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Speexx Review Summary
Speexx is a European business language training provider that pays virtual coaches around €12 an hour to teach adult professionals 1v1. To apply, you must speak 2 languages, have a Bachelor’s degree, a language teaching certificate, online teaching experience, and 25 hours availability a month.
| Pay (per hour): | €12* |
| Location / language requirements? | C2 Speaker in taught language/B2 in English or 2nd lang. |
| Degree / diploma required? | Bachelor’s or higher |
| Teaching certificate required? | Yes |
| Teaching experience required? | Online |
| Student age (Adults/Children)? | Adults |
| Class size: | 1v1 |
| Minimum hours (per month): | 25 |
Speexx Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Reputable company
- Several languages of instruction (not just English)
- Simple and straightforward application process
- Most students will be professional
Cons:
- Mediocre pay for the qualifications, knowledge and experience expected
- Must be able to speak 2 languages
- Must be available for a minimum of 25 hours a month
- Not suitable for those who prefer teaching children or non-business English
Is Speexx Legit?
Speexx is a legitimate business language training provider, that was founded in Germany in 2011. Since then they have spread globally, with offices in the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, China and Thailand, and 1,700 staff and coaches from 40 countries. More than 8 million users and 1,500 international organizations use the Speexx programme, including major companies like Lufthansa, Avis, and Liebherr. Speexx’s legitimacy is further underlined by being a member of the United Nations Global Compact, placing them in the top 12% of CSR performers, while they have won over 200 awards.
Here is a brief video introduction to the company:
What Languages Does Speexx Offer?
Five Speexx languages – English, Spanish, French, German and Italian – are supported by their digital language assessment and learning platform, from beginner (C2) to advanced (A1) level. Instruction is also offered for 13 support languages. Speexx language courses are completely aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Online teaching is delivered one-on-one via the Speexx virtual classroom, which is demonstrated in this video:
Speexx Salary Information
A Speexx ‘Online Business English Trainer’ is paid the equivalent of €12 an hour (€6 per 30-minute virtual session). Interestingly, the company does not provide pay details for its other languages, and there are reports that rates vary according to a teacher’s location.
Other perks that Speexx advertise include:
- Paid initial and future training
- Paid and fair cancellation policies
- “Learn while you earn” – Free access to Speexx language learning solutions
Speexx Hours
Speexx promises ‘100% remote and complete autonomy over your work schedule’. They do, however, expect availability of at least 25 hours a month.
1v1 classes last 30 minutes in total: 25 minutes of teaching plus 5 minutes for admin.
Speexx Requirements
- proficient speaker (CEFR C2) of taught language
- can speak English at B2 level (or a 2nd language if English is the first)
- language teaching certificate
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- experience teaching online
- minimum of 25 hours availability per month
- meet the following technical requirements:
- PC not older than 2017/Mac not older than 2016
- 8GB RAM
- Minimum CPU benchmark score of 1300
- Ethernet internet connection with a minimum download speed of 30mbps and upload speed of 10mbps (go to Speedtest, set server to Frankfurt am Main, run the test)
- Compatibility with Speexx RTC test
Speexx Hiring Process
You can find open teaching/training positions by visiting the Speexx careers page and filtering by ‘Coaching’. An ‘Apply for this job’ link can be found at the bottom of each job description, which will take you to the Speexx application form requesting the following information:
- Name
- Email address
- City of residence
- Country of residence
- Photo
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Website/Blog/Portfolio link (if available)
- Select the accredited teaching certifications you have earned
- What academic level(s) have you achieved?
- When did you start teaching language online?
- How many hours of online language training have you delivered?
- Which other language(s) do you speak at a CEFR B2 level or higher?
- Are you ready to offer Speexx students 25 hours or more monthly for the foreseeable future?
- Introduce yourself in a 1-2 minute video telling us how your teaching will make a difference in the professional lives of our students. Feel free to say a few words in your additional language(s). Provide a link.
- Are you able to produce a valid tax ID in accordance with your local regulations?
- Is there anything else you’d like to add?
The company promises to respond to ‘all candidates who complete the Application Form’.
Online teachers who have previously gotten to the stage of the Speexx interview have reported that it was largely a formality, consisting of hardware testing and basic questions around language teaching experience and scheduling preferences.
Successful candidates are expected to undertake online training.
Speexx Reviews
The Speexx Glassdoor page gives the company a high rating of 4.5 out of 5, with 83% willing to recommend them. Not all of these reviews are from teachers, so we have extracted the relevant comments below:
- Advantages:
- Smooth hiring process, very professional
- Choose own hours, reasonable staff
- Speexx takes quality seriously and does lots of training with its coaches – Most managers are friendly and helpful – They try to predict how much work they can give you
- Extremely flexible hours, constant training, room for advancement
- Great place to be, people are wonderful and supportive
- Flexible schedule; opportunities to speak to students from all over the world
- I’ve been with Speexx for 6yrs, and the support from the PMs and admin is terrific. Great working with big companies, and I appreciate the freedom to teach what I want
- Disadvantages:
- Sometimes not enough bookings, but depends on season
- No benefits, salary fluctuations when they have less business
- The content is desperately in need of an update; no Mac access, no iPad/Android support; students can’t be expected to only complete their work at the office. It’s impossible to continue working without a real contract. I understand it’s difficult and expensive in Italy, but a trainer’s first instinct is to find something more stable.
However, a more negative view of the company was submitted in another forum, where Speexx was criticized for the ‘constant training’ (even though others above considered this a positive), administrative overload and pay disparity across regions:
Conclusion – Is Speexx Good for Online Teachers?
Speexx won’t be for everyone, as you must be comfortable teaching business language to adult professionals, while the rate of pay is less than what many will be willing or able to accept. However, if you can afford it or are lacking other options, you meet their requirements and have an interest in this type of teaching, then there are enough positive teacher reviews to suggest that Speexx might be worth submitting a quick and easy application to.
You can apply for Speexx jobs here.
A list of other teaching jobs can be found here.
