Really Great Teacher Company Review Summary

The Really Great Teacher Company recruits language instructors for international online schools. They pay $5.50-$10/hr and require Native-level fluency, a teaching certificate, and minimum commitment of 10-30hrs/wk. While some positions offer guaranteed hours, teachers have been critical of management and penalties.

Really Great Teacher Company Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Short and simple application form
• Several positions advertised
• Opportunities for personal and professional development
• Some positions offer guaranteed hours

Cons:

• Relatively low pay
• Unpaid time for prep and reports
• Financial penalties for lateness
• Group classes can be large (up to 20 students)
• Specific positions are not as flexible and have fixed schedules
• Some critical teacher reviews

What Is The Really Great Teacher Company?

The Really Great Teacher Company is a teacher management company and accredited TEFL provider that was founded in 2014, with its headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa. They recruit and oversee teachers for online schools around the world (including TutorABC), taking responsibility for their scheduling, payroll, and professional development.

Due to the variety of schools the company works with, students can be adults or children, located in a variety of time zones, and taught individually or in groups of up to 20.

Lesson plans and content are provided for most classes, though some (unpaid) preparation time is expected.

One of the qualities that makes The Really Great Teacher Company stand out is their emphasis on professional and personal development. Teachers have free access to Inspire Academy, the company’s catalog of professional development courses in areas such as leadership, classroom management, and harnessing AI. Personal growth is attended to through Evolve sessions that explore wellness, charity, and special-interest social clubs.

Below is the company’s manifesto video:

The Really Great Teacher Company Salary Information

The Really Great Teacher Company pay rate ranges between US$5.50-$10 an hour, depending on the position and individual school requirements. For example, of the roles currently advertised:

• Online Spanish Teachers are paid $5.50-$5.90/hr
• Online Italian Teachers earn $7/hr
• South African Online English Teachers (Adults and Kids Students) earn $6
• Online English Teachers based in Central America, South America or South-East Asia (Adult Students) are paid $10/hr

Pay is deducted for being late.

Really Great Teacher Company Hours and Schedule

Hours with The Really Great Teacher Company vary depending on the specific position, though the minimum commitment typically is between 10-30 hours a week, and some schedules are fixed.

There are positions that offer ‘guaranteed hours’, whereby you will be paid even if the student does not show. For roles where hours are not guaranteed, you will only get paid for the classes you teach, not for your unbooked availability.

Classes are usually 25 or 55 minutes long.

The Really Great Teacher Company Requirements

The minimum requirements for The Really Great Teacher Company are:

• Native or Native-like speaker of the language being taught (e.g. English, Spanish, Italian)
• Accredited 120-hour TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate (can sometimes be gained after applying)
• High School diploma (some positions want teachers who have completed or are studying for a tertiary/Bachelor’s qualification)
• Computer literate 
• No criminal record 
• Engaging and inspiring communication skills
• Punctual and precise timekeeping 
• Available to fit into allocated teaching shift slots

Some positions want prior teaching/tutoring experience of 6 months to 2 years, but not all.

This video outlines what makes a great Online English Teacher in the eyes of the company:

Technical Requirements for The Really Great Teacher Company

• Processor: Intel ® Core™ i5 CPU @2.40GHz (4 CPUs) or greater 
• Memory: 8GB RAM or greater
• Backup power: Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) with a battery life up to 4-5 hours (2000VA) (or willing to purchase before commencing teaching)
• Stable fiber internet connection:
  • Minimum of 20 Mbps upload and download speeds (you can test your internet speed here)
  • PC connected via a LAN cable and not via a Wi-Fi connection
• Noise-canceling headset and HD webcam. Backup headset highly recommended
• A tidy, well-lit, and quiet teaching environment free from clutter and interruption during your class
• A plain background

The Really Great Teacher Company Application Process

To apply, view the current list of Really Great Teacher Company vacancies, select the position you are interested in, and click on the ‘APPLY NOW’ button. This will take you to a short application form requesting your:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Physical address
• Work history
• Education
• Experience summary
• Cover letter
• Data privacy consent

Those who pass this initial screening will be asked to submit a 60-minute video introducing themselves, showcasing their personality, and expressing a passion and enthusiasm for teaching.

The Really Great Teacher Company Interview Process

Successful applicants will undergo a 30-minute interview with the company’s recruitment team who will assess your:

• Compatibility with the position you applied for and its teaching approach.
• Your Motivation for teaching and why you want this specific job with the company.
• Strong Interpersonal Skills – e.g., A positive attitude, active listening, empathy, patience, flexibility, time management, problem-solving, etc.
• Language Proficiency and Communication skills – i.e. “We’re looking for positive people to explain concepts clearly and concisely”.
• Teaching Skills and Experience – i.e. A proven ability to adapt teaching methods to different learning styles and creative tactics to keep students on the edge of their seats. 
• Technical Skills – examples of your tech prowess.

They will also discuss the client they are hiring for, the schedule, students, pay rate, and technical requirements (you will have to provide proof of your laptop specifications, UPS, and camera quality).

