Lingostar Review Summary

Lingostar is a Singaporean ESL company hiring online teachers from the US, UK and Canada on $14-24/hr and Philippines on $3-6/hr to teach children 1v1. You must have a degree, teaching certificate, and preferably 1 year of experience, plus availability across 10 peak hours, though reports of booking rates are mixed.

Lingostar Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Quick and easy application process
• Teaching materials and lesson plans provided
• Fortnightly payments
• Bonuses
• Friendly team

Cons:

• Pay rate based on booking rate and location
• Only currently open to English teachers from the US, Canada, UK and Philippines
• Must have both a degree and teaching certificate
• Minimum commitment of 10+ weekly peak hours for 4-8 weeks
• Mixed reports of bookings and cancellation rates

Is Lingostar Legit?

Lingostar (not to be confused with Lingo Live, Lingofor.me, LingoAce or Lingoda) is a relatively young ESL company that was founded in Singapore in 2022, and whose legitimacy is backed by its ACRA registration. Many of their team formerly worked for VIPKid.

Lingostar students largely come from Asia, especially China, and are children between the ages of 5-13 years.

Lingostar online classes are conducted one-on-one via the Classpod teaching platform, using a provided curriculum and multimedia-based lesson plans developed from the Oxford Thinkers textbooks.

Below is a recorded example of how a Lingostar ESL class is taught:

Lingostar Salary Information

The Lingostar pay rate ranges between $14-$24 an hour for Native English Speakers and $3-$6 for Filipinos.

Pay rises are determined by the number of regular students a teacher has active:

There is an additional 0.50 cent schedule bonus, a conversion bonus of $5 for successful trial conversions, plus a referral scheme where you receive $5 for each teacher you refer who completes a class plus $10 more when they deliver 10 lessons.

Lingostar teachers still receive part payment for any student no shows ($3-$5 per 25-minute class, depending on their level).

The Lingostar teacher salary is paid fortnightly via PayPal.

Lingostar Hours and Schedule

Lingostar English classes last 25 minutes, with up to 5 minutes scheduled afterwards for leaving comments (prep time is not included).

Teachers are expected to make themselves available for a minimum of 10 peak hours a week, between 5pm-9pm (Singapore Time) on weekdays and/or 9am-9pm at weekends. These slots should be consistent for a period of at least 4-8 weeks.

Parents may book teachers at relatively short notice, at least 2 hours in advance, or set up a recurring slot for regular classes.

Lingostar Requirements

To become a Lingostar teacher you must:

• Be an English speaker from the USA, UK, Canada, or the Philippines
• Have completed a Bachelor’s degree or higher
• Hold a Teaching Certificate (i.e. 120-hour TEFL, TESOL, CELTA, etc.)
• Be available to teach a minimum of 10 peak hours a week
• Have access to a stable internet connection and a Windows computer with an 8th-generation Intel i5 core processor or better

Previous experience (1+ year) of teaching through an online platform is preferred.

Lingostar Teacher Application Process

There are 5 steps to the Lingostar hiring process:

1. Register for an account on the Lingostar careers page and submit your basic information
2. Device test your computer and internet connection
3. Upload a short demo showcasing your teaching skills
4. Complete 30-minutes of training on how to use the classroom tools
5. Upload basic documents, e.g. proof of ID, degree, teaching certification, etc.

Once you have verified your email address and created a password, you will asked to submit the following basic information:

• Avatar (professional photo)
• Gender
• Full name
• Telephone number
• Nationality
• Your current location
• Timezone
• Your highest level of education
• Select any online teaching company you currently work for or have previously worked for in the past (VIPKid, Whales English, 51Talk, Magic Ears, Palfish, Acadsoc, local public school, other)
• Years of teaching experience
• Your Skype ID
• Where did you hear about Lingostar?
• Do you have any teaching certificate?
• Upload your resume

You will be required to download and install the Lingostar app for teachers to complete the Device Test as follows:

Below is a recorded example of a successful Lingostar demo (in spite of the echo on the audio):

And here is a video walking through the training section of the Lingostar hiring process:

Lingostar Reviews – What Is It Like Working for Lingostar?

Being a relatively new employment offering, there is no dedicated Lingostar Glassdoor page yet. A negative review left on the LingoStar Language Services page (an unconnected translation agency) was clearly aimed at Lingostar ESL. Written by an Online English Teacher, they criticize the company’s communication, and challenge the pay claims it advertises:

Some teachers have left Lingostar ESL reviews through social media channels. Contributors to a teachers’ group on Facebook praise the platform and team, but criticize the curriculum and last-minute cancellations, though there are conflicting experiences of the booking rates:

Lingostar Reddit threads also offer insights, with one teacher sharing their ‘easy’ interview experience, while another supports the positive view of staff but adds further criticism of the slow bookings and (lack of) lessons that are available:

A few Lingostar teachers’ reviews are shared on the company’s website, but these are clearly biased and designed to promote the organization in an overwhelmingly positive light, and so should be taken with a pinch of salt:

• Hello, My name is Priscilla but I go by Teacher Pris. I am an ESL teacher with Lingostar. I am also their featured teacher on their channel. I absolutely love working for Lingostar. It is a great company with an amazing platform, curriculum, teachers, students, parents and staff. The company is growing daily. There are many amazing opportunities. I am blessed to be a Lingostar teacher and hope to meet you soon! – Priscilla
• Interactive lessons and full IT support are just a few highlights of the exceptional learning experience that Lingostar school provide. With our dynamic and engaging classes, learning becomes a joyful experience and our students are happy with their educational journey and progress. – Saska
• With my 10 years of experience, Lingostar is by far the best and the most interactive platform that I have ever seen. Learn with the best with fun. – Revan
• It’s an honor and a great privilege to be part of Lingostar! With my six years of experience in the ESL industry, Lingostar has the most interactive, engaging, and fun platform. It is very user-friendly that both teachers and students will enjoy every discussion. Come and learn English language with our dynamic, energetic and enthusiastic teachers! We hope to see you soon! – Emgee

Conclusion – Is Lingostar Worth It?

Lingostar is still a very young company, which explains some of the reported challenges regarding inconsistency of bookings and a limited curriculum requiring further development. The scaled pay levels are especially reliant on having active, regular students, while the minimum peak hours commitment probably won’t suit teachers requiring more flexibility. However, the few positive opinions that have been shared to date do provide glimpses of promise and potential should the company continue to grow and iron out any growing pains it has.

You can apply for Lingostar jobs online or explore our list of other teaching companies that are hiring.