Let's Teach English

Envelope Instagram Facebook

Guide For Working At Palfish

This is a complete guide for those of you that want to work at PalFish. If you’ve not already done so use this link to sign up for Palfish.

See job requirements and many good reasons to teach for Palfish.

  • Make sure that you are on a mobile phone when signing up. Palfish lesson is delivered over the mobile app instead of the computer.
  • Regarding the payment method, PalFish Payoneer and Chinese bank transfer (No PayPal nor bank wiring). Use this Payoneer link for signing up a new account to receive $25 once you have made $1000.
  • Download the mobile app for iOS or Android devices.

Two types of jobs on PalFish 

  1. The regular teacher is open to both native and non-native teachers.
  2. Palfish Official Teacher.

You have the potential to make decent money with each, but with the Palfish Official, it is more likely that you will get more hours on a regular basis. As a regular teacher, you will need to make more of an effort to sell yourself to potential students. You can a full list of requirements here.

Teaching on your phone or tablet

You will need an iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Pro) or Android (Phone or Tablet) based device. If you have an older phone or tablet you might not be able to teach on Palfish. There is no official list of devices that are not allowed to be used. We have worked with a lot of teachers on Palfish and most of them do not run into an issue. If your device is not compatible Palfish will let you know as soon as you log into the application.

Important: Use this link while you are on your phone. if you do not use the link we will not be able to contact you.

After clicking the link, enter your phone number on the screen:

IMAGE

Download the Mobile App

1. Get started

1a. Use this application link to start the application process and enter your phone number to receive a text message.

IMAGE

1b. Submit Application here, but if you already registered before. Go to the app store and download the teacher app (not student’s) 

If you already registered before, you can use the invitation code: DAkOO9​ in your PalFish teacher app. To enter the invitation code:

  1. Find the “Me” tab in the bottom menu
  2. Click the gear icon (settings) on the upper right
  3. Click the “Inviter – Enter invitation code” field to enter the code.

2. Look for this PalFish app logo

IMAGE

You will see some Chinese characters in the app store, BUT don’t panic! It’s just that Palfish didn’t do a good job in localization for the intro steps. You’re in the right place, just proceed to download the app. 

IMAGE

  • For Android – you will need to enter your phone number and hit the submit button the app will download, then install the app.
  • For iOS – just click download and install.

IMAGE

3. After the Palfish App is installed you will enter your phone number again:

IMAGE

4. You will be sent a verification code. Enter the code you received via text message:

IMAGE

5. Next, you will upload a picture, choose your sex, create a username, and create a password:

IMAGE

6. Now you need to fill in your profile information:

Some personal background and a self-intro video, which you mean find an intro video guide here. 

IMAGE

7. Make sure you click the blue banner in the center to start the application process for becoming a teacher. 

Read the guide below for the next steps. As long as you followed the steps above we will contact you to help you out. Look for our messages:

IMAGE

8. Done!

Here’s a Palfish Intro Video Guide

IMAGE

Payment Methods

Use one of the following methods, Palfish does NOT have other payment methods like PayPal.

  1. Chinese bank card
  2. Use Payoneer. If you don’t have a Payoneer account, you need to register for one.

Palfish Application Process

Create an awesome introduction:

You should include the following information:

  • Name
  • Nationality
  • College degree or information about the one you are attending.
  • Prior teaching experience. If you do not have any then simply highlight how eager you are to begin teaching online. Always be honest!
  • Write out what the students will receive from you being their teacher. Matters that would help you engage new students.
  • Spell out the ways that you can help them that lead them to want to take lessons with you. Keep it simple and friendly.

?Tip: Download the Palfish app for students and take a look at some of the top profiles. This will let you take a look at the top profiles.

?Tip: Attract more students by using the right amount of emojis.

Create a recorded self-introduction:

  • The introduction should be 40-60 seconds.
  • Include your teaching philosophy, hobbies, and other interests.
  • Spend the time to create a lengthy but pointed self-introduction.
  • Record when you are in a quiet environment with no noise in the background.
  • Use the microphone on your earbuds. The microphone attached to it is usually clearer than the built-in one on your device.
  • Focus on clear and precise pronunciation. Students want a teacher that is easy to listen to with excellent English skills.
  • Talk about how you can help them with their pronunciation and speaking skills. Do not spend a lot of time talking about yourself. Keep that to a minimum.

?Tip: Write out what you are going to talk about. Practice it a few times by recording it and then playing it back.

Create an auto-reply message:

This is a simple message that the students will first hear from you. They hear this when chatting with you for the first time.
?Tip: Learn how to say hello and goodbye in Chinese(Mandarin). Begin and end your recording using these.

Palfish Verification Process

  • The Palfish verification process can take up to 2 business days. Be patient and wait to hear back from them. Double-check all of your profile information to ensure that you have filled out everything correctly.
  • While you’re waiting you should read the guide “A Guide to Palfish”. If you don’t hear back from them in a few days, then feel free to contact the “Palfish Team(T)” to find out where you’re at in the application process.
  • One of the great things about the Palfish Team is that they are more than willing to help. This is one of the great things about the Palfish Team, and it does not matter even if you are a non-native teacher.
  • Within the two day period or just a little after, you will receive your application result from a message from the Palfish Team. Pay attention to their message.
  • You are not able to reapply. Make sure that you take the time to do a great job the first time you signup. However, you might be asked to modify your information instead of disqualifying you.

Important note: You are allowed to change your tuition rate twice a month. Keep this in mind when you start out, and there are no exceptions.

Palfish Introduction Samples

Introduction Sample Teacher Tom: (for ones like emoji)

?? Hello! I am Tom Cruise, also known as Teacher Tom ?‍?. As you can tell from my flag, I am from the US, ? San Francisco to be exact.

? You will easily be able to understand me since I have a neutral American accent. Maybe I can be your favorite ? Palfish teacher ?

?You can receive help with your ?pronunciation during our lessons. It is one of the areas that my students ?love to take.

?Do you like to practice your conversation skills? Great! We can talk on ?Palfish and I will give you useful corrections when necessary. ?‍?

?I have been teaching online for over six years. Yep, getting old ?. Get the attention you deserve from a seasoned teacher.

? My degree is in Business Management and my ? TEFL certificate is focused on teaching ?‍?Business English. I speak a little Chinese since I lived in China for a few years ??

? We can talk soon and get to know each other better ? while I help you improve your English. Pretty soon, you might be talking like me ?? haha!

Introduction Sample Teacher Emma:

Hi, My name is Emma Watson and I am 26 years old. I am from the UK ??and am living in Thailand ??

I love that ?? Palfish allows me to connect with students from China ?? like you!

?I can help you with your pronunciation and speaking ? skills. Even though I am from the UK ??, I have a bit of a neutral accent.

Do you want to improve your conversation skills? Do you want to speak ? with confidence? ? I can help you with either of those as well! ?

You will find that my classes are fun ? which makes it easy and enjoyable ? for you to improve your English ??.

China ?? is such an incredible ? country and I look forward to hearing ? about your experiences. I can share ? my culture with you along with my adventures in all the countries I have traveled to.

Oh, I have a degree in classical literature and have a TEFL certificate as well. You might enjoy ? some of the short stories ? that I have published online ?.

? You can take conversational classes ?, English for traveling, common English phrases and idioms, or  English for studying overseas???. Just relax in my classes and be ready to learn!

I cannot wait to help you with your English ??!

Here is a video to help you pass the Palfish Official Teacher interview

VIDEO

Full Details Palfish Official Teacher

PalFish sets the price of the course and provides materials and slides for the teachers. Official teachers can also create your own courses, seminars and live streaming to teach other students that are not in the official course.

Payment

  • The base rate is ¥ 50/25mins. If you attend the lesson without lateness, you can get an extra ¥ 5 as a bonus. If the student did not attend, the ¥ 5 bonus will not be granted no matter the teacher was late or not.
  • For teachers who teach over 100 lessons in a month, the next month’s base rate will be raised to ¥ 55 per lesson. (E.g. if you attended a lesson without lateness, the total payment would be ¥ 55 + ¥ 5 bonus = ¥ 60)
    Anticipated revenue: $912+
  • For teachers who teach over 150 lessons in a month, the next month’s base rate will be raised to ¥6O per lesson. (E.g. If you attended a lesson without lateness, the total payment would be ¥ 60 + ¥ 5 bonus = ¥ 65.)
    Anticipated revenue: $1481+
  • For teachers who teach over 210 official kids lessons in a month, the next month’s base rate will be raised to ¥ 65 per lesson. (E.g. If you attended a lesson without lateness, the total payment would be ¥65+¥ 5 bonus = ¥70.)
    Anticipated revenue: $2248+

Rewards

  • New teachers can get a ¥ 100 reward for buying props.
  • Teachers can get a ¥ 200 bonus when a student joins PalFish after having a trial lesson with you.
  • Attend a lesson without lateness can get a ¥ 5 bonus.
  • Teachers who have perfect attendance (No absence, no lateness, and no cancellation) in a month can get a ¥ 200 bonus.

Job Requirements

  • Teaching certification preferred BUT NOT REQUIRED (TEFL, TESOL or others)
  • Have experience in teaching kids
  • Native English speakers from Australia/New Zealand/U.S./U.K./Canada/Ireland/N.Z. with a neutral accent
  • Can be online for more than 10 hours per week (between 6:20 – 9:00 pm)

Tips for Success for Hired Teachers

One of the main goals for most teachers is to become a Palfish Official Teacher. Keep in mind though, even as a Palfish Official Teacher there a limited amount of peak hours and it takes a lot of motivation to hit all of the bonuses. If you are thinking about making Palfish a fulltime job you will need to teach other lessons as well and conduct live lessons as well.

As a regular teacher, you will want students to learn about you and your teaching style by doing a few free live lessons. Take the time to prepare for the live lessons since they can make a negative impression if not done properly. You can use your computer for live lessons. I suggest you do it since you will want to share slides during the lesson. Use a headset or high-quality microphone as well.

?Tip: Good lighting and a high-quality microphone can go a long way.

Engage Student by Sharing on Moments

As a standard teacher, you will want to use the Moments in order to build up a following. The Moments tab is the second tab from the left of the bottom panel. Moments are like a