eTeacher Group Review Summary

eTeacher Group is an Israeli tutoring company offering online 1v1 and group classes. They hire Native and Near-Native Speakers on $18 per hour, with no cancelation penalties or feedback, though they are highly selective, you must have 2 years experience teaching kids, teens AND adults and commit to 15 hours a week.

eTeacher Group Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Good pay for a non-China company
• No penalties for cancelations – just rearrange the class for another time
• No after-class feedback
• Generous referral incentive
• Middle Eastern hours could complement East Asian and/or American jobs

Cons:

• Highly selective due to large number of applications and only hire when needed
• Must be able to teach children, teens AND adults (all three) with a minimum of 2 years ESL experience
• Must commit to a minimum of 15 hours over 3 days each week
• Part-time booking rates (not enough to be a full-time job/primary company)
• 1-month of training (on half pay) before you can start teaching
• ‘Business casual’ dress code with collared shirt (no t-shirts, and any tattoos covered)

What Is the eTeacher Group and Is eTeacher Group Legit?

eTeacher Group Ltd. is a legitimate tutoring company set up in Israel in 2000, backed by the Israeli Government. They have been delivering English language classes to adults since 2010 (through their Highway to English campus) and to children since 2020 (Langaroo campus), along with Hebrew, biblical studies, and coding, etc. eTeacher Group has 110 teachers (at the time of writing), with hopes to increase this to 120 by the end of 2021.

Where Is eTeacher Group Located?

eTeacher Group is based in Israel with over 200,000 students located in 196 countries and regions around the world, though around 90% of these come from the Middle East.

eTeacher Group Salary / Pay

The eTeacher Group pay rate is US$18 per hour. You will receive half-pay during the initial training month. There’s the possibility of a $1 pay rise at the end of each year, based upon class observations and student feedback, which is capped at 4 years ($22).

The base pay can be topped up by eTeacher Group’s generous referral incentive of $250, if your referee is hired, completes their training and works for 3 months.

There are no financial penalties (unlike many online ESL companies); if you’re sick, you just have to rearrange the missed class.

eTeacher Group pay their teachers around the 10th of each month via Tipalti (where you link your domestic bank details or PayPal account).

eTeacher Group Hours

eTeacher Group doesn’t insist on working specific hours, as they have students in various time zones across the world. However, your best chance to secure bookings is to open availability in the evenings (Israel Standard Time).

The first month consists of training, including twice-weekly meetings, and new teachers must commit to prescribed training times during that period.

Group classes last 55 minutes (but pay for the full hour). Private (one-on-one) classes typically last 60 minutes, but this can be shortened (upon agreement) if a student’s attention span necessitates it.

There is a minimum hours commitment of 15 hours across 3 days a week. You must make yourself available long-term and are sent students matching your availability; it is then the teachers’ responsibility to correspond with the students or their parents to arrange the timing and regularity of their classes.

eTeacher Group has a very progressive cancelation policy; there are no financial penalties, and you just have to rearrange the missed class if you’re sick (in the same week, if possible).

eTeacher Group Requirements

eTeacher Group requires that their teachers:

• Be a Native or Near-Native Speaker of English
• Have a Bachelor’s degree (a relevant subject is advantageous)
• English teaching certification (e.g. CELTA/TEFL/TESOL, etc.)
• Minimum of 2 years ESL experience teaching children, teens AND adults (must have taught all three age groups)
• Computer-orientated with internet usage skills
• Available long-term for at least 15 hours across 3 days a week

eTeacher Group Application Process

You can apply for eTeacher Group jobs here. To complete your eTeacher registration, submit the following information:

• First name
• Last name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Attached resume/CV
• LinkedIn profile URL (if applicable)
• Personal website URL (if applicable)
• Attached cover letter – demonstrate that you meet their requirements (above)
• Attached portfolio (if applicable)
• Personal note – mention what languages you speak and which subjects you’re applying to teach

Note that it can take a few weeks to hear back from eTeacher Group, as they accept applications even when they’re not hiring, so you may be added to the applicant pool until needed. Be aware that they are highly selective with which candidates they decide to take forward.

eTeacher Group Interview

If your application is progressed, then you will be invited to pre-record a Jobma interview. For that, you will need to record answers to the following eTeacher Group interview questions:

• How did you get started teaching English?
• What motivates you to continue teaching?
• Why do you want to work with eTeacher Group?
• Compare and contrast the online learning and teaching experience versus the in-person class experience and what the biggest differences are between the two.

Should you pass this, the final stage in the eTeacher Group hiring process that you’ll be invited to is a group information session, including a live interview and 15-minute demo (aimed at children) with the head of campus. While some TPR is expected it doesn’t have to be over-the-top, however, it is essential that you have a ‘human-based’ puppet (not an animal) for cultural reasons.

After you are hired, there is still a month of training (including practice demos with feedback) before you can start teaching, though you will receive half-pay for this.

eTeacher Online Learning Environment

eTeacher online classes are conducted via Zoom with PowerPoint slides that are provided (5-10 minutes is usually sufficient preparation time).

eTeacher Group Reviews

The eTeacher Group Glassdoor page gives the company an average score of 3.7 out of 5, with 63% willing to recommend them to a friend. Many of these employees are in different roles, however, and below is the only eTeacher review written in the last year by an actual English teacher. It is fairly balanced, praising the pay, training, managers and materials, though with complaints about eTeacher Group’s class instructions, material errors, support staff and charges for processing wages (the company has since changed its system to Tipalti):

Conclusion – Is eTeacher Group Worth It?

eTeacher Group is one of the higher-paying companies outside of China, which automatically makes them worthy of consideration following the online ESL pivot away from that country. The absence of cancelation penalties, no feedback, and generous referral incentives adds to their appeal. However, the application process is highly competitive and selective, you must have 2 years of experience teaching children, teens AND adults, and be able to commit long-term to at least 15 hours a week over three days.

You can apply to eTeacher Group here.

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