Don't Work Here - ESL Teacher Magic Ears Employee Review

1.0
6 May 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Flexible schedule, you choose your own hours by week -No minimum of hours -Pay is a little better than other ESL companies -As far as regulations go, they don't require a college degree at the time of writing. -Even though staff can be rude, the teacher development team is a bright spot. They have a lot of good tips and are willing to do Skype calls.

Cons

-Pay is higher, but the amount of deductions they'll take off for cancellations and unfinished evaluations adds up so fast. -The curriculum is so much less engaging than other companies. -Staff can be rude. -Children are allowed to fill out teacher evaluations, which in turn affects your bonuses. -They promote people based on Facebook participation and raffles, not work ethic, experience, or other practical factors. -Ranking system constantly changes and is confusing. -Getting fully booked at other companies takes about a month, I worked at Magic Ears for a year and I was never fully booked. I had classes cancelled the day of, sometimes as I was working on the same day. -Classes are not confirmed until 24 hours before they begin, so income cannot be determined on a steady basis. -Emails and promotional content are constant, my other companies never send me as much junk mail. -Honestly, I didn't feel like I taught the children as much as I entertained and babysat them. -The curriculum had no guidelines to follow, whereas other companies give detailed explanations of what you should do and what benefit the instruction has for the students. Magic Ears curriculum, to me, seems like it has no direction or coherent structure. -The platform has virtually no student interaction, and they get bored easily. (Although this very well could have been my handling of the platform and style of teaching). -Students are not allowed to have parents' help. I understand their strict no-noise policy, but in my experience, some children do need their parents around for personal support that we can't give them through a computer.

Explore other reviews about Magic Ears

5.0
2 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule, no pressure, as long as you are prompt.

Cons

Classes have been declining after the changes 3 years ago.. Great pity! Wonderful school!

2.0
21 Apr 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pay is pretty good if you can commit to enough hours to earn bonuses

Cons

hours are Beijing time, so very early morning in the US They have switched to homeroom classes, so you can't just open your schedule on days you are available and get scheduled, which was what made this attractive before as a filler for when other jobs weren't as active

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