What companies ask you to send (quoted from listings)
These lines are copied from company listings in the Online Teachers Company List (checked 7 November 2026). Open each company page for the full text and the official link.
- E-JOY: “Please provide for us before the interview: 1. Resume (with age and nationality) 2. Degree certificate 3. A certified teaching qualification 4. One picture (it must be clear) 5. Self-introduction Video (40 seconds- 1 minute)”.
- International Language Coaching: application requirements include a cover letter; a resume that includes nationality, country of citizenship and country of residence, address and a colour photo; and “Self-introduction video is preferred”.
- Global VCC: “Please send your resume & ( Teaching Video ) with skype ID”.
- MaxTalk: “Please may send your UPDATED CV/RESUME” by email before screening.
- Hallo: applicants “must create a 1-minute introduction video and submit an application through Hallo's website”.
- LiveXP: “teachers are required to upload an introduction video”.
- Varsity Tutors: “Applicants complete an application (about 30-45 minutes) and a video interview”.
- Preply: “it is free to create a tutor profile”; “no specific certification or teaching experience is required”; “Profile review is described as taking up to 3 business days”.
- Cambly: the listing says they “hire teachers from any country (including South Africa and the Philippines), and teachers without a TEFL certificate or degree”.
- PalFish lists passport countries that include “USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Philippines (required)” among teacher requirements — check the full listing if you apply.
- Tutor Supply: “A British background check (aDBS) is required”.
Marketplace profiles (Preply, italki, AmazingTalker, Outschool and similar) still need a clear photo, a short bio and often an intro video — but that is different from a company emailing you a document checklist. For independent profile tips, see Building a teacher profile that converts.
Step 1: Read the company’s own ask before you gather files
Open the company page on this list and the company’s careers or teach page. Note whether they want a resume only (MaxTalk), a full pack (E-JOY), a teaching video (Global VCC), a profile-only path (Preply) or an online application plus video interview (Varsity Tutors). Do not send a teaching demo video if they only asked for a CV.
Step 2: Build a clean document folder once, reuse carefully
Keep clear PDF or JPG scans ready so you are not photographing papers under a yellow lamp the night before an interview:
- Resume or CV with your nationality and current country of residence when the company asks for it (E-JOY and International Language Coaching both ask for nationality on the resume).
- Degree certificate or diploma if they list one.
- Teaching certificate (TEFL, TESOL, CELTA or similar) only if they ask — Cambly’s listing and Preply’s listing both say a certificate is not required for those companies.
- A clear, well-lit face photo that matches your ID if they ask for a picture.
- Passport or government ID only when the company’s process asks for it (for example PalFish lists passport country requirements). Never email ID scans to a random personal address you cannot verify.
- Background-check documents only when required (Tutor Supply’s listing names a British DBS check).
Name files clearly (e.g. Lastname_Resume.pdf). Use the same professional photo across applications so recruiters recognise you.
Step 3: Record an intro or teaching video only if they ask
Lengths in the listings are short: E-JOY asks for 40 seconds to 1 minute; Hallo asks for 1 minute. Global VCC asks for a teaching video, which is a sample of how you teach, not only a hello. Practical tips that match those asks:
- Film in the same quiet room, headset and camera you will teach with.
- Look at the camera, smile, say your name, where you teach from, who you help (kids, adults, exam students) and one clear strength.
- For a teaching video, show one short warm-up and one language aim — not a 10-minute lecture.
- E-JOY’s listing notes the self-introduction video may be shown to students who choose teachers, so keep it careful and natural.
For interview and demo timing, see online ESL demo lesson and interview tips.
Step 4: Write a short cover note that answers their form, not a novel
International Language Coaching asks for a cover letter. Keep it to a few short paragraphs: who you are, which ages or subjects you teach, which shifts you can cover (their listing asks applicants to mark early-bird or night-owl Japan Standard Time interest), and that your documents are attached. Do not paste pay expectations or promises of results. Marketplace bios (Preply, italki) should name your niche in the first lines — the same idea as a cover letter, but written for students.
Step 5: Submit exactly what they asked, then track replies
Send the pack through the channel they name (email, in-app upload or application form). MaxTalk’s listing says screened applicants get a confirmation email within 1–3 days, then a Skype interview. Preply’s listing describes profile review of up to 3 business days. If a company goes quiet, wait the time they stated before a polite follow-up. Keep a simple spreadsheet of company, date sent, documents attached and next step so you do not resend the wrong video.
Step 6: Match who they hire before you invest hours of filming
Use hubs such as companies hiring Filipino teachers and companies hiring South Africans, and native-country hubs when relevant. Confirm degree, certificate and nationality rules on each company page. A complete document pack still does not guarantee a job.
Where to go next on OTC
Compare hiring steps in the demo and interview tips guide, check equipment and internet requirements, and browse who’s hiring now. Join the free Online Teachers Club community for peer tips — not job promises — at the link below.