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Teaching English Online with LatinHire
One of the less famous online English teaching companies out there, LatinHire offers some unique opportunities, both for people with multiple languages, and those who want to get a feel for a range of platforms.
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Have you always wanted to teach English online, but wanted to get some Latin American flavour in your life?
LatinHire is a popular choice for ESL teachers who want to teach English online to students in Latin America and South America. With English being the lingua franca of business, it makes sense for emerging Latin American economies to start spreading English proficiency throughout the workforce.
It’s not just English that LatinHire teaches to students in Latin America and South America, either. Students can learn algebra, calculus, geometry, finance and a range of other subjects. If you’re an English teacher, but also specialise in another subject, you could find yourself doubling your client base - and potential income!
How does LatinHire stack up against competitors like Cambly, Novakid and Preply? Let’s explore one of the more idiosyncratic online English teaching platforms, and you can find out whether you can teach children and adults on LatinHire.
LatinHire Overview
Founded in 2006, LatinHire doesn’t really work like other English teaching companies. Essentially, the role the company plays is in recruiting, training and finding work for teachers, as well as hosting lessons on their own platform. LatinHire will often outsource teachers to other companies, including Open English, the Miami-based online educator with a similar Latin influence.
If that sounds confusing, it doesn’t have to be. Should teachers want to use the LatinHire service, they can tutor up to 4 students at once. There are different age ranges, so you can teach kids or adults.
We mentioned some extra language knowledge in our introduction. This is because, in the LatinHire interview process, you’re likely to be asked a couple of questions in Spanish, and asked to respond in kind. Given that LatinHire is a service for Latin and South American students, some knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is a real asset. Of course, it’s useful for TEFL teachers to have a foundational knowledge of other languages - whether it’s for making things easier in the classroom, or for teaching abroad and getting around in different locations.
Compared to other teaching platforms, especially something as interactive and technologically advanced as NovaKid, for example, LatinHire is pretty no-frills. We’ll expand more on what a LatinHire teacher does, but teaching materials are provided for teachers. This means no expansive lesson plans, extra costs buying textbooks, or any additional stress when it comes to preparing for teaching online.
What are the requirements to teach with LatinHire?
What will you need on your CV to become an online tutor with LatinHire? The platform itself is self-described as “perfect for college students, retired professionals, professionals looking for extra income and work-at-home moms and dads”. This would imply the requirements are more lenient than other online platforms, but is that the truth?
Let’s find out!
Degree
A bachelor’s degree is preferred, but not required. While a BA is a bonus - and on some online platforms, essential - LatinHire won’t insist on you having one to teach on their platform.
TEFL certification
Again, this falls under the category of “preferred, but not required”. Of course, a TEFL certificate with 120 hours of training is the industry standard and will help you find work teaching English across the world, in person or online. LatinHire does make clear they’re looking for “subject mastery” in a range of topics, including English, so a teaching certificate like a TEFL qualification is the best way to prove you’re a master in the English classroom!Experience
You don’t need to have teaching experience to get started on LatinHire. That’s particularly good news if you’re looking to get started with online English teaching.
Native/non-native speakers
Again, when it comes to being a native English speaker, it's a case of “preferred, but not required”. LatinHire will lean towards prospective teachers who were born and raised in an English-speaking country but provided you have demonstrable proof of having learned English to a sufficient level and a “neutral” accent, you’ll likely be welcomed aboard. Besides, the teaching materials are given to you while you're teaching online for LatinHire, which means non-native English speaker tutors shouldn't face too much difficulty.Read more about teaching English online as a non-native speaker.
Additional requirements
As mentioned, you will need some foundational knowledge of another language. Specifically, you’ll need CEFR A2 level Spanish and/or Portuguese, which is a basic level of proficiency. Primarily, this is for ease of basic translation, keeping lessons running along smoothly, and making students feel more comfortable if they’re struggling with an English phrase or word choice. Even if you only speak Spanish at a basic level, it really helps!If you become a Latinhire online tutor, it's important to know that all lessons are conducted on Zoom which means your computer and its software will need to be up to scratch. You’ll need a modern computer and internet access, a subscription to a Zoom package (otherwise, lessons can cut off after 40 minutes), a microphone and a webcam.
