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Teach English Online with Education First (Alternative to VIPKids)

Learn all about Education First vs VIPKids for teaching English online, and why you might want to start earning money with them.

Looking for a job you can do from home, like teaching English online?

Wondering what alternatives there are to VIPKids to teach English online, earning up to $20/hour?

woman with headset at home office desk teaching english online, text overlay "teach english online from home education first vs VIPKids)

I’ve got you covered with a lesser-known, but still reputable company, called Education First. We'll look at Education First vs VIPKids, how much you can expect to be paid, etc.

Is Education First a Legit Company for Teaching English Online?

First, let’s talk about Education First’s credentials as a company.

I mean, you want to make sure you’re working with a legit organization, right?

Luckily, they’ve been around for over 50 years now.

And also, they have a B rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

screenshot of Education First's B rating on the Better Business Bureau's website

That’s a good thing!

Not only that but check out an interview from an actual online teacher below to learn more about what they like and don’t like about the company.

So, what makes this company different, and the same, to the more well-known company VIPKids?

Education First Vs VIPKid – What’s the Difference?

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: how is Education First different and alike to the more well-known English-teaching platform, VIPKids?

For starters, Education First has the budget to accept new teachers. That’s just being honest – if you’ve been trying to get into VIPKids over the last few months, you can attest to the fact that it’s much harder to get accepted than it used to be.

They simply have tons of teachers now, especially with everyone trying to figure out easy ways to earn extra cash from home fast.  

And, to be honest, because Education First is less used, I wasn’t able to find people to interview about it like I did with my VIPKids review.

However, you can use this to your advantage. Jump on this platform to earn some money before everyone and their sisters learn about it – Education First Application.

What are some other differences between Education First and VIPKids?

Education First has less strict qualifications to become an online English teacher, they book you for 20 weeks at a time, offering stability in your teaching schedule, and the age of their students are mostly between 24 and 50 years old. VIPKids, on the other hand, pay a bit more, as you essentially compete against other teachers to book one-off classes, and classes are 30 minutes in length (instead of EF’s 25-minute classes).

Education First Vs VIPKid

  • Qualification Differences: Education First accepts “life experience” as part of your qualifications, whereas VIPKids is stricter with qualifications to become a teacher. VIPKids is much more competitive in booking your classes, as well, so there is a better opportunity to get a booking with Education First.
  • Bookings are Different: Education First books you for 20 weeks at a time, whereas with VIPKids, you sign up for one-off teachings that end when the 30 minutes ends. This means Education First offers you more stability; however, if you want to have greater flexibility, then you might want to try VIPKids.
  • Age of Students You’ll Be Teaching: With Education First, almost all of the students are adults aged 24-50 years old. VIPKids is more geared towards the kid and teen-aged students you’ll be teaching.
  • Class Time: Classes are 30 minutes in length with VIPKids, and only 25 minutes in length with Education First.
  • Base Pay: Education First pays $6.60 base pay for your 25-minute class ($13.20/hour), plus you can earn incentives for teaching during certain hours. VIPKid pays more.

Let’s look further into how much you can earn with Education First.

How Much Can You Make with Education First?

You get paid $6.60/25 minute session, which comes to $13.20/hour.

Here are a few incentives that can bump that pay higher:

  • Teach during Peak Hours: You can earn $2.80 extra per class for teaching during “peak hours”.
  • Teach Many Classes Per Month: If you teach more than 45 classes per month? You can earn an additional $1.00/class.
  • Having Few No-Shows: You can earn another $2.00/class if you teach a full month with no “Teacher No Shows” or reassignments.

Here’s a video from Education First teacher, Michelle, about how she earned $1,500 in one month with them:

Qualifications to Become an Education First English Teacher (Online)

You’re at least curious about becoming an English teacher online with Education First. So, what are their qualifications?

Education First Requirements:

  • Be a native English speaker
  • Live in the U.S., and are legally allowed to work there
  • Have a college degree (bachelor’s degree, in any field)
  • Have a reliable WiFi connection

What’s not required (but they do like you to have)? Past teaching experience. That’s a plus!

Also, you can earn your TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification while on the job – another plus.

You can essentially apply, and start teaching your first class in 2 weeks!

I hope I’ve highlighted some of the differences between Education First Vs. VIPKids that you can make the right decision for yourself. More than that, I’ve given you a great VIPKids alternative, as that program is filling up quickly!

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Amanda L Grossman

Personal Finance Writer and CEO at Frugal Confessions, LLC
Amanda L. Grossman is a writer and Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI®), Plutus Foundation Grant Recipient, and founder of Frugal Confessions. Over the last 13 years, her money work has helped people with how to save money and how to manage money. She's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Business Insider, LifeHacker, Real Simple Magazine, Woman's World, Woman's Day, ABC 13 Houston, Keybank, and more. Read more here or on LinkedIn.