Magic Ears

Magic Ears Overview

•  offers group classes (up to four students)

• requires teachers to be native English speakers

• requires a Bachelor’s degree, or active enrolment in a Bachelor’s program

• requires a 120-hour ESL certification

• requires some teaching experience

• pays up to $26 USD/hour

• No required minimum number of hours per week

• requires a high-energy teaching style

Magic Ears Class Type

• group classes of up to four students. 

• 25 minutes (plus 5 extra minutes to record student feedback)

• Curriculum is provided. (but teachers must prepare two relevant props for each class)

• No lesson planning, no talking to parents, no correcting homework

• parents do NOT choose the teachers - Magic Ears arranges all of the bookings to ensure all teachers are fairly booked based on their ranking in the company

Magic Ears Age range

From 4 to 12 years old.

Magic Ears Requirements

To teach at Magic Ears, you:

• must have a Bachelor’s degree, or be in active pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree.

• must have a 120-hour ESL certification.

• must be a native English speaker

  • Please note: Magic Ears is currently pausing applications from California residents due to AB5 restrictions.

• should have some teaching experience.

Magic Ears Minimum Hours

• Magic Ears no longer requires a minimum number of hours.

• Magic Ears provides teachers with four free cancellations per month (10-30 minutes prior to class), plus additional cancellations using “peak carrots” that are earned by opening slots.

• Teachers can also remove two “no-show penalties” without evidence (i.e. doctor’s note) per contract.

   

Magic Ears Pay

Up to $26 USD/hour.

The base pay at Magic Ears is $8 to $10 USD per 30 minutes (25 minute class + 5 minutes to record student feedback). Your base pay is determined by your teaching credentials and experience.

You can also earn up to an additional $1 USD per class for showing up three minutes before your class and teaching all your lessons according to schedule. 

Finally, you can earn up to an additional $1 USD for each class you teach IF you open more than 60 classes in one month during their peak hours.

Magic Ears teachers can earn raises or bonuses upon contract renewal as long as they have met the defined threshold of “peak carrots” for their ranking and have no more than two (2) professional strikes and classroom no-shows during the contract period.

 Magic Ears Peak Teaching Times

Peak hours are from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Beijing Time on weekdays

and 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends

Click here to convert to your local time zone.

Magic Ears Application Process

Stage 1: Apply Online —> Demo

At this stage, you fill out the online form, upload your photo, and submit your resume and proof of education. If you are approved, you can choose between a live or recorded demo. (Both are reviewed using the same criteria.) 

Stage 2: Training Prep --> Live Coaching Demo --> Trial Classes

If you pass stage 1, you move on to the training. You will receive a training video to review prior to your live coaching demo. In the coaching demo, you will teach a brief lesson and receive feedback from the trainer. If all goes well, you will be allowed to teach a trial class.  

Stage 3: Background Check --> Sign Contract -->

If you perform well during the teacher trial class and pass, you must complete a background check.  If there are no problems, you are offered a 6-month contract to sign.

Magic Ears also offers a free, optional video-based training course to help applicants feel fully prepared for teaching with the company.

Tips for the Magic Ears Interview 

• Magic Ears LOVES animated teachers. Be very energetic, friendly, and smile A LOT.

• Magic Ears LOVES props and realia. Prepare AT LEAST two props or pieces of realia for your demo class. This will really impress the company.

• Make sure the lighting in your room is adequate. Err on the side of caution and make your room bright.

• Use plenty of TPR (total physical response).

  • Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method of teaching language or vocabulary concepts by using physical movement to react to verbal input.

• Vary the tone of your voice frequently. Magic Ears is not fond of teachers with monotone voices.

• Make sure your computer is able to handle the tech requirements. Magic Ears classes involve having up to four student video feeds at once with animated content. This can be processor intensive.

  • Note: Trial classes are now either with real Magic Ears students or a staff member posing as a student.

• Avoid “incidental language.”

  • Incidental language is transitory language that is outside the target language of the lesson. This includes things like “Ok, so…”, “Now we will…”, “Ummmm”, “Hrmm”, “Right, so what you want to do is…” and so on.

• When you teach your trial class, you will have to be diligent about muting background noise from the students other than the one who is talking. When you have four video feeds happening at once, it can get very noisy if you do not mute the students who are not currently speaking.

• Good luck!

Our Magic Ears Review

Magic Ears is for:

• teachers who are high-energy, fun-loving, and fans of using props and realia.

• those enjoy teaching group classes.

• people who need a flexible class cancellation policy.

• teachers who want to take on secondary positions within a company.

• people who enjoy a tight-knit work culture.

• value consistent class bookings done by the company, not by the parents

Things to consider:

• The company is quite serious about its use of props and realia. Teachers must use at least two relevant props per class.

• They are also quite serious about their teachers being animated and energetic.

• Having four student video feeds in your class at once can be processor intensive. Be sure you meet the technical requirements (listed below).

Magic Ears Technical Requirements

• Equipment:

  • Computer (desktop, laptop)

  • Camera (HD external camera or HD integrated camera)

  • Headset (must have a microphone built-in)

• System:

  • Operating System:

    • Windows or Mac

  • CPU:

    • I5 4th Generation (models with suffixes M, HQ and HK etc.) and above. For example: i5-6400

  • Memory:

    • At Least 4GB RAM

  • Network :

    • minimum 20Mbps download

    • minimum 5Mbps upload

    • A wired connection (ethernet cord) is strongly recommended for internet stability

  • Browser/Software:

    • MagicEars has its own software which teachers must download.

    • Teachers must also use the app DingTalk for communication.

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