PalFish Reviews, Salary, Job Requirements, Interview & More

Online English teaching jobs normally require you to use a laptop or a PC with a webcam to teach. But did you that there’s a company that allows you to teach even if you’re only using a tablet or a smartphone? Intrigued? Well, continue reading and find out more about Palfish, a popular online English teaching company.

What is Palfish?

The name of this company is PalFish. It is an online English teaching platform that provides native speakers the chance to use their skills to teach the language to non-English speakers.

What makes this platform unique is that you don’t actually need a computer to teach. All you need is a tablet or a smartphone. Just download the PalFish app and you can start teaching, that is, after passing the application process of the company.

What are the Requirements to Teach at PalFish?

The company offers two English programs, PalFish Official Course and the Freetalk or PalFish Teacher. While both programs have their own requirements, they are not as strict as other online English teaching companies.

The following are the requirements for each program:

PalFish Official Course

• Native English speaker
• A citizen of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland New Zealand, or Australia (If you’re Filipino, consider 51Talk jobs instead)
• Experience in teaching children
• Has an English teaching certificate, such as TEFL, CELTA, or TESOL
• Available for at least 10 hours each week between 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Beijing time

A PalFish Official Course teacher uses the official course of PalFish. The lessons are conducted using activities and slides within the app. Moreover, these teachers also provide trial classes for prospective students and they receive a bonus when the student signs up for a package.

Freetalk or PalFish Teacher

• Native English speaker
• Fluent English speaker
• Experience in teaching English
• Has an English teaching certificate, such as TEFL, CELTA, or TESOL
• Has a passion for teaching English online
• Creative and energetic
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills

The Freetalk or PalFish Teacher is more of a conversationalist who has conversations with the students. The conversation has no fixed structure and the teacher is responsible for coming up with the conversation topics.

Moreover, Freetalk teachers do not have to go through an interview or application process. They can start talking with the students the moment they download the app.

If you’re looking to teach children instead of adults, you’ll want to consider these platforms instead: VIPKid, DaDa ABC, or Gogo Kid.

Technical Requirements

PalFish does not require any special equipment for you to teach English. All you need is the app and a tablet or a smartphone. But you may want to get a good pair of headphones with a microphone to make it easier for you to talk with your students.

How Much does PalFish Pay?

Of course, teachers will want to know how much do you make with Palfish. Similar to the requirements, the two programs at PalFish determine how much you’re paid. The following are the hourly pay depending on the program:

PalFish Official Course teacher

• Level 1 – base pay of around $15.50 USD per hour
• Level 2 – base pay of around $16.50 USD per hour
• Level 3 – base pay of around $18.50 USD per hour
• Level 4 – base pay of around $19.50 USD per hour
• Level 5 – base pay of around $21 USD per hour

The level is determined by the number of points a teacher accumulates during the previous month. The more points the teacher accumulates, the higher the level.

Freetalk Teacher Salary

The teachers set their own rate, but it’s typically around $10 to $18 USD per hour. Some popular teachers can earn as much as $30 USD per hour.

But teachers should take note that PalFish takes a commission of 20 percent for using the PalFish app. So, you certainly can make money on Palfish but it really depends on how much you put into it (like most things in life!).

Bonuses and Incentives

The bonuses and incentives offered by PalFish are mainly for Official Course teachers. The bonuses and incentives they can receive are as follows:

• New student signup bonus of 200 RMB (around $30 USD) after a trial lesson
• Reimbursement of 100 RMB (around $15 USD) for startup cost incurred by new teachers
• Referral bonus of 300 RMB (around $44 USD) for new teacher applicants
• Perfect attendance bonus of 200 RMB (around $30 USD) for at least 100 lessons without any issues (tardiness, absences, or complaints)
• Top 10 teacher bonus of 1,000 RMB (around $147 USD) at the end of the month
• Top 11th to 20th teacher bonus of 500 RMB (around $73 USD) at the end of the month

How do you get Paid?

Payment is done through direct bank transfer to a Chinese bank. For teachers who are not living in China or do not have a Chinese bank account, the payment is made through Payoneer, an online payment processor similar to PayPal. Payments are made monthly and if the amount reaches a payment threshold of 200 RMB (around $30 USD).

PalFish Contracts and Taxes

While PalFish has no set duration of the contract, the Official Course teacher should be available at least 10 hours each week during a specific time frame. On the other hand, Freetalk Teachers have the freedom as to when they will be available for classes.

Similar to other online English teaching companies, PalFish does not collect taxes. The teachers are considered as individual contractors so they’re responsible for reporting and paying taxes in their respective countries.

What’s the Recruiting Process Like?

The recruiting process of PalFish is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is to follow the procedure below:

1. Download the teacher app from the Google Play or Apple App Store.
2. After downloading, sign in using your phone number and verify it using the code sent by PalFish to you.
3. Set up your profile and create a username and password.
4. At this point, you should introduce yourself and include your teaching experience, teaching achievements, and teaching style.
5. Record a 30-second audio introduction talking about yourself, including your interests and hobbies.
6. Select your nationality and upload documents that prove your nationality
7. Upload a picture of your TEFL, CELTA, or TESOL certificate
8. Put in your bank or Payoneer details
9. Record an auto-reply message for students who will chat with you for the first time.
10. After your profile is verified, you need to schedule an interview if you want to become a PalFish Official Course teacher
11. Since it will be a mock lesson, you’ll receive the slides needed for the lesson in advance
12. After you pass your interview, you need to answer a quiz about the platform. The answers are actually in the handbook and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
13. You can start teaching after your certificate is verified and you pass the interview.
14. The process may take a few days, especially if there are a lot of applicants.

Tips for the Interview

Even as the application process of PalFish is not complicated, you may want to consider the following tips to avoid any issues throughout the process:

• Watch videos so you’ll have an idea about the application, interview, and teaching process of PalFish
• Practice before the interview and mock class. This is particularly true with the TPR or total physical response where you should be comfortable with getting down to the level of your students.
• Use flashcards and props during the mock class and trial classes
• Have your name and PalFish logo in the backdrop.
• Wear a blue shirt since the company requires its teachers to have one
• Use a good headset with a microphone

What is the Work Schedule Like?

Each class is 25 minutes long. If you’re a PalFish Official Course teacher, you should work for at least ten hours a week between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM Beijing time. But if you’re a Freetalk teacher, you can set your own schedule and you don’t have a minimum number of hours to reach.

The PalFish Teaching Platform

The PalFish Teaching platform is rather convenient for digital nomads since you only need to use your tablet or smartphone to conduct classes. The interview process is also simple and straightforward.

Palfish Reviews

If you want to find out what people are saying about this online English teaching company, have a look at what these reviews from teachers:

Goats on the Road

Life of Brit

Mike and Laura Travel

The Takeaway on PalFish

If you’re not keen on conducting classes using a PC or a laptop, you should consider applying for a teaching job at PalFish. The unique platform allows you to conduct classes using your Smartphone or Tablet, a stark difference from most other online teaching companies, including TwoSigmas. It’s a solid company with many great reviews from both students and teachers.

Have your Say about Pal Fish

Do you have a Palfish review that you’d like to share with us? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think about it. We’d love to hear from you.

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Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API