Keep your environment as clutter-free and as bland as possible; you don’t want to distract learners while they’re trying to focus!
Time and patience are also considerable requirements. Being flexible and adaptable to cancellations or sudden bookings will make you a popular choice on online English teaching platforms, and of course, the more lessons you can offer, the more income you’ll be able to generate.
LatinHire Job Description
What will you be doing if you’re brought on board by LatinHire?
Each LatinHire teacher is expected to be an expert in their respective field. Lessons can involve up to four students, which means you’ll have to be on top of your game to maintain the attention and progression of each of your students.
ESL teachers will be online tutoring, helping with homework, preparing students for important exams (either in school or the likes of TOEFL and IELTS) and improving the student’s capacity for study, organisation and associated skills. Lessons are held on Zoom, with only the teacher being visible for the duration.
Download our teaching English online guide
How much can you earn teaching English with LatinHire?
When you become a tutor on LatinHire, your salary will be variable, depending on where you are in the LatinHire team. For one thing, you can either teach through LatinHire themselves, or through a different company, such is the company’s business model. If you’re working for a different platform, via LatinHire, they set the pay rates, and they can be extremely variable.
Another factor is the number of hours you’ve taught with LatinHire. You’re paid by the hour, and the salary worked on a tiered system based on experience, with everyone starting at the Tutor 1 level. The lowest amount you could expect to earn is for a student no-show - £3.60/$4.50.LatinHire tutors at Level 1, working between 8am and 4pm (EST), can expect to earn £5.65/$7, with Tutor 2 level employees earning 50 cents more, and Tutor 3 level employees earning 50 cents more than that.
Evening rates between Mondays and Fridays start at £6.46/$8 per hour, with that amount rising to £8.88/$11 for work at any time on a Saturday or Sunday for Tutor 1 employees. The base rate for weekend work, if you’re a Tutor 3 employee, is a more generous £10.50/$13. To reach level 3, you need to have put in at least 250 hours of teaching time. Payment is received once a month; this isn't always a guarantee on online ESL platforms!
The Application Process for LatinHire
Applying for a role with LatinHire is far from a dramatic or arduous task. The platform makes it easy for you to get started - all you have to do is click ‘Apply Here’!How do I Apply?
How does an intrepid polyglot and TEFL teacher apply to work for LatinHire, then? As all exciting journeys start: with an application form. You’ll need to give some basic information, as well as your area of expertise, your availability and other languages you speak (the latter is crucial).
You’ll also need to describe your “teaching philosophy” in a couple of lines. Have a think about what teaching means to you, the approaches you want to take, and how your methodology is the best for teaching different kinds of students. You’ll then be asked to provide a short audio clip, using the statement you’ve made about your teaching philosophy.
Provided that’s successful, you’ll be invited to an interview.
What to Consider Before You Start
If you’re successful in the interview process, you’ll likely be hired within 5 working days, and you can start teaching online with great students across Latin America and South America. It’s worth considering how much teaching you actually want to do before you start - the minimum is 16 hours per week. It’s also worth considering whether you want to teach adult learners, young learners or both. There are methodological distinctions in teaching either group; taking an advanced TEFL course could be extremely valuable.
Interview Process
If you’re called for a LatinHire interview, there are a few important facts to bear in mind. You will undoubtedly be asked questions in Spanish or Portuguese, more likely Spanish. There’ll also be one context-based question, in which you’ll be asked to explain how you might teach a particular element of English, such as past/present tense or third-person singular form.
You’ll also need to provide a quick teaching demonstration, in which your interviewer plays the role of a young student. This takes around 10 minutes, from an interview that normally lasts for half an hour.
LatinHire Pros and Cons
So now we know how LatinKid works - how to get hired, what it pays and what the job is like - let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of working on the platform.
