Let’s look at How to apply to an Online Teaching Company.

Most of the companies require you to fill out an application that you can do directly on their Website, via Skype or through an application form. This will take some time to completed, but it’s pretty straightforward. You create your Teacher Profile by filling in your details, then you upload your CV as well as your Introduction video. Others require you to apply via email. By far, this is pretty much the easiest way to apply. In this Article, we’ll look at how to apply to an Online Teaching Company.

First, you need to make sure that your personal email is professional. You can create a new Gmail account then add Teacher and your name in it. For Example: teacherkate@gmail, edit your account and include a nice picture of you smiling, wearing your headset or holding up a flashcard. This email should only be used when applying to companies.

Next, you need to edit the email and include a professional Motivation letter. The purpose of the motivation letter is to show a Recruiter/Hiring Manager that you’re serious, committed and that you take pride in your application.

Once your Motivation letter is sorted, the next step is to add your Resume, Introduction video and Qualifications. Uploading your Resume and your Qualifications aren’t the issue, these are small files and they can be attached easily. The problem is your Introduction Video because Gmail only allows you to send files of up to 25mb in size.

So if your Intro Video is bigger than this, Gmail won’t allow you to attach it. You can’t add a Zip file either because the company you’re sending it to may not have an Unzip program. So one of the best ways is to create a Google Drive account and upload your Intro Video to it. Once uploaded, Google drive will give you a link which you can then insert in your email, below your motivation letter.

Write a Motivation Letter.

The above is a summary of How to Apply to an Online Teaching Company via email. Now, let’s go over each step individually. Let’s start with your motivation letter. So, what precisely is a motivation letter? Essentially, it provides an overview of your abilities, objectives, and hobbies. The Motivation Letter is primarily intended to develop a personal connection with the Hiring Manager. It allows you to describe who you are, exhibit your skills, express why you believe you are a good fit for the organization, and explain why they should consider hiring you.

The reason why you send a Motivation Letter is because you’re going to send the company a Resume and not a CV. A Resume is a 1 Page summary of all your achievements whereas a CV is a complete detailed document of everything you’ve done in your professional career. For more on this topic, read our Blog post “How to create an Online Teaching Resume and Cover Letter“. If you don’t know how to write a Motivation Letter, enroll in Our 310 Hours Practicum Course so we can teach you.

Make sure to send your Resume.

When you apply to an Online Teaching Company, it’s crucial for them to consider various aspects such as your past experience, current qualifications, and interests. While many teachers instinctively turn to their “CV,” our approach at Teacher’s Pet differs. As highlighted earlier, a CV typically represents a comprehensive and exhaustive account of your professional journey. However, most Online Teachers might not possess extensive Online Teaching experience to warrant a lengthy document spanning multiple pages. This is where a Resume proves invaluable.

The objective is to capture the attention of the Hiring Manager swiftly. Reading through a 4-page CV is unlikely to achieve this goal, especially considering the limited time frame—typically around 40 seconds—that the Hiring Manager may allocate to reviewing your application. Consequently, burying your Online Teaching-related qualifications and experience on Page 2 risks them going unnoticed.

Once you have typed out your Motivation letter, the next step is to attach your Resume in the email. It can be sent as a PDF or a Word document, but opting for a PDF file provides you with better design options.

Additionally, ensure to rename your Resume before attaching it to enhance its professionalism. While you may choose to send the company a CV at a later stage if they request more detailed documentation, it’s worth noting that not many companies will do so. Nonetheless, it’s always prudent to have your CV on standby, just in case.

Attach your Online Teaching Certificates.

When you pass your TEFL Course, the institute where you finished your qualification will mail you a digital certificate. If your certificate is legitimate, it should have a certificate serial number. Companies can use this serial number to verify that you are TEFL certified. This approach highlights one of the reasons why you should attach your credentials.

This includes your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as any other qualifications connected to online teaching. Some teachers have a TEYL Certificate making them specialists in Teaching Younger Learners. Others have an IELTS certificate or even a free TEFL certification that they received from Teacher Record. Your certificates can be attached to your email as a PDF or as an image file, both are accepted by companies.

So which certificates are the best to send to the company? The answer is: all of them… If you have 4 different certificates, send them all. Unless you have a better version of another, like a free TEFL certificate from Teacher Record and a better quality Level 2 certificate from TEFL Universal. Sending the free certificate when you’ve already attached the Level 2 TEFL is pointless.

If you are currently studying towards your Degree you can attach proof of enrollment in your email as well. Anything that can prove that you are currently enrolled and studying towards completion. How you apply to an Online Teaching Company is just as important as actually teaching for them.

Tips and Tricks on How to apply to an Online Teaching Company.

First, let’s look at what you should do and shouldn’t do when applying to Companies. How to avoid pitfalls and scams so that you don’t waste your time. Coach Matt Taljaard gives you some great advice to keep you from the mistakes most teachers make. 

• We’ll look at Researching the Company.
• Checking the Job Description.
• The Hourly rate and what to watch out for.
• Flexible Hours.

Include your Introduction Video.

Perhaps the most important part of how to apply to an Online Teaching Company is your Introduction Video. It’s the key factor that almost every company requires. The company won’t be able to listen to your accent, pronunciation and grammar use through your resume so we send them our 1 – 2 minute niche specific Introduction video.

For more on this topic view our ” Creating an Online Teaching Introduction Video “ on our Youtube channel. This overview will give you more insights into making a niche specific Intro Video and will help guide you.

So now you have created your Intro Video but the file is too large to be attached to an email. Don’t worry, there are a few options available to you. The most popular one is to create a Google Drive account and upload your intro video there. Others upload their Intro video to Youtube and then attach the link to their video in their email.

Please be careful when inserting your Youtube link, especially if you’re applying to a Chinese company. A Chinese company’s VPN won’t allow them to view Youtube links. Since they won’t respond to your email if you fail, they won’t tell you that they couldn’t view your video. So try to avoid this completely because you won’t know if the company you’re applying to has VPN restrictions.

After you create a Google Drive account you can click on the + icon at the top left that says “New“. Upload your video file and wait for the file to complete. Once it’s done, click on “Manage Access” at the bottom right. You need to switch the General access from “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link“.

If you don’t do this, the company will click on your link and Google will deny them access. It’ll show them a message stating that YOU have to allow them access first before they can view your video. It’ll be much less effort just moving on to the next applicant, so please be careful.

I applied for the position, what now?

When you apply to an Online Teaching Company there are a few factors to consider. 

• The company’s response time: Most companies can take up to 2 weeks to respond, others may take even longer. You can’t wait forever, so don’t… Move on to the next company and keep this one on the back burner.
• How long you should wait for a reply: Give it 4 days and then apply to the next company. Check your email/Skype every few days and be sure to check your spam folder as well.

• How many companies to apply to at once: You can apply to up to 3 companies at a time, you don’t want your interview dates and times to clash if all 3 companies reply. You don’t know what response you’ll receive from your application, so take it easy when starting out.
• Different time zones: When the company does reply, they will want to arrange a date and time to meet with you online for either a Demo or an Interview. In the image, you’ll see different time zones that you can compare. Check which time zone they mention and compare it to your own. If they didn’t mention a time zone, send them an email and ask to ensure that you don’t miss it.

You’re on your way.

Unfortunately, adhering to these steps doesn’t offer a guarantee of being hired. Nonetheless, it significantly enhances the professionalism and thoughtfulness of your application, thereby maximizing your chances of success. Moreover, some companies may prefer contact via Skype rather than email. In such instances, you need not include the motivation letter; instead, your Cover Letter will prove invaluable. 

It’s always best to be prepared for every scenario, to quote the bad guy from the Steven Seagull movie “Under Siege 2” – “Chance favors the prepared mind”. When you’re invited to an interview or Demo, make sure that you’re ready at least 10 minutes before your booked time. Like Coach Matt said in Our Webinars on these topics, ” If you’re on time, you’re late”. Send the company a message or email and tell them that you’re ready. If you do have technical issues during your Interview the company will keep in mind that you were early and eager. So they may be open to rescheduling to give you some time to figure out what went wrong.

As a recruiter myself, I have always loved reading Teacher’s cover letters and Motivation letters. It showed me that the teacher is committed and eager to teach for the company. Reading the teacher’s journey in their motivation letter creates a personal connection which motivates the readers to help the teacher even further on their journey.

Reading an email that says: “See attached documents” and then finding only their Resume, discourages you to forward their application to the company. The company won’t accept just a Resume on its own, so the teacher’s application is doomed from the get go. Now that you’ve read this article, I know that your future applications will include as much information as possible, making you stand out above the crowd.

From Teacher’s Pet, we wish you the best of luck with your future Applications. We know that you’re going to be great.