AmazingTalker Review Summary

AmazingTalker is an online teacher marketplace from Taiwan offering 104 language specialisms to students globally of all ages. The average pay is $15-28 an hour though varies widely, and they hire anyone fluent in English with experience. Bookings can be challenging, however, and there are hefty fees of up to 38%.

Pay (per hour):$15-28*
Native / Non-Native Speakers accepted?Both
TEFL / TESOL / CELTA required?No
Degree / diploma required?No
Adult / child students?Both
Class size:1
Minimum hours (per week):0
*this is the average provided by the company but varies widely according to nationality and subject (see below)

AmazingTalker Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • A choice of 104 subjects to teach (different languages and types of English)
  • Any fluent speaker with some experience can apply (Native or Non-Native, no degree or teaching certificate required)
  • No AmazingTalker interview
  • High earning potential for very successful teachers

Cons:

  • The company retains a variable commission fee, starting at 30%
  • Regional transaction taxes (5%) and a transfer fee (3%) deduct an additional 8% every month
  • Can be difficult attracting students (especially at the beginning)
  • Have to make your own teaching materials/lesson plans
  • Long standard lessons last 50 minutes

Is AmazingTalker Legit?

AmazingTalker is a legitimate online teacher marketplace from Taiwan, founded in 2016. They have 7,790 teachers offering tuition in 104 languages and subjects, including different types of English such as ESL, to 1,143,640 learners (at the time of writing).

How Much Can You Earn on AmazingTalker?

As a teacher marketplace, your earnings as an AmazingTalker tutor are determined by the rate that you set in relation to what other teachers are charging on the platform. While the company says that its top tutors command between $38.40-$177.60 an hour, giving them an AmazingTalker salary of $5,196-$14,548 a month, most will realistically earn much less than this.

AmazingTalker English teachers, on average, charge between US$15–28 per 50 minute private lesson, and US$6–10 per 25 minute trial lesson, but this varies according to nationality and the type of English classes on offer.

Here is a table listing the average AmazingTalker pay rate for different nationalities:

NationalityPay per hour
Germany$34.34-$57.23
Honduras$22.74-$37.91
Belize$18.88-$31.47
Thailand$17.56-$29.26
Hong Kong$16.79-$27.99
Singapore$16.34-$27.24
Macao$16.19-$26.99
Nicaragua$15.34-$25.56
Brazil$15.03-$25.05
Taiwan$14.96-$24.94
Malaysia$14.84-$24.73
Turkey$14.56-$24.26
Albania$14.25-$23.75
United Kingdom$13.98-$23.30
Ireland$13.74-$22.89
Ukraine$13.70-$22.84
Canada$13.67-$22.78
Russia$13.61-$22.69
Georgia$13.58-$22.63
Bosnia$13.44-$22.40
Poland$13.31-$22.18
Australia$13.25-$22.09
United States of America$13.11-$21.84
Hungary$12.43-$20.72
South Korea$12.42-$20.71 
Switzerland$12.19-$20.32
Mongolia$12.09-$20.15
Argentina$11.70-$19.50
Namibia$11.65-$19.42
Romania$11.48-$19.13
Slovenia$11.36-$18.94
South Africa$11.23-$18.71
Serbia$10.94-$18.24
Venezuela$10.79-$17.98
China$10.79-$17.98
Iran$10.77-$17.96
Japan$10.74-$17.91
New Zealand$10.71-$17.85
Belarus$10.62-$17.70
Netherlands$10.50-$17.51
Indonesia$10.44-$17.39
Egypt$10.39-$17.31
India$10.13-$16.88 
Vietnam$10.00-$16.67
Greece$9.94-$16.57
Portugal$9.81-$16.36
Mauritius$9.75-$16.25
Italy$9.71-$16.18
Spain$9.65-$16.08
Jamaica$9.56-$15.93
Lebanon$9.32-$15.54
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines$9.20-$15.33
France$8.97-$14.96
Costa Rica$8.92-$14.87
Afghanistan$8.10-$13.50
Armenia$7.98-$13.30
Nigeria$7.88-$13.13
Bulgaria$7.61-$12.68
Morocco$7.55-$12.58
Latvia$7.47-$12.44
Colombia$7.10-$11.84
Tunisia$7.08-$11.81
Philippines$6.96-$11.60
Montenegro$6.91-$11.51
Algeria$6.77-$11.28
Zimbabwe$6.48-$10.81
Pakistan$6.32-$10.54
Ghana$6.25-$10.42
Sri Lanka$6.00-$10.00
Cameroon$6.00-$10.00
Bolivia$5.97-$9.94
Ethiopia$5.74-$9.56
Kenya$5.32-$8.88
Mexico$4.05-$6.75
Brunei Darussalam$3.75-$6.25

