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When I started traveling the world, I knew that I would want to spend some time teaching English. Teaching English is one of the few jobs that you can do no matter where you are in the world.

There are so many amazing benefits to becoming an English Teacher. You will learn to communicate better in your interpersonal relationships, find personal satisfaction by enabling others to grow, and have fun while earning some money! 

With the current events going on around the world, I wanted to share this guide to help you get started teaching English online with my favorite platform, Magic Ears!

Magic Ears Interview Process

I have interviewed with other English teaching platforms and I would say that Magic Ears had the best process. The team was super responsive and helpful, which means I was able to start teaching in less than two weeks!

It is not hard to pass the Magic Ears interview because they will assign you a recruiter who coaches you through the process. In addition to answering your questions, the recruiter’s primary goal is to help you prepare for your trial class.

After you submit your application, you can choose to either do a recorded interview demo or a live interview demo. After these, you are given feedback so that you can prepare to teach a live trial class.

What is unique about Magic Ears is that they have two different options for your trial class. You have the option to teach a class to an adult staff member or a group of young ESL learners! This is based on availability and your recruiter will let you know the day of your interview which kind of class you will be teaching.

How to Pass Your Magic Ears Demo Class with an Adult

You may be assigned a trial class with a member of the Magic Ears team. During this kind of interview, the staff member will pretend to be a kid in your class and you will teach as if they were your student. 

I know that this kind of interview sounds scary, but it is really not as bad as it sounds! For the most part, they will play along and occasionally pronounce words incorrectly to see how you will “teach” them. 

You are given a set of slides to look at beforehand and you only spend about 15 minutes teaching the class. The rest of the time is used for feedback and to learn if you will need to do another interview.

The key to passing the demo class with an adult is to make sure you are familiar with the platform, are using a few props, and are friendly.

During my interview, I really committed to the demonstration and brought along some food from the fridge for my lesson on vegetables. It was funny to see my interviewer break “character” and start laughing out of surprise during my lesson. Be sure to take time to make interesting props because they want you to be entertaining and fun for the children while still helping them learn.

How to Pass Your Magic Ears Trial Class with a Student

Magic Ears might have you teach a sample class with an actual student (or students!). This makes a lot of sense because most Magic Ears classes have more than one student!

One of the key areas to focus on during your test class with a student is your facial expressions. New teachers often accidentally show confusion or nervousness on their faces. Even if it takes you a minute to figure out what you are doing, make sure you are always interacting with your students!

If you teach a class with a student, make sure you repeat things frequently and do not be afraid to gently correct them. Most of the students are already familiar with the platform and slides, so the teaching process is very easy!

Remember that when teaching kids, anything can happen. During my trial class, there was only one eight year old student and he started playing with a lighter during my lesson. I remember thinking to myself, “If he burns the house down, I’m pretty sure I’m not getting hired”. 

I calmly acknowledged that it was a cool lighter and asked him to put it away with a smile before asking a question related to the lesson. Luckily, he quickly got distracted and his mom was hovering in the background. During most of the classes, parents are never too far away and there is a Magic Ears help button as well!

Redoing Your Magic Ears Interview

An important thing to keep in mind about the Magic Ears interview process is that it is not the same as interviewing for a traditional job. That means that the interview process doubles as your training process!

I read countless reviews from other online English teachers before I applied to Magic Ears. One thing that all the platforms had in common was that many people had to teach a second trial class–including teachers who have in-class teaching experience!

Teaching English online is a new experience for most people. Your recruiters understand that and treat the interview process as a way to help train you. They are eager to help you feel ready and confident, so ask as many questions as it takes to make you feel prepared.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t pass the interview on your first try. I actually had to do two retries, even though I had taught before. This helps you build the confidence you need to start teaching real classes!

What do I Need to Teach with Magic Ears?

Every online English teaching platform requires the same basic tools: a quality headset with a microphone, a good internet connection, and fun backgrounds. I would really take time on creating a creative background that isn’t too distracting.

Since this is your virtual classroom, they do expect you to put effort into this! I used sparkly paints to create a border on mine and tried to incorporate colors that would appeal to both boys and girls. I sort of did a “theme” and made all of my props out of the same colors as well!

