Mint English Review Summary

Mint English is a Korean ESL company that hires teachers from the US, UK and Canada to teach adults and children 1v1 online. They pay $14+/hr, with classes and feedback lasting 10-30mins, though you must be available 4hrs/day Mon-Fri, and teacher experiences are mixed as bookings can take time.

Mint English Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Paid feedback time
• No weekend teaching
• Both adult and child students
• Materials provided

Cons:

• Must pass several stages of interview/demo/test classes
• Pressure to start immediately if hired
• Limited flexibility – must work a minimum of 4 consecutive hours each weekday
• Requires self-promotion and patience to build bookings

What Is Mint English?

Mint English is a legitimate ESL company from South Korea, that for the last 7 years has been recognized as the No.1 brand in Phone and Video English by the Korean Brand Preference Awards.

They conduct one-on-one online classes with both adults and children. Though textbooks are provided with a focus on conversation and grammar, Mint teachers are also encouraged to express their own unique identity, character, and teaching style in a fun and energetic way. Below is a recorded example of a Mint English lesson:

Mint English Salary Information

The Mint English pay rate is US$14 an hour during the 3-month probationary period before increasing to $15. Teachers are contracted for a year and renewed annually depending on supervisors’ monthly reports.

Training and mock lessons are paid at the same rate as normal classes, with incentives and advancement based upon performance.

Mint English Hours and Schedule

The Mint English schedule requires that teachers work a set 4-hour shift each weekday (there is no weekend teaching):

1. Morning Shift: 7am-11am Korean Standard Time (KST) – Depending on availability
2. Evening Shift: 7pm-11pm KST – Preferred and Priority

Mint English ESL classes include guaranteed feedback time as follows:

In addition to post-class feedback, teachers have to write up monthly student evaluations.

24-hour chat support is available to assist with any problems.

Mint English Requirements

Prospective Mint English teachers must meet the following requirements:

• Citizen of the USA, Canada, or UK
• English as a first language
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university
• Ethernet/landline internet connection (no wifi)
• Headset with microphone (no earbuds)
• Passport or driver’s license (for identification)
• Clean and presentable background and teaching environment
• Professional demeanor and attire
• Reliable, dependable, and punctual
• Adept at using a chat box, whiteboard, and sharing images, materials, and videos
• Friendly and charismatic with good communication skills and the ability to lead students in rich conversation-focused classes
• Comfortable teaching and correcting students of all levels
• Commitment to the field of education
• An interest in Korean culture

A teaching/ESL certificate and experience (including homeschooling, tutoring, coaching, and mentoring) are preferred but not mandatory.

Mint English Teacher Application Process

You can apply for Mint English jobs through Indeed or LinkedIn. Successful applicants will often receive a response within a few working days, then there are 6 steps that must be passed in order to be hired by the company:

1. Step A-1 – Interview with managers (on Skype)
2. Step A-2 – Demo class (10mins)
3. Step B-1 – Manual training
4. Step B-2 – Textbook class test with managers (15mins)
5. Step B-3 – Free talking class test with managers (15mins)
6. Step B-4 – Paid test class during a week

These are some Mint English interview questions they are known to ask:

• Why do you want to teach ESL?
• Do you have experience teaching adults?
• What is your availability each week?
• Can you work a minimum of four hours per day, Monday through Friday?
• Can you start right away?

There is an expectation/pressure to be able to start immediately, should you be hired.

Mint English Reviews – What Is It Like Working for Mint English?

Korean ESL companies are often not widely publicized, and so there is only a small sample of teacher reviews that have been disseminated about Mint English, despite the fact that the company has been in existence for well over a decade.

There are currently 3 reviews on the Mint English Glassdoor page offering divergent opinions, with one teacher praising the management team and service while another claims that the company and its employees are horribly run. While the range of students is seen as a positive, improvements could be made to the platform and its updates:

The Mint English Indeed page also provides a small sample of 2 reviews; one rated 3*, the other 1*. One complements the timezone, though there are complaints about the rate of pay, notice period, and difficulties getting students:

Additional teacher experiences can be drawn from a couple of Mint English Reddit threads. The first contributor talks overwhelmingly positively about the company, its pay increases, consistent hours, flexible time off, and communication between teachers:

This Redditor provides the most detailed and balanced assessment, where they explain how it can take time (3 months) and effort to get bookings by self-promoting oneself through chat. While this teacher likes the easy training, working hours, and free talk, they admit that the interviews are laborious (though easy), the textbooks aren’t great for beginners, there can be miscommunication, and bookings/pay aren’t guaranteed:

Conclusion – Is Mint English Worth It?

The laborious interview process, with middling pay and no guarantee of bookings at the end, coupled with lukewarm (at best) reports shared by teachers, means that Mint English is probably only worth it for people lacking other options, living in cheaper countries where the money will stretch further, and who have a particular interest in Korean culture. Otherwise, you should probably check out our full list of online teaching jobs first.