Magic Ears

What: Magic Ears allows native English-speakers to earn money teaching English to Chinese kids online

Expected pay: $18 to $26 per hour

Husl$core: $$$$

Commissions & fees: NA

Where: Nationwide 

Requirements: Must pass screening interview; have high-speed internet and Skype; ESL credential; teaching experience (experience outside a traditional classroom is considered).

Want to teach with Magic Ears?

Click here!(Magic Ears is a SideHusl.com affiliate. This does not affect our review. However, if you click on this link, SideHusl may earn a small referral fee.)

Magic Ears Review:

Magic Ears enlists freelancers to teach English to young Chinese kids. Teachers are expected to work from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Beijing time during the work week, and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. (Beijing time) on weekends.

Beijing is roughly 12 hours ahead of New York time, so U.S. teachers are often working in the wee hours of the morning or late at night. If that suits you, Magic Ears pays a bit better than the other two English-teaching gigs.

Specifically, Magic Ears pays $9 to $11 per half hour in base pay and offers $1 hourly bonuses for showing up a few minutes early and for teaching at peak times. There is also a less well-defined “performance bonus.” But be aware that this site has scaled back dramatically since mid-2021 when the Chinese government attempted to shut down all private tutoring of Chinese youth. The site still appears to be operating and soliciting tutors, but not on the scale it was a year ago. You can sign up to tutor with Magic Ears here.

Teachers also say that MagicEars’ is more hands-on, providing more advice about your teaching style. (The curriculum is set. What you add is personality and props.) That’s something teachers either love or hate.

The site also will pay you to refer additional qualified teachers to Magic Ears at a rate of $10 per resume.

Our recommendation

Since the job is almost identical to the other teaching positions and this one pays more — and has many good reviews — we see no good reason not to sign-up. However, there is no prohibition against signing up for all three, so we’d suggest that you also check out QKids and VIPKID.

What their teachers say: (From Glassdoor)

I have been with ME for 8 months now and they are nothing short of phenomenal to work for. They not only care about the students but they truly care about their teachers. They put so much work into listening to us and to making us better teachers and are always reachable, pleasant and respectful. You are not penalized for being sick!

I absolutely love working for Magic Ears! They are friendly, accommodating, helpful, fair and kind. The company provides helpful feedback and pays great! They have a very diverse teacher pool.

Competitive pay. Diligent feedback. Great online portal. Friendly staff. Particular about details, will point out even little areas you need to improve. The hiring process takes a while, but again they are working to be the best and they want to make sure you will fit well with the company.