Some questions that may be asked include:

• Tell me/us about your teaching experience.
• What made you become a teacher?
• Why do you want to teach online?
• What makes you a good fit for this role?
• Are you adaptable to using different platforms and programs to facilitate your online teaching?
• Describe yourself and your teaching style.
• What do you think makes a good online teacher? / Why do you feel you would make a good online teacher?
• How do you motivate students in the virtual classroom?
• How would you help a shy student in an online classroom?
• Tell us about a stressful situation you experienced in an online classroom and how you resolved it?
• What three words would your peers, administrators, or students use to describe you?
• What is your availability and willingness to commit to a contract working a set amount of hours per week?
• Do you have any questions for us?

The company has provided a helpful guide on how best to answer some of these.

Candidates that are moved onto the next stage are expected to conduct a live Really Great Teacher Company Demo Lesson where your teaching style, student interaction, command over the subject matter, and technical compatibility will be observed.

For those applying for a foreign language position, there will be an additional interview assessing your proficiency and teaching capability in the secondary language.

Really Great Teacher Company Reviews – What Is It Like Working There?

The company’s Glassdoor page currently gives The Really Great Teacher Company an overall rating of 3.3 out of 5, with less than half (45%) willing to recommend them.

I have collated the comments left by teachers over the last year, which praise the development programs, support, teacher colleagues, and pre-made lesson plans, though there are mixed opinions of the pay, management, and booking rates, and criticism regarding the amount of work (sometimes too much, sometimes too little), unpaid duties, and penalties:

• Advantages:
  • “Good support base. Good development programs
  • Good environment and management, friendly colleagues
  • $6 per hour. Great staff and mentors – all very friendly and understanding. Awesome culture
  • Some level of support for teachers
  • Lots of classes available. Team leaders always there to help
  • They are always willing to support you. If you have tech issues they try to help or suggest fixes, and cover classes. If you are sick, they will help you get your classes covered, however, (and very reasonably) you need to let managers know at least 2 hours before. Training Portal for continuous development of your skills. There is space for promotion, to team leaders for example.
  • The pay, the other staff are friendly
  • Pre-made lesson plans with guides.
  • They have online courses which is cool, and fun activities for you to be involved with.
  • The other teachers are great.
  • There is a huge amount of team spirit in this company. Management are always there to help and assist you whenever you need. The other teachers are so supportive and friendly. Race is not an issue for this company. All is [sic] treated equally.”
• Disadvantages:
  • “Not enough training. If your student reviews are not very high, you will not get any work
  • Low pay should have an increase yearly
  • No money, the pay is very low
  • During busy periods when people like to take leave there it can be difficult to keep a good work life balance (if you find it hard to say no). Asking for leave during busy popular periods (like Christmas) is difficult to get approved.
  • They lie about everything. I highly recommend just walking on past [sic].
  • The hours the management the repeatitiveness [sic] no leave no overtime pay
  • Extremely poor pay, no paid leave, almost no breaks in-between classes, exploitative policies. They offer a laughably low rate because they know their employees are desperate for any work. They will deduct 3 days worth of pay if you are even 1min late to check-in. With intense work hours, and no breaks in between, this can happen very easily. You will also receive deductions to your pay check even for events completely out of your control. You get all the negative of being a “freelance employee” (no paid vacation, sick days, outside support for poor management, etc.), but none of the benefits. There are much MUCH better options out there.
  • The pay is very low, the booking rate is terrible to say the least, they have too many unpaid activities and you have to check in to multiple things an hour before your day starts if not you get a warning, reports needs to be done whenever the team leaders feels so and if not done they will harass you on teams infront of all the other teachers. The team leaders don’t care about you as the teacher and what you have going on as a human besides working for them … If this is your only income you will starve, because the most classes you will get is 4 and 3 or all of them gets [sic] canceled, and you won’t get paid for preparation or anything. When you resign they keep your salary because you broke contract, but they can’t supply teachers with a stable amount of classes to be able to survive and you have to sit with them for another 2 weeks after you resigned waiting for classes that mostly gets canceled.
  • Very low pay, very strict management, very taxing practices, never able to get leave, working during Christmas and New Year
  • Pay is low. Lots of penalties but minuscule rewards for good performance.
  • Unfortunately, they are a “middle-man” company. Their clients pay them and we as the teachers get paid from TRGTC. So the pay is NOT amazing!!! But you are busy. 80% of your schedule is booked for classes. The problem is that you don’t get paid for classes that are booked, but their [sic] is no student to fill that class.”

Indeed provides a lower score of 2.9 out of 5, though this is calculated from fewer reviews and only 3 written in the last year. These again focus on the low pay rate and deductions received for lateness:

Conclusion – Is The Really Great Teacher Company Really That Great?

The Really Great Teacher Company invites high expectations with the name they have chosen, and that is always going to be difficult to live up to. While their marketing is slick and their support of teacher development is commendable, the reviews they have gathered show that actual experiences are more often ok (or bad) rather than great.

You can search for Really Great Teacher Company jobs, or explore other companies that are hiring.