cancelling headphones
  • A quiet working environment

A teaching certificate is preferred but not necessary.

AirClass Tutor Application Process

AirClass claims to be very exclusive, supposedly only hiring 7.8% of teachers who apply (though this could be purely marketing to reassure prospective customers/parents).

To begin, you must complete and submit an AirClass teacher application form with the following information:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Work type (full or part-time)
• Country/region of residence
• Highest education qualification
• Current occupation
• Subject(s) you are able to teach
• Grades you are able to teach
• Mother tongue
• Languages that can be used to teach
• Which national curriculum system are you able to teach?
• Length of teaching/tutoring experience
• Are you able to teach SATs, GCSE, or A Level?
• Number of hours available per week (minimum of 6×50-minute sessions)
• Are you allowed to work with minors?
• Do you have a valid DBS Certificate or equivalent background check?
• Upload CV in doc or pdf format (10mb max.)
• Upload or link to your introduction video/audio (mp4, mov, or avi format, 100mb max.)
• How did you hear about AirClass?
• Accept AirClass’s User Agreement and Privacy Policy

AirClass Interview, Demo and Questions

Should you pass the company’s screening, you will be invited to a 30-minute online interview. This will be conducted via Zoom or WhatsApp, and consists of a 10-minute teaching demo prepared in a PowerPoint format, plus a 20-minue Q&A/discussion (some candidates have had these split into 2 separate interviews).

Here are some AirClass interview questions that have previously been asked:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Where is your base city?
• What is your expectation of the job?
• Can you tell me more about your experience?
• What is your past teaching experience?
• Can you accommodate toddlers who need patience?
• How do you deal with a difficult student?
• What is your availability during the week and weekends?

You will receive a follow-up email providing the outcome and, if successful, your contract offer. Following acceptance, you will be added to DingTalk, where you will be given training to complete, including a test and another demo video using their platform.

AirClass Reviews and Experiences

The AirClass Glassdoor page currently has an overall score of 3.7 out of 5, though this comes from just 18 contributors (at the time of writing) and not all of them teachers. We have collated all the comments left in AirClass tutoring reviews specifically, though they provide conflicting opinions concerning the ease of communication, along with complaints about the pay and availability of classes:

• Advantages:
  • “Flexible. – Approachable management. – Quick response time. – Tailor their trial classes to you.
  • Work on your own time
  • Flexible hours, can manage with other jobs
  • It is a good company to work with
  • Online interview, easy communication
  • It seems a good company to work with
  • Good work and regular work
• Disadvantages:
  • While approachable, management isn’t well organised. – No constant work, but that’s to be expected. – Pay check difficulties.
  • Little to no classes to teach
  • No consistent classes. If someone else book the lessons first then you just need to wait a long time before more classes are available. Irregular and minimum wage.
  • You have to download Dingtalk which is difficult to download in India. You have to catch a trial class like a fish.
  • Need to install specific app for daily communication
  • Pay scale a little less”

The AirClass Indeed page does not offer much more, with a rating of 2.8 out of 5 from 5 submissions, though one teacher explains why it is difficult picking up classes on the platform, being a first come-first served system:

This short video provides an insightful (and very negative) AirClass 1-on-1 review, where the teacher discusses how disorganized she found the training to be, how job postings would racially discriminate by asking for “White” teachers only and “no black people”, and how teachers receive a fraction of their pay for trial classes:

Conclusion – Is AirClass Worth It?

Major considerations for online teachers are how much one will be paid, and how many classes to expect. On both these counts, AirClass falls down, offering no transparent pay rate consistent for all applicants, and no guaranteed classes unless you successfully grab and convert a trial over the other tutors you are competing with. We thus feel AirClass will not be worth it for many teachers out there.

You can still apply for AirClass 1-on-1 jobs, but you may wish to explore other online teaching companies first.