#1 issue is that it is fairly competitive - but not.   Let me explain a bit.

Understand that there are literally thousands of people who think they would like to teach English online and that most of them have no idea what to do or how to do it. Nor are they really interested in teaching English or in doing a particularly good job.  They are just looking for a job or to supplement their income (fair enough!) and think teaching English online would be a really easy way to do it (maybe not!).  They'd like to make a buck and not feel stressed about it. (me too!)

#2 issue is that many of these people are quite unreliable, might teach a class or two and then will disappear, leaving the online school with a disappointed customer (usually the student's parents)  That customer will then move on to a different school But, like most businesses, profit and sustainability of the business depends on happy repeat customers.  Hmmm... how to solve this problem?  Make the application process difficult, time-consuming and maybe even frustrating.  Push everyone into the sausage machine and what comes out the other end will be people who are likely to be persistent, patient, willing to go the extra mile (as they did in the application process) AND might be good teachers.

I am sure you can be a great teacher.  Teaching is a skill that can be taught. We teach it.

So from #1 and #2 above, we know to make ourselves competitive, to build a good resume (a good TEFL course helps!) in every way you can, be persistent throughout the application process, AND trust that the application process will take some time.   Good example: I joined the US Peace Corps in 1989. The application process took almost a year.  Purposefully so.  They figure if you can't handle a little bureaucratic hassle, you'll never survive the frustrations of living and working in a developing country.  And they don't want people bailing out halfway through their two years.

Let's do issue #3. Understand that most students (but certainly not all) for online teachers are in East Asia and SE Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam). They usually want their lessons in the afternoon or evening after school.  That means late in your evening (I am assuming you are in the USA?). Some online schools pay a lower rate from 5 PM to 11 PM and a higher rate after 11 PM.   Frankly, I'd like to teach online between 8 AM and 5 PM, but there is not much demand for teachers at that time.  There is demand, but I might have to work for a school for a while before they move me to the prime time slots.

Bottom line: Teaching online is like any other entry-level job.  It will take some time for you to get your feet under yourself, get really good at it and move up the food chain.  Like any other specialty occupation, once you have some experience, you can almost always demand or find better jobs and better wages.  It just takes a bit of experience in the industry.

All that said - you'll be really proud of yourself when you think back about the people you met and truly helped.  It can be a really satisfying occupation. That - I promise!  The highlight of my life is truly the 30 years I spent abroad and the people I helped during that time.  People I helped get admitted to graduate school, get promotions, move up to a first-class high school and on and on.

A few links for you to review, all these articles are short and fast to read:  How to Write a TEFL CV/Resume.  How to Teach English (a great simple overview of the method involved).  As a mature person with more life experience than many other job applicants, read this blog post I wrote for us more "mature" folks: Finding your TEFL Sweet Spot.

While those articles are mostly focused on teaching abroad, you'll be able to easily sort out the parts that apply to teaching online.

Check out our Teach English Online Certification.

Feel free to ask questions if you want to learn more.  Use our contact page here:  TEFL Educator Contact Page