The Complete Guide to Teaching Online with Weblio

Many teachers with near-native English skills are keen to take advantage of the opportunity to work online, but few companies will allow them to do so. Most online teaching companies only accept native English applicants and this has long been an issue for qualified teachers that don’t hold the right passport to score the best gigs. 

However, some companies are willing to accept non-native English speakers as teachers and Weblio English is one of them. If you’re a Filipino teacher or a qualified English teacher that isn’t a native speaker, this could well be the company for you. 

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about teaching English online with Weblio!

About Weblio

Weblio aka Weblio English is an online English tutoring company based in Makati City, Philippines. The company started life as an English dictionary and translation company operating in Japan and has since begun offering online English tutoring services. 

As a Weblio tutor, you can work in the office in the Philippines, or you can choose to work from home. The tutor positions are mainly filled by fluent English speaking Filipinos, but the company also accepts applications from qualified teachers from other nations, too. 

If you’re having trouble trying to find an online teaching job due to your nationality or level of English fluency, Weblio could be the right option for you!

What are the requirements to teach for Weblio?

One of the best things about Weblio is that it’s hiring policy is very inclusive. You don’t need a degree, you don’t need a TEFL certificate and you don’t even need to have any previous teaching experience. 

In order to get hired as a Weblio tutor, you need to: 

• Be over 18
• Be computer literate
• Be fluent in oral and written English 

That’s it! 

Weblio’s teacher requirements are refreshingly relaxed, but unfortunately, there’s a clear explanation as to why the company is so flexible about who they will hire: the pay rates.

What does Weblio pay?

Weblio’s pay rates are shockingly low in comparison to many other companies in this industry. They offer new teachers with no experience less than $2/hour. Thankfully, there’s an opportunity for teachers to earn more than this based on experience and performance. But even with this pay rise structure in place, the maximum teachers can hope to earn is around $3/hour.  

For a lot of people, living off $3 per hour may be extremely hard, but if you live in a developing country like the Philippines, you may be able to turn this gig into a full-time income if you’re willing to put the hours in. 

According to the Weblio site, teachers can earn as much as $685/month if they’re willing to work hard and climb the pay ladder. 

What is the interview process for Weblio?

The interview process for Weblio is very similar to most other online teaching companies and you must complete a 5-step process in order to start teaching.

Step One: Application

First, you will be asked to complete an online application form that can be found on the company website. 

Step Two: Readiness Test 

After submitting your application, you’ll be prompted to complete an online readiness test. You will be tested on grammar and web navigation. The pass rate is 90% and the test can be taken more than once if you don’t pass the first time. 

Step Three: Interview

Once you’ve passed you’re online readiness test, you’ll be contacted by one of the recruitment team to arrange an interview. The interview will be over Skype and you’ll be provided with more information 1-2 days before the interview date. 

Step 4: Comprehension Quiz

If you pass your interview, you’ll be given a bunch of information about the company and its practices to study. You’ll then be tested on the information in the form of a comprehension check quiz. 

Step 5: Demo and Questions

If you successfully complete all of the above, you’ll then schedule a paid demo class. The class will be with a member of the recruitment team⁠ – not a real student. Once the class is over, they may ask you some more questions. The class can take up to an hour, so the company books two paid slots for your time.

Providing your demo class goes well, you should be offered a job soon after the lesson. You’ll then have a chance to sign your contract and start teaching!

What is working for Weblio like? 

Now that you know all about the pay and how to get the job, let’s look into what working for Weblio is actually like. In this section, you can find information about the Weblio schedule, platform, and students. 

Weblio Schedule

Weblio tutors are free to teach at any time of day. The platform is available 24/7 and you’re free to teach as long as there are students online. The company does advise that the peak hours are between 8 AM and 5 PM (GMT+9), Monday to Friday. Teachers can teach as much or as little as they like.

Weblio Students

Weblio is mainly used by Japanese students. The students vary in age from middle school children to adults. Some teachers may also be asked to teach business English to professionals. These lessons are referred to as corporate lessons and teachers are paid $0.20 extra per hour.

Japanese people are famously very polite, so most Weblio tutors find teaching Japanese students quite easy as they are usually pleasant and hard working.

Weblio Platform

According to Weblio’s advertising page, tutors use a dedicated platform to deliver lessons. Weblio claims this makes the lesson connection more stable than Skype, but I haven’t managed to find any tutors that comment on how well the platform actually works. 

Weblio Reviews

Weblio gets some mixed reviews across the internet. On their website, they have some teacher testimonials singing the praises of the company. One teacher said “There is always something new to look forward to. The management is responsive and supportive to tutors. I admire their patience and sense of responsibility.” 

However, when I checked Glassdoor, I found some people had had different experiences. One teacher said, “New management is UNFAIR to tutors.” On Glassdoor, Weblio scores just 2.7 stars out of 5, which is quite low in comparison to other teaching companies I’ve reviewed. Although some of the reviewers had some positive things to say, it seems the overall consensus is that the pay structure is quite unfair and that the new management team isn’t great at supporting the teachers.

Despite this, Weblio is one of the few opportunities that non-native English speakers have to teach online, so it seems many people are happy working with the company for this reason.

Resources & FAQs

I couldn’t find all that much in the way of more information about Weblio, but if you’re keen to find out more, their website features quite a lot of information. You can also check out some more reviews on Glassdoor. 

If you’ve still got questions, I’ve listed some FAQs below that might help you find the answers.

Can you teach without a degree?

Yes! Weblio don’t require teachers to hold any sort of qualification

Do you have to be a native speaker?

No, Weblio hires non-native teachers as long as they are fluent in written and spoken English

Do you need a TEFL?

No. You don’t need a TEFL or any teaching experience to work for Weblio.