Pros
Demand: You will always have eager students signing up, needing help with conversation, homework or other forms of study. While the salary isn’t overwhelming (we’ll get to that later), the demand means you could reasonably expect to make a decent amount from the number of classes you can do.
No degree: The fact you don’t need to have completed a degree program or have teaching experience means that anyone with the right skills can teach on LatinHire. Despite the lenient requirements, it’s hardly a free-for-all - you’ve got to impress during your application and interview.
Versatility: while you might do the majority of classes on the LatinHire platform, you can find work with a range of other companies. This is good news if you’re inexperienced and building a CV; a good reference is never something to be sniffed at. Networking is vital for the budding online ESL teacher, and by working for a range of companies via LatinHire, you can do just that.
Flexibility: A flexible schedule is, of course, a major plus. Yes, you must do a minimum of 16 hours, but that’s hardly restrictive, and these flexible hours mean opportunities! If you want to teach on top of a full or part-time job, you can do that. If you want to try to fill up as much of your week teaching as possible, you can try to do that, too. An incentive to learn other languages: Finally, while needing a second language (even at a basic level) can put some people off, it’s actually a really good incentive and something that will help in your career more broadly. If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of English, chances are that other languages mean something to you. Having some foundational knowledge of other languages can reap dividends for your personal development, as well as help to establish meaningful connections while you teach.
Cons
Salary: Unfortunately, the pay isn’t nearly as good as some competitors. With the top end of the pay scale being at £10.47/$13 - only awarded after 250 hours of teaching - it’s hardly life-changing money. Equally, there aren’t any bonuses or referral schemes or incentives of any kind; the rate you’re getting is your lot.
Confusing: While LatinHire offers online work opportunities with other companies, that doesn't mean it'll be a great teaching experience every time. Working for different providers and companies can be confusing, and salary can be extremely variable.
Interactivity: Additionally, lessons aren’t interactive. You set the material on Zoom, and you can’t even see your students. That’s hardly the engagement you’d see on Novakid or Preply. A lot of the progression from lessons has to be taken on faith that your student isn’t using Google Translate. It also means lessons can get a bit tedious for teachers.
Diluted lessons: Having more than one student in a class can seem like a good opportunity, but it’s more often the case that it’s hard work. Students will be of mixed proficiencies, and that can dilute the content.
LatinHire Reviews
If we’ve learned anything from studying online English platforms, it’s that they can be polarising. For one good review, there can be several that are entirely negative. The consensus around LatinHire, however, seems to be that if you’re aware of the salary, it’s a pretty solid gig for any TEFL teacher.
On Indeed, employees rank the service 3.9 out of 5. Flexibility is praised, as well as the “supportive network of teachers”. Unsurprisingly, though, the low salaries are called out repeatedly, while some complain that they have no real administrative support.
Glassdoor rates LatinHire at 3.8 out of 5, with flexibility being praised to the hilt. However, it’s the low pay that’s a sticking point, as well as classes being dropped “suddenly”. As one of the less-famous online English teaching companies, there aren’t too many more reviews of LatinHire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does LatinHire pay well?
New teachers with LatinHire should expect to earn £5.65/$7 per hour on weekdays, with the top rate of pay (during weekends, for experienced teachers) reaching £10.50/$13. Payment is calculated per hour.
Q. How do I start teaching in LatinHire?
To teach on LatinHire, you simply have to apply on their website. After that, you fill in an application form, inputting some basic information, before detailing your approach to teaching, availability and qualifications. If your application form is approved, you’ll be asked to take part in a 30-minute interview, with 10 minutes allocated for a practice lesson.
Q. What are the requirements to teach on LatinHire?
A bachelor’s degree, a TEFL certificate and some experience are preferred, but not mandatory. You can apply without any of those criteria and still have a chance. You will need to have a foundational grasp of Spanish or Portuguese and be able to explain your teaching methodology.
Q. How long does it take to get approved on LatinHire?
After application, expect to wait up to 10 working days to be asked for an interview. If your interview is successful, you will be notified within 5 working days.