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Read our Native Camp review to learn more about the company and decide if it’s the right teaching job for you.
They are in desperate need of native teachers right now. If you sign up now, you can actually skip the demo process and proceed straight to the self-introduction! This is the fastest onboarding process I’ve ever had with any teaching company!
Overview
Teach kids and adults at Native Camp! Native Camp is a massively popular online educational ESL company based in Japan.
Native English Camp currently operates in over 100 countries. They boast over 13k teachers and have a 500k student base in Japan.
Native Camp hires teachers from all over the world, and teachers can set a 24/7 schedule depending on their needs. Salary has a base rate along with some performance incentives.
Requirements
- At least 18 years old
- Native or non-native English speaker
- Intermediate English level
- Experience in teaching (preferred)
- No minimum teaching hours required
Native Camp doesn’t have a strict hiring process. British, American, Australian, Canadian, New Zealander, Scottish, Guamanian, Irish and Welsh teachers are currently in high demand.
Technical Requirements
- Laptop or PC with Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
- Webcam
- Headset with microphone
- Stable internet connection (minimum speed of 2Mbps upload and download)
Salary
Native Camp pays $2.50 to $9 per 25-minute class.
They pay about $9 to native English speakers per 25-minute booked class. They pay roughly $3 for every sudden class booked.
The pay seems to partly depend upon the star rating from students. There are also incentives for working a certain number of hours.
For Filipinos, the salary is the equivalent of 20,000Php-60,000Php per month. Tutors are paid at P60 per 25 minutes and P55 per 25 minutes for a sudden slot.
Teachers incur a penalty if they cancel a class within a 24-hour time period or they are not on standby mode at lesson time.
Native Camp Reviews
Teachers have had great things to say about Native Camp. Here is what they had to say:
Pros
- Lesson materials are provided by Native Camp.
- Very flexible 24/7 schedule
- Friendly students
- Good incentives
- Payment on time
- Great part-time opportunity
Some teachers were happy with Native Camp as a side hustle because it provided them with full flexibility in their schedule.
Cons
- Low pay (especially for the standby classes)
- Occasionally teachers face issues with student behavior that give low ratings, thus affecting the teachers’ profile.
- Communication with admin staff can be poor.
Update: in recent weeks, a wave of native English-speaking teachers joined the company and there has been a number of complaints.
Teachers are saying that they are not receiving any more classes after the first promo week and feel forced to do the low-paying classes.
There are rumors Native Camp is recruiting teachers while the Philipinnes is recovering from the typhoon and they have no intention of keeping the native English teachers. This is a rumor and cannot be confirmed!
Please read the screenshot for details:
Application Process
The application process is a simple procedure that can be completed very quickly online.
- Register with your email address
- Fill out your basic information
- Take the English Proficiency Test (40 questions)
- Do a system check
- Self-study the lesson materials
- Have a demo lesson online (25 minutes)
- Complete your profile details
- Start teaching
English Proficiency Test
The test has 40 questions and can be completed quickly. Try your best! Score 70% to pass the English Proficiency Test.
You have twenty minutes to answer the questions. This is to make sure you are fluent in speaking English.
Tip: use the free version of Grammarly to make sure your answer is correct. Simply copy and paste the sentence and make sure it passes the grammar check. Sign up to Grammarly for free here.
Here is an example of someone taking the actual test (from 4:41):
System Check
The system check makes sure tutors can meet technical requirements.
They recommend using Chrome or Firefox browser.
They also want you to use a headset with a microphone and a high-quality webcam.
You can have the system check whenever you want, but make sure your internet connection is good, and you are teaching in a quiet place with a plain background.
Dress appropriately for the system check and keep your environment professional!
They may ask you to give a short introduction so you will need to mention your name, where you are from and your teaching experience (if any).
You may also be interested in: The best English Teaching Companies in 2022.
Demo Lesson
When you have passed the system check, you can proceed to the self-learning and demo lesson.
You are required to watch sample classes. All notes and materials are provided.
When you are ready for the demo lesson, go on standby and click “Demo Lesson.” Take your demo lesson at a convenient time that suits your schedule.
You conduct the demo lesson with a staff member from Native Camp. You teach them as if they were an actual student.
At this time, native English speakers only have to do a self-introduction during the demo part of the lesson. They will not have to teach a class. This will greatly speed up the onboarding process!
Schedule
- Book a 24/7 schedule
- Teachers can close their time slots if they need to, so it’s very flexible.
Payments
- Payments are made twice per month on the 10th and 25th of the month
- Payments are made via Payoneer or bank transfer BPI or PNB.
- Earn between 20,000 to 60,000 pesos per month depending on your working hours and the incentives
Get $25 when you sign up to Payoneer here.
Classes
- Classes are 25-minutes
- Two types of classes: booked class and sudden class
- Training, material, and online support are provided
- Teachers must complete feedback at the end of the lesson
Native Camp’s lessons are followed by a script. It’s best to stick to the lesson plan and its objectives as close as possible.
