As one of the most populous English-speaking nations, the Philippines has long been a destination for top business process outsourcing firms and call centers. In recent years, online English teaching has become a very popular career choice, which turned out to be one of the least affected jobs amid the pandemic. Most online teachers in the Philippines typically work from home, which insulated them from the quarantine measures that have devastated other businesses.
Being an online English teacher can be very rewarding. In 2019, the average monthly salary in the Philippines was P50,600 and online English teachers may earn more than this amount per month, depending on their number of classes.
Online English platform 51Talk, which has been around since 2011, has been promoting this home-based online English teaching opportunity. 51Talk connects its 20,000 English teachers to Chinese students using its proprietary technology called Air Class to deliver live, one-on-one, interactive, and fun lessons.
Zeeryl Vivi, a licensed professional teacher from Bacolod City, has been teaching with 51Talk for two years now. Zeeryl said that her earnings have increased during the pandemic because her students are mostly staying at home. “I continued to earn from home despite the quarantine restrictions. I actually realized that I was earning more than usual and I was able to provide for my family’s needs. This home-based opportunity really helped us a lot.”
Despite initial reservations, more and more people are coming to appreciate online freelance opportunities that are flexible yet stable and sustainable.
“My family is really thankful that I was able to contribute even more during this time. My dad was not able to receive his salary for two months and I was able to cover some of the bills that we have here at home,” added Zeeryl.
51Talk, even throughout the pandemic, has been hard-at-work in empowering Filipinos across the Philippines by spreading awareness about the advantages of being a home-based online English teacher through digital conferences and webinars, and social media campaigns.
“Everyone has seen, especially in the past three months, that earning a livelihood from home is not just possible but also sustainable and profitable. Business processes like meetings and interviews can all be carried out virtually with the aid of technology. We have been doing this for 9 years now and as you can see, our teachers are able to earn and be safe as they continue to teach from home with 51Talk.” said 51Talk Founder and CEO Jack Huang.
Huang Jiajia, or Jack Huang, Founder and CEO of 51Talk