In addition to the hardware, you will also need a particular teaching style to succeed with Magic Ears. Magic Ears teachers need to have very good interpersonal skills and use body language to help convey meaning. 

In the English teaching world, we call this kind of movement Total Physical Response (TPR). An example of TPR would be when you cup your hand to your ear to show your students you want them to listen. This will quickly become second nature to you!

The final things that you will need to teach with Magic Ears are a completed bachelor’s degree (any subject) and a TEFL or TESOL certificate. If you do not have one already, they have their own program that you can use to complete your 120-hour TEFL, or find an affordable program online.

How to Get More Magic Ears Classes

Magic Ears has an online scheduling system that allows you to open availability based on your schedule. Each class is about 25 minutes long and you can open as many time slots as you’d like and close them throughout the week if your schedule changes.

The more slots you open, the more classes they are likely to give you! The class schedules are not finalized until about twelve hours before, but you can get an idea of how many classes you might have by checking the calendar regularly.

Unlike other platforms, Magic Ears has group-style classes and the system assigns them at random. Parents do not book classes directly with any particular teacher, which means that you probably won’t get the same classes every week.  

This is great because newer teachers have a better chance of getting classes. A bit of priority is given to more senior teachers, but not nearly as much as on other platforms! During my first month, I was able to teach around 10 classes in two weeks. This was way more than what teachers on other platforms were reporting that they were able to get!

How Much Money Does Magic Ears Pay?

You can earn up to $26 an hour teaching English with Magic Ears. That pay is a combination of your base rate, attendance incentives, and other easy-to-obtain bonuses. 

Magic Ears pays teachers through PayPal on the 10th of each month. You can also choose to be paid via overseas bank transfer, however the fees associated with that vary by bank. 

How to Get Bonuses at Magic Ears

Bonuses are one of the best parts about being a Magic Ears teacher because they happen frequently. You can receive bonuses for teaching a certain amount of hours, being on time for all your classes, working during busy times, and even for being a standby teacher!

Every once in a while, they will add an additional incentive to ensure they have enough teachers during the holidays. Any time that they anticipate having more students than teachers means there is a bonus right around the corner!

How to Get a Raise at Magic Ears

Many of the raises at Magic Ears are based on a mixture of performance and how long you've been at the company. It is easy to get your first raise because it is usually based on how many classes you make yourself available for and the feedback from parents.

Note, this does not mean you will end up teaching all of these classes! Magic Ears just wants to see that their teachers are regularly committed to being available to students. And since parents usually leave 5-stars and no written comments, your first promotion will be a breeze.

What is it like to be a Magic Ears Teacher?

I really enjoy teaching with Magic Ears because the platform is fun and the kids are engaged. 

When I first joined, I was very happy to see that there was a community of teachers who were available to help new teachers grow. I did not expect an online English teaching platform to provide so many opportunities for professional growth!

When I started teaching, I experienced a lot of technical issues. The IT team at Magic Ears, as well as my recruiter, were very responsive to my issues. They would answer any emails, text messages, and phone calls within 24-hours!

Final Tips for Teaching English with Magic Ears

The most important thing you will need to get started is a proper headset with a microphone. They must be connected to each other and hook up to your USB port. 

Make sure you get the right kind because I bought the wrong ones! Your headset does not need to be expensive, mine only cost $15.

Another important must-have is a cabled internet connection. Some teachers have been able to get away with their wireless connection, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Since the platform is interactive and there are usually 2-4 students, you will experience a lot of lag if you try to use WiFi. 

My final tip is to take the time to set up your classroom. You should have a fun background that is colorful to keep the students entertained, but not distracted. I made mine for less than $10 using things I got from the dollar store. It is a good idea to add a nice border, the alphabet and maybe a few simple pictures. 

Make sure you have a variety of props on hand. I made most of mine out of paper and the leftovers from making my background. Some easy props include a smiley and frowny face, an arrow pointing up and down, and a paper with your name!

I hope you found these tips for teaching English online with Magic Ears to be useful. Remember, always reach out to your recruiter with any concerns you might have because they are there to help you. We are also happy to answer any questions you might have in the comments section below! 

Good luck with your online English Teaching Journey! 

If you’re interested in teaching English online with Magic Ears, you can learn more here, or click here to apply now.