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Magic Ears Review
Magic Ears is an online teaching platform, where any native English speaker can teach students in China. The platform targets students aged 4-12 years with a comprehensive, long-term study plan. Magic Ears offers you as an ESL teacher a work-at-home opportunity along with the flexibility of setting a minimum and a maximum number of classes you wish to take.
Pros
- Work from the comfort of your home
- Constant support and assistance available
- No cancellation penalty
- No doctor’s note is required for a sick leave
Cons
- Only hires native English speakers
- May not hire a native who has a specific dialect, or certain people of color because the management does not view them as ‘native’ in the stereotypical sense
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How Does Magic Ears Work?
Launched in 2019, Magic Ears is an online teaching platform, where any native English speaker can teach students in China.
The platform targets students aged 4-12 years with a comprehensive, long-term study plan. Magic Ears offers you as an ESL teacher a work-from-home opportunity along with the flexibility of setting a minimum and a maximum number of classes you wish to take.
One of the best things about Magic Ears is that curriculum designers set curriculum for your classes. However, you’re free to spin it and engage the students your way.
Each learning session takes 30 minutes and the students should log-in to their computer during the specified time. Teaching time can be anytime of the day, from early morning to late at night. But peak hours are from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Beijing Time on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends.
| Peak hours students log-in (Beijing time) | Time of the day |
|---|---|
| Weekdays | 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm |
| Weekends | 9:30 am – 9:30 pm |
As a teacher, you have to log in 10 minutes earlier and show up on camera 30 seconds before the class starts. This is ensured by the support staff, who call to check up on teachers to make sure you don’t fail to show up on time.
Classes on Magic Ears last for up to 30 minutes and are held in a maximum group of 4 students per teacher.
What’s more, as a teacher you are only responsible for managing the class during that 30 minutes. You don’t have to mark or assign homework, engage with parents, or plan their lesson plans since the development coach manages all of this.
At the end of the 6-month contract, Magic Ears evaluates your work and renews your contract if they find it satisfactory.
How Much You Can Earn on Magic Ears?
Bonuses
Affiliate program
Who is Magic Ears Best for?
Magic Ears is designed for teachers who are looking for a work at home opportunity. It is the best freelance site for Chinese students who want to learn English and other subjects online.
Magic Ears Features: What Does Magic Ears Offer?
TESOL and ESL courses
Magic Ears offers teachers with ESL and TESOL courses to help them in improving their teaching career.
Reliability and support
From issuing certificates to answering your question and fixing platform issues, Magic Ears support team ensures you get the best while accessing the platform.
Magic Ears Fees: How Much Does Magic Ears Charge?
It is free to join Magic Ears, you will only be required to fill the online application, do a trial and pass the background test so as to be allowed to work on the platform.
Magic Ears Payout Terms and Options?
You can choose to receive your money either via PayPal or bank transfer. And if you choose PayPal, Magic Ears will cover the PayPal transfer fees. Magic Ears releases payments on the 10th business day of the month covering the work for previous months’ classes.
Magic Ears doesn’t handle the taxes and it’s something you should work out yourself.
Magic Ears Requirements for Teachers
In order to start teaching through Magic Ears, you should meet the following requirements:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in any field (ongoing or completed)
- Have an ESL accreditation (negotiable)
- Be a native English language speaker (non-negotiable)
- Be willing to commit to a minimum of 6 months of work (non-negotiable)
- Have prior teaching experience (negotiable)
Magic Ears Teacher Job Details
As a Magic Ears teacher, you’re required to complete the following tasks:
- Take classes regularly and punctually
- Ensure you cover the syllabus given to you
- Cover the training you’re being assigned to
- Be open to feedback and make adjustments accordingly
- Work during the Beijing time zone
- Have a fast and reliable internet connection
How Bookings at Magic Ears Work?
Once parents book classes, Magic Ears staff distribute students in groups of 4 and assign them to any teacher who is available.
A minimum of 10 slots per week is recommended to teachers, but not mandatory. So you can always talk to the support team and let them know your availability. If the minimum is reached, you can also take up stand-by classes as substitutes or replacements for other teachers.
This way, you don’t have to interview the parents or seek students to teach yourself.
Magic Ears Reviews: is Magic Ears Legit?
Magic Ears is a reliable online working site that allows teachers to link up with students. Rated A+ on Better Business Bureau, 4.2 on Glassdoor and 3.9 on Indeed.
Most users reviewed the freelance website claiming it is flexible and easy to schedule lessons. According to other reviewers, it offers flexible payment options to teachers and pays salaries on time.
However, some teachers state that it was hard for them to acquire students in the beginning. Overall, 67% of teachers recommended Magic Ears to friends.
| Website | Rating |
|---|---|
| Glassdoor | 4.2 |
| Better Business Bureau | A- |
| Indeed | 3.9 |
What Are the Magic Ears Pros & Cons?
Magic Ears Pros
- Work from the comfort of your home
- Constant support and assistance available
- No cancellation penalty
- No doctor’s note is required for a sick leave
Magic Ears Cons
- Only hires native English speakers
- May not hire a native who has a specific dialect, or certain people of color because the management does not view them as ‘native’ in the stereotypical sense
Magic Ears Review Verdict: is Magic Ears Worth it?
Magic Ears provides you leads, flexible working hours and competitive payments and bonuses. You can earn up to $26 per hour, you will also be rewarded bonuses for showing up for classes 10 minutes early.
With Magic Ears, you get highly trained teachers to attend to your children. It also has responsive customer support to assist in fixing site problems and answering questions. Although the site favors native English speakers, it is still a great online freelancing site you should try.