The different types of AmazingTalker English lessons that tutors can offer also affects their earning potential:

Type of English Class/TutorPay per hour
GMAT$29.71-$49.52
OET$28.14-$46.91
FCE$24.63-$41.06
TCTE English$18.23-$30.38
GCSE English$18.01-$30.02
Advanced English$17.74-$29.57
GRE$17.38-$28.96
PET$16.47-$27.46
GEPT$16.14-$26.91
HKDSE$15.92-$26.54
TOEFL$15.63-$26.06
CPE$15.26-$25.43
IB English$15.00-$25.00
IELTS$14.97-$24.95
Hong Kong F.3 (HKDSE)$14.66-$24.44
British English$14.59-$24.31
English writing$14.41-$24.01
TOEIC$14.40-$24.00
Business English$14.39-$23.99
English pronunciation$14.17-$23.62
DSE English$14.02-$23.36
English for academic study$13.79-$22.99
English for middle school (12-14)$13.65-$22.75
English for interview preparation$13.51-$22.51
KET$13.50-$22.50
English listening$13.47-$22.45
Oral English$13.43-$22.39
Conversational English$13.03-$21.71
English reading$13.00-$21.66
IGCSE$12.75-$21.25
CAP English$12.69-$21.14
English vocabulary$12.65-$21.09
American English$12.56-$20.94
English for children (3-5)$12.41-$20.69
Basic English$12.41-$20.68
English for adults$12.38-$20.63
English grammar$12.37-$20.62
PTE$12.22-$20.37
Hong Kong F.1 (HKDSE)$12.22-$20.36
English for children (6-11)$12.14-$20.23
EIKEN (Japan)$12.11-$20.19
English for going abroad$12.05-$20.08
Fundamental English$11.94-$19.89
ESL$11.84-$19.73
Upper Intermediate$11.77-$19.62
English for test preparation$11.76-$19.60
English for high school (15-18)$11.63-$19.39
English for beginners$11.55-$19.25
English as a hobby$11.41-$19.02
Intermediate English$11.11-$18.52
English for travel$10.98-$18.31
SAT$10.50-$17.50
Cambridge$9.47-$15.79
GSAT English$9.19-$15.31
Advanced Subjects Test: English$7.65-$12.75
CAE$5.40-$9.00
ESOL$3.83-$6.38

As is common with teacher marketplaces, there is an AmazingTalker commission (or “teacher’s fee”) that is deducted from its tutors’ earnings. This is variable, and drops the more that you earn, as seen in this table:

Monthly Gross Income (US$)Teacher’s Fee
0-9930%
100-19929%
200-29928%
300-39927%
400-49926%
500-59925%
600-69924%
700-79923%
800-89922%
900-99921%
1000-109920%
1100-119919%
1200-129918%
1300-139917%
1400-149916%
1500-159915%
1600-169914%
1700-179913%
1800-189912%
1900-199911%
2000-209910%
2100-21999%
2200-22998%
2300-23997%
2400-24996%
2500-25995%
2600-26994%
2700-27993%
2800-28992%
2900-29991%
3000+0%
If your teaching language is not English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish or French, then the fee starts at 15%.

Furthermore, AmazingTalker tutors have to pay regional transaction taxes amounting to 5% plus a transfer fee of 3%.

Taking these fees all together, if you made less than $100 in a month, you would only receive 62% of your earnings.

Consequently, many AmazingTalker teachers will try to increase their income through other schemes. There is a referral program where you can earn up to $130 per hire:

  1. $10 for each referral
  2. $30 if your referral earns $100 in 30 days
  3. $90 if your referral earns $600 in 90 days

There is also a mentorship program, though when asked about it, AmazingTalker could not explain the payment structure to us, saying it was ‘complex’ and ‘not entirely the same’ from teacher to teacher. It seems that mentors are paid a bonus by AmazingTalker for helping their mentorship team grow on the platform. The company does stress that this extra income comes from them and is not deducted from mentees’ earnings, so is not a pyramid scheme.

Tutors must request a withdrawal by the 2nd of the month to be sent their AmazingTalker payment by the 15th, which can be deposited via Wise, PayPal or Payoneer, each of which carries their own additional charges.

AmazingTalker Hours

Being a marketplace, there are no fixed or minimum hours and teachers are flexible to choose the schedule they want when opening their weekly availability. The more successful AmazingTalker tutors work 9-48 hours a week, on average.

Standard lessons are 50-minutes long, while trial lessons last 25 minutes. However, teachers also have the option to offer 10, 80 and 110-minute classes.

Students may book up to 24 hours in advance and cancel with 12 hours notice.

AmazingTalker Requirements

To become a teacher with AmazingTalker, you just need to:

  • Be fluent in English
  • Have experience in 1-on-1 English tutoring or related classroom experience
  • Be passionate about teaching

A degree and/or teaching certificate is advantageous but not essential.