The teacher will strictly follow the lesson unless it is a free-talk class.
Even applicants with no experience can easily follow this process, as they have the guidebooks and answer keys readily available.
Watch this video to get an idea of what is expected of the teachers:
As evident from the lesson above, a typical class is as follows:
- Greeting
- Audio/video check
- Short self-introduction (for example, my name is teacher Caitriona, what is your name?)
- Ask if speaking speed is okay
- Confirm lesson number is correct
- Follow the lesson as scripted (words and expressions/ grammar point/ role-play/free-talk conversation)
- Write notes in the chat when students have questions or makes a mistake
- Wrap up and Feedback (remind the student three new words they’ve learned, three mispronounced words and one grammatical mistake with correction)
Types of Classes
There are two types of class styles at Native Camp.
Booked Class
A booked class is scheduled in advance. This is set to a specific time and date that works for the teacher.
Sudden Class
With a sudden class, a student can enter the classroom at any time. Native Camp is really pushing teachers to try this, despite the significantly less pay.
However, this can build a steady stream of regular student who will book a teacher’s regular slots. It can also be more convenient for the teacher who has some spare time without committing to a schedule.
Teacher Profile
Students pick the teacher for the class; therefore, teachers should create an attractive profile with a good self-introduction.
Teachers should try to maintain high ratings, especially at the beginning, to encourage students to choose the teacher.
The teacher profile picture should be professional and meet Native Camp’s requirements which are explained after submitting the teacher’s self-introduction.
Taxes
As independent contractors, teachers are responsible for paying their own taxes.
Contact
Get in touch with Native Camp by sending them an email info.wfh@nativecamp.net.
Native Camp Review Summary
Teachers enjoy working for Native Camp and a popular option among Filipino teachers and other non-native English teachers. They have recently opened to native English teachers who are in high demand.
If you speak the English language and are motivated to work many hours, you could find it a suitable teaching option. Otherwise, check out our other online teaching options below.
Useful Links
- Open English Job Review
- Skimatalk Tutor Review
- Preply Tutor Review
- Teach English Online Japan (10 Companies Hiring!)
- Teach English Online to Adults (10 Companies Hiring!)
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.
Very interesting. Are the “Webcams”necessary & not too expensive? Where would be the best place to buy an inexpensive one? Please reply. Dorothy
You can use the camera that is already built into your computer or buy an external one.
Beware. Native Camp failed to pay me, closed my account, and then claimed they “cannot pay me because I do not have an account!”
I have filed a complaint with the authorities, but I want to warn everyone I can to avoid dealing with this sleazy company. They break US independent contractor laws by apparently using AI that detects if you are smiling enough (and then pushes a pop-up to tell you to smile), tells you to ask the student’s permission to have a sip of water, etc. The pay is extremely low, and less than the minimum wage in the area I am from. Native Camp may steal part of your pay, claiming you cancelled a class when you did not. This is not something I agreed to in my contract. When you try to communicate with them, you get the run-around. There is no phone number to call, so your only recourse is to go to the authorities. If you have been mistreated by Native Camp, please file a complaint. This fraudulent activity must be stopped.
Native Camp constantly evolves but the abuse of teachers remains the same.
A. Native Camp still allows teacher abuses by students.
B. Native Camp has continuous site issues: freezing, crashing, constant disconnects from students, and are now the target of DDOS attacks.
C. Native Camp blocks some countries of “undesirable tutors”.
D. Native speakers can now enjoy waiting up to two hours to be “selected” by students.
E. Same “creative accounting” practices teachers/tutors are not paid for every class and incentives aren’t paid in final calculations.
F. Non-responsive staff to teacher’s complaints so no change there.
G. Same ranking system and class review abuses by friends of fake teachers.
H. Teachers are blamed again for website issues and are told to “use speedtest.net” to verify connections.
I. Students are not allowed to take their favorite teacher’s classes repeatedly but must wait 24 hours before taking the next class.
J. Rude students, students refusing to follow the class, incoherent students forcing taking over the class, students claiming teachers are “making them follow the materials as required by Native Camp.
There are better websites that pay a lot more money with less abuses, site problems, and mysterious cutting of pay.
Hi, thanks for the comment and for sharing your experience about Native Camp. It seemed like a great job, but unfortunately, the evidence suggests that that’s not the case. I hope you find a better position!
which do you recommend?
Hi Peter, it is hard to know to be honest. No company is 100% perfect so it is all about finding one that fits your needs and schedule. Some teachers have good experiences and some don’t.
I have been on the NC platform for a few months now and even though it takes a while to grow a clientele for reserved classed, the students are polite and the format is great for part-time work. Since I’m retired, I was able to replace my wife’s salary – granted I’m on-line most of the time. However, I consider this “being paid to make friends”….that’s how great the students are.
Thank you for the positive comment, Vic. Sounds great! 🙂