How to Start Freelancing With Magic Ears?
Step 1: Fill out the online application form
The very first step to getting started with Magic Ears is to fill out the online application form.
At this step, you’ll be required to set up your teacher account with your email address and a strong password.
After that, you’ll need to fill out detailed information about yourself, including:
- Your full name
- Date of birth
- Contact number
- Citizenship
- Residency
- Your teaching experience
- Your educational background
- If you have any language certificates
Step 2: Complete a mini demo
Once you’ve provided all the information about yourself, you’ll be required to complete a mini-demo. The purpose of the mini-demo is to get more information about you.
Now, you have 2 options to complete a mini demo:
- You can submit a pre-recorded interview of 3-5 minutes
- You can participate in a live interview which takes between 5 and 8 minutes
Step 3: Do a trial demo – a mock class
After the mini-demo, you’ll need to watch trial videos to prepare for the mock class. The mock class is like a real class, but shorter (10-15 min) and is supposed to evaluate your teaching skills.
Step 4: Pass a background check
One more step before your application gets reviewed is to pass a background check. The company runs this check on all the teachers they recruit. All you need to do is consent to it.
Step 5: Wait for the approval
At this point, the Magic Ears staff has all the information about you to evaluate your application. You may have to wait around 3 to 5 days to get approved as a teacher.
You’ll receive an email notifying you of your approval status. So make sure to check it.
Step 6: Sign the contract
Upon approval, you’ll receive a contract template which you should sign and send back to the company.
After being hired, you’ll also get some materials that will train you for the classes and you’ll also be assigned to 1 or 2 slots only.
It may take up to 3 months to get fully settled and be able to opt-in for as many slots as you wish.
Sites Like Magic Ears
| Company | Magic Ears | JobGet | Flexjobs | Ziprecruiter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | 
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|
|
|
| Number of jobs | Opening always available | 10,000 posted per day | 50,000+ jobs posted per day | 7.5 million jobs posted per day |
| Number of job categories | 1 | 9 | 50 | 30 |
| Best for | For teachers looking for work from home opportunities | Offers a variety of jobs to choose from | Verified remote and freelance jobs | Connecting employers to job seekers |
Magic Ears vs. JobGet
JobGet Summary
- Simple 1 click job application process
- 4 different job filters available
- Jobs in over 5 sectors available
- Sign up for an account in just 5 minutes
JobGet offers a free, fast, and straightforward way to get jobs in areas of specialization. It is a one-click application job board compared to Magic Ears that requires you to fill in an application form and wait for approval before you can be allowed to start working on the website.
It is free to sign up and get started on Magic Ears and JobGet. Magic Ears is best for teachers looking for work-from-home opportunities, while JobGet seeks to connect employers to job seekers.
Magic Ears vs. Flexjobs
FlexJobs Summary
- Jobs in over 50 categories available
- Members get exclusive deals and discounts
- All jobs are guaranteed to be legit
- Get access to 4 job search resources
Flexjobs targets freelancers. Employers post both short and long-term opportunities for freelancers to apply on the freelance platform compared to Magic Ears, which target teachers looking to provide online classes for Chinese students.
Both online working sites are suitable for remote work. Similarly, you get unlimited access to all products and services with premium subscriptions. While it is free to join Magic Ears, you need to pay 14.95 per month to get started on Flexjobs.
Magic Ears vs. Ziprecruiter
ZipRecruiter Summary
- Top-rated app and job search engine
- Simple, 1-tap job application process
- Over 30 different job categories
- More than 7.5 million jobs posted each day
Magic Ears website mainly targets teachers who prefer working online at their own schedule compared to Ziprecruiter, which seeks to connect job seekers to employers. Like Ziprecruiter, it is also free to sign up and get started on Magic Ears.
Compared to Magic Ears, ZipRecruiter has over 50 job categories available on its platform and posts up to 7 million jobs per day. ZipRecruiter has a simple one-click job application process, while Magic with Ears you have to fill out an application form and wait for approval before being allowed to work on the platform.
Magic Ears vs. Cambly
Cambly Summary
- Offers relatively simple work
- No experience needed
- Weekly payments
- Flexible schedule
Cambly is one of the best alternatives to Magic Ears. Just like Magic Ears, Cambly also offers work from home opportunities with no mandatory prior experience. But compared to Cambly, Magic Ears offers a more convenient working environment by providing an extremely supportive staff who’s always ready to answer any of your questions.
Magic Ears vs. Italki
Similar to Magic Ears, Italki doesn’t necessarily require a completed degree and provides training materials after hiring you. However, Italki pay is relatively low – $8 – $12 per hour – compared to Magic Ears’ pay of up to $25/hour.
Magic Ears vs. VIPKid
VIPKid Summary
- Set your availability and working hours
- Work from anywhere
- Tons of reference materials
- VIPKid has an already designed curriculum
VIPKid is also a popular alternative to Magic Ears which also provides detailed training materials and allows you to work from home. But the average pay at VIPKid is $7 – $9 and it also has some controversies for censoring teachers.
Magic Ears Freelance Platform FAQ
What is Magic Ears?
Do I need to prepare teaching materials?
Magic Ears has curriculum designers and will provide you with all the teaching materials you might need.
Do I need to communicate with parents?
Magic Ears managers handle parents, so your only responsibility is to teach the students.
Do teachers always teach the same students? Do parents book us?
Parents book classes, not the teachers. The students are distributed in classes by the Magic Ears team and you’ll get assigned to several classes based on your availability.
Are there any restrictions on my location to work with Magic Ears?
Magic Ears offers a work-from-home opportunity, you just need a fast and reliable internet connection, wherever you are.