Teaching English as a foreign language is one of the most rewarding and fun jobs you can have! We may be a little biased, but we know that ESL teaching can have a major impact on a teacher’s life and not only the students themselves. Like in any industry, you must find the best TEFL companies to work for, which are in line with your beliefs, values and personal policies. This is different for everyone and there is no one answer. It will depend on whether you want to teach online or not, how many hours you’d like to do and whether you’d like to have the freedom to create your own lesson plans or follow a ready-made curriculum made for you. 

Yes, teaching is a truly rewarding vocation. However, finding a TEFL job can be tricky sometimes. You have to put in hard work and have a killer CV without the promise of a permanent job afterwards. It can get even harder when you have obstacles in your way. This can be anything from no experience to your educational background to the country on your passport. 

For the first two hurdles, you can read our blogs on how to gain TEFL experience (coming soon) and how to land a job without a degree. The latter hurdle is normally the one we hear most about from our students and alumni and is what we’d like to help you with today! 

TEFL companies sometimes have lists of requirements for their potential teachers. You may look at them and think to yourself why? There are many reasons why your passport being issued from a certain country is one of those requirements listed. It can be that the online TEFL company itself requires it for government purposes to employ you or it could be down to preferability. This seems a little harsh, we know! 

Online TEFL Companies may be drawn towards US and Canadian citizens because teachers from these countries normally have a slow and clear natural accent. When companies are private, like most of the best TEFL companies are, they need to listen to their students or their students’ parents. This may be stereotypical to assume that US and Canadian citizens have clearer accents, but this is the way of the world and the fact is that certain nationalities are more in demand than others.

Another and more simple reason is time zones. Due to the population, the South East Asian market for students is huge and beats any other area. The most compatible native English speakers in terms of timing are Australian teachers and US and Canadian teachers. It works well and time slots are a lot more open for those who are situated in these countries.

Did you know that there are 67 countries across the globe where English is recognized as the official language, but in the TEFL industry only 7 countries are looked at in this way? Out of these 7 countries, South Africa and Ireland may sometimes be considered to be in a grey area. This stigma is slowly changing. However, for now, here are some of the best online TEFL companies to work for South African teachers.

TEFL companies for South African TEFL Teachers

• First Future
• iTutor Group
• Cambly
• Magic Ears
• Preply
• DaDa
• SayABC
• Education First

First Future

This ESL institute is currently recruiting online English teachers, Business English trainers, Business Coaches and Intercultural Communications Trainers. No online teaching experience is needed. Their in-house training will provide you with everything you need to succeed in online education. The classes are structured, so if you like routine, this is a great online company to work for. They are based in Beijing time and work out to be a nice 12pm-3pm for South Africans currently living at home. This is geared toward business English so experience and qualifications are needed, but you can earn a hand $18 to $23 per hour. 

iTutor Group

Unlike online companies that may not have enough students to fill your schedule, with iTutor Group, you have the potential to work full time. They do require a degree and at least one year of experience, but once you get in there, it is absolutely amazing! They provide all learning materials and have a flexible timetable, and you could get paid up to $30 an hour. 

Cambly

If you’re not looking to delve into a TEFL career and make that career change just yet, Cambly offers part-time work so you can ease yourself into that new career. This is also a great option for those of you with prior commitments, such as raising a family. As an American company, it offers $10-$20 an hour and does not require a Bachelor’s Degree or experience! A good WiFi connection is needed though, as although they provide lesson plans, they do require you to use Skype or Zoom. 

Magic Ears

This is another Beijing based online company and their hours work a lot like First Future. You will be logged in for a certain time and their pay structure is nice and clear. You can be certain what you’ll be getting paid. This can sometimes be uncertain due to student cancellations and the type of class conducted. The pay scale can range anywhere from $12 per hour to a whopping $26 per hour! You will never have more than 4 students at a time and it is primarily young learners. However, you may get some high schoolers in the mix too. 

Preply

As another American based company, Preply started off by preparing students for SATs (US-based examinations). Now they are offering more services like English lessons to non-native speakers. Salaries to South African teachers can range from $15 – $25 per hour. Their students are international and one-on-one so flexibility with timing for the South African time zone works quite well. They also offer webinars to teachers for all of your upskilling needs. 

DaDa

Qualification requirements at DaDa are that tutors must be native English speakers. You must have a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certification also. This online TEFL company is primarily geared towards young learners, so if you are energetic, enthusiastic and love teaching children, then you will love working for DaDa. The best part? Teaching beginners English with provided learning materials and a planned schedule seems like it would be at the lower end of the salary range, but in fact, you can earn $21 per hour! It is a win-win! 

SayABC

Some online TEFL companies will calculate your wages by country. So if your currency conversion and minimum wage is negatively compared to other countries like South Africa, you may end up with a wage that is not worth your talents and dedication. Know what you are worth and get paid well! At SayABC, it is one of the best TEFL companies to work for. You will receive an average of $19 per hour. They have limited students per class, and they provide learning material with their online platform. They do require a Bachelor’s Degree, which is something to look out for! 

Education First

This is a South African based company with over 400 schools based in South Africa alone! This is a huge and lovely company to work for. If you want to work for a domestic company, this is definitely one to apply for. They have flexible hours for South Africans and you’ll be able to teach a variety of students across the globe. As well as a $13 to $15 per hour salary, you’ll have access to lots of teaching materials and continuous training for teachers. 

These are the best online TEFL companies to work for as a South African in our opinion! If you have worked for a higher-paid online company in the past that’s not on the list, please let us know! We love to hear about all of our alumni’s TEFL journeys. We hope that you find the best online TEFL job and enjoy your experience as a TEFL teacher. If you are yet to get your TEFL qualification, this is definitely your first step – Join TEFL Courses! It will make your professional profile a lot more desirable to future employers. Follow this link to talk to a Course Enrolment Officer and find out which course is best for you.