Both Native and Non-Native Speakers can apply.

AmazingTalker Hiring Process

To apply for AmazingTalker jobs, visit their website and click on the ‘Apply Now’ button to the right of the page. The following screener questions will then pop up:

  • What main subject do you teach?
  • What is your nationality?
  • Do you have any teaching experience?
  • What is your current job status?
  • How many hours are you able to teach every week?
  • What is your monthly income goal on AmazingTalker?
  • Please describe strengths that you believe make you a good teacher?

Once you have answered these, you will then be asked to sign up with your email address and password, or by linking your Google or Facebook accounts.

To complete your registration, you will then have to submit the following information:

  • Confirm time zone
  • Information
    • Avatar/profile picture (800 pixels/1-2Mb)
    • Name
    • Nationality
    • Teach (subject)
    • Speak (languages)
    • English expertise (forms of English)
  • Resume
    • Experience
    • Education
    • Certifications
  • Price Settings (set your rates)
  • Availability
  • Accept terms and conditions

Here is a video walking you through this:

It will usually take 3-7 days for AmazingTalker to review your application.

While the main page of the AmazingTalker website mentions that there is a ‘3% tutor passing rate’ to ‘safeguard’ tutor quality, this is written with prospective students in mind and in reality the company’s requirements are not that strict.

AmazingTalker Demo Class

There is no AmazingTalker interview, but you will have to teach an AmazingTalker demo lesson should your application pass the initial review. You can do this through your profile page by following the steps in the ‘Teaching Instruction Guide’ and opening up time slots for it:

VIP students are supposed to be used for demo lessons, though sometimes you might get an existing teacher pretending to be one. If you receive multiple booking requests you only need to select one.

You must prepare 1-2 topics for your demo class lasting 25 minutes, and it is advised that you agree these with your student beforehand.

The demo will take place on Zoom, so download this beforehand and remember to use the record function.

Following the demo, the student will leave a review. If you receive a rating of 4 or 5 stars you pass, otherwise you are allowed two additional attempts.

Here is a recorded example of an AmazingTalker demo class:

After passing the AmazingTalker demo lesson, you will still need to complete the teaching instruction guide on the homepage, which includes some training videos.

Teaching on AmazingTalker

AmazingTalker online teaching is carried out on Zoom and consists of 25-minute trial lessons and 50-minute standard lessons.

There are no AmazingTalker lesson plans as the company, apparently, believes that “tutoring is most effective when it is customized for students’ learning goals”. You will thus have to prepare all your own teaching materials.

AmazingTalker tuition may be with students of any age and from any country. The platform’s AI matches their learning needs with a list of tutors possessing complimentary expertise, from which students will then select who they wish to learn with. It’s thus important to have completed a detailed and appealing profile page with the following information to be competitive and stand out:

  • Written introduction
  • Self-introduction video
  • In-class video
  • Additional video
  • Available times
  • Resume

Mentorship in using the platform and attracting students is available through teacher groups.

Once selected by a student, you are expected to connect with them ahead of the lesson to discuss their learning goals and what materials will be required.

AmazingTalker Teacher Reviews

The AmazingTalker Glassdoor page gives the company an average rating of 3.3 out of 5 (from 72 reviews), with 50% willing to recommend them to a friend (at the time of writing).

Positive comments mainly focus on the flexibility in choosing one’s price, schedule, and subject. While some like the freedom to use their own teaching materials, others complain about the time that it takes to prepare these. As you would expect, the most common criticism is regarding the commission and fees that are charged. With some exceptions, the majority of these AmazingTalker reviews also mention their difficulties in attracting students.

Here is a balanced selection of recent AmazingTalker employee reviews:

It is a similar story on the AmazingTalker Indeed page, where the score is 3.8 out of 5 from just 4 reviews. This is the most detailed AmazingTalker job review there:

Amazing Talker also has its own reviews page where existing teachers (and students) can submit public feedback. While you obviously won’t find any major criticism of the company here, some insight can still be gleaned, particularly in advice regarding how to increase one’s earnings on the platform from those who have been successful.

Conclusion – Is AmazingTalker Worth It?

The main advantages of AmazingTalker are the range of language specialisms that the platform offers, the fact there is no interview and that anyone fluent in English with some experience can apply, regardless of qualifications and nationality. However, the uncertainty of bookings there and hefty (initial) fees means that they will not be worth it for everyone.

You can apply to AmazingTalker here.

A full list of other online teaching companies can be found here.

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Dr Daniel Spence

Daniel Spence is the founder of Online Teaching Review. He has been an international teacher since 2008, an award-winning academic, author of two books, and holds a PhD, MA, BA (Hons), and TESOL.

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