51Talk to hire 30K more English teachers

MANILA, Philippines — Online English education company 51Talk plans to get 30,000 more teachers this year and provide opportunities for Filipinos whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic.

In a statement, 51Talk founder and chief executive officer Jack Huang said there is a shortage of 500,000 foreign English language teachers in China.

At present, 51Talk has 10 million registered students and more than 20,000 partner teachers in the Philippines.

“With the exploding demand for English-speaking teachers in China, there has probably never been a better time than right now to teach English online,” Huang said.

As English is widely spoken in the Philippines, Filipinos have an advantage in becoming an online language teacher, he said.

“The Philippines is one of the best English-speaking countries in Asia. Filipino teachers have standard American pronunciation. More than one million Filipinos work at call centers in the US,” Huang said.

“All you need is a stable internet connection, a laptop, a built-in or external webcam, a headset, and a quiet space to teach,” he added.

Apart from being able to work from home, an online teacher at 51Talk can also earn more than P60,000 per month, higher than the average monthly salary in the Philippines.

51Talk is China’s largest online education firm. Through 51Talk, students in China gain access to quality online English lessons provided by Filipinos.