Guide
Online ESL teaching peak hours and minimum weekly hours: what companies ask
Short answer: Most online English companies with students in China and South-east Asia have their peak hours in the student's evening and at weekends. In the Online Teachers Company List, LingoAce and PalFish list weekday peaks of 7:00–9:00 pm Beijing time, Polly English and LingoStar list 5–9 pm Singapore time on weekdays, and Cambly says its peak is all day because students are worldwide. Minimum commitments range from “no set hours” (MyTutor) and 5 hours a week (USKid) to 20 hours a week (ABC360). 7:00–9:00 pm Beijing is 7–9 pm in the Philippines, 1–3 pm in South Africa, 11 am–1 pm in UK winter and 6–8 am US Eastern in winter.
Peak times and minimum hours below are quoted word for word from company listings in the Online Teachers Company List (checked 7 Nov 2026). Companies change schedules, so confirm on the company's own page before you apply. This page does not state pay rates or promise bookings or income.
How to check if a company's peak hours fit your time zone
Peak hours follow the students' time zone. Convert the window to your own time first, then compare it with the minimum hours the company asks for.
- Find the time zone the company uses. Listings name it: LingoAce and PalFish say “UTC+8, Beijing time”, Polly English and LingoStar use Singapore time (also UTC+8), MaxTalk uses “BCT” (Beijing), 1on1 English uses Vietnam time (UTC+7) and MyTutor uses UK time.
- Convert the peak window to your local time. China, Singapore and Vietnam do not change their clocks, so your side moves if you use daylight saving. Conversions for the windows above:
| Peak window (from listings above) | Philippines (UTC+8) | South Africa (UTC+2) | UK / Ireland | US / Canada Eastern |
|---|
| 5:00–9:00 pm Singapore / Beijing time (UTC+8), e.g. Polly English and LingoStar weekdays | 5:00–9:00 pm | 11:00 am–3:00 pm | 9:00 am–1:00 pm (GMT) / 10:00 am–2:00 pm (BST) | 4:00–8:00 am (EST) / 5:00–9:00 am (EDT) |
| 7:00–9:00 pm Beijing time (UTC+8), e.g. LingoAce and PalFish weekdays | 7:00–9:00 pm | 1:00–3:00 pm | 11:00 am–1:00 pm (GMT) / 12:00–2:00 pm (BST) | 6:00–8:00 am (EST) / 7:00–9:00 am (EDT) |
| 5:00–11:00 pm Beijing time (UTC+8), MaxTalk | 5:00–11:00 pm | 11:00 am–5:00 pm | 9:00 am–3:00 pm (GMT) / 10:00 am–4:00 pm (BST) | 4:00–10:00 am (EST) / 5:00–11:00 am (EDT) |
| 6:00–9:00 pm Vietnam time (UTC+7), 1on1 English | 7:00–10:00 pm | 1:00–4:00 pm | 11:00 am–2:00 pm (GMT) / 12:00–3:00 pm (BST) | 6:00–9:00 am (EST) / 7:00–10:00 am (EDT) |
| 9:00 am–9:00 pm UK time, MyTutor | 5:00 pm–5:00 am (UK winter) / 4:00 pm–4:00 am (UK summer) | 11:00 am–11:00 pm (UK winter) / 10:00 am–10:00 pm (UK summer) | 9:00 am–9:00 pm | 4:00 am–4:00 pm (UK and US both on standard or both on summer time) |
Perth (AWST, UTC+8) matches the Philippines column; Ireland matches the UK column. For other places and daylight-saving dates, use the Beijing time converter for online ESL teachers.
- Check the minimum weekly hours. Some companies set a floor, often inside peak time: Polly English asks for 10 hours during peak times, BiteABC 7.5 hours a week during China peak hours, SmileABC 6 hours a week during Beijing peak hours, International Language Coaching 15 hours a week, E-JOY at least 12 hours a week, LingoKids at least 10 hours during peak times in Europe, USKid 5 hours a week, and ABC360 a fixed 20 hours a week plus weekend hours. MyTutor says you set your own schedule with no set hours.
- Look at weekends. Several listings put most demand on weekends: Polly English says “Weekends: All day”, PalFish and LingoStar list 9 am–9 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and MaxTalk says peak days are weekends. If you work a weekday job, weekend peaks may be your best fit.
- Match the schedule to who the company hires. Check the hire field on each company page, then use hubs such as companies hiring Filipino teachers, companies hiring South Africans and part-time online teaching jobs.
- Put every class in one calendar with its time zone. If you teach for more than one company, store each lesson with the student's time zone so it moves correctly when your clocks change, and write both times in your notes (for example “7:00 pm Beijing / 1:00 pm Johannesburg”).
Peak hours and minimum hours quoted from company listings
Sixteen open listings in the Online Teachers Company List state a peak teaching window, a minimum weekly commitment, or both. Use it to see which schedules fit your own day before you apply, whether you teach from the Philippines, South Africa, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or elsewhere.
| Company | Peak times (quoted) | Minimum hours (quoted) |
|---|
| Cambly | “Literally all day any day - they have students worldwide” | Not stated in listing |
| LingoAce | “Peak Times (all times are in UTC+8, Beijing time): - Monday to Sunday, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm - Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am – 11:00 am” | Not stated in listing |
| Palfish | “Peak Times (all times are in UTC+8, Beijing time): - Monday to Friday: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm - Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm” | Not stated in listing |
| Polly English | “Peak Hours (Singapore Time) : - Weekdays: 5:00 PM–9:00 PM. - Weekends: All day.” | “Minimum Teaching Hours : 10 hours during peak times.” |
| LingoStar | “Peak Times (Singapore time): - Monday to Friday: 5pm - 9pm - Saturday & Sunday: 9am - 9pm” | Not stated in listing |
| MaxTalk | “Peak hours are from 5 PM to 11 PM (BCT)” | “at least 15 hours per week” |
| BiteABC | “Monday to Friday, between 5:30pm and 9:30pm, as well as Sundays from 2:00pm to 9:30pm” | “available for a minimum of 7.5 hours per week during our peak hours in China” |
| SmileABC | Not stated in listing | “a minimum of 6 hours per week during Beijing peak hours (6-9pm, 3 days a week - 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day)” |
| Nicekid | “Our peak teaching hours are from 6:50pm to 9:10pm Beijing time.” | Not stated in listing |
| 1on1 English | “peak hours fall between 6pm and 9pm Vietnam time” | Not stated in listing |
| MyTutor | “Peak times are usually between 9am - 9pm UK time.” | “Set your own schedule, with no set hours.” |
| ABC360 | Not stated in listing | “fixed schedule of 20 hours per week, from 5PM to 9PM Monday to Friday, and an additional 5 hours on weekends between 9AM to 9PM” |
| International Language Coaching Inc. | Not stated in listing | “Minimum coach availability requirement: 15 hours per week” |
| E-JOY ONLINE LANGUAGE SCHOOL | Not stated in listing | “You must provide at least 12 hours per week for teaching during the specified hours above.” |
| LingoKids | Not stated in listing | “at least 10 hours of availability per week during peak times in Europe” |
| USKid | Not stated in listing | “The minimum commitment required is 5 hours per week” |
Quotes are copied from each company's saved listing; open the company page for the full listing and its official link. “Not stated in listing” means the listing does not give that detail, not that there is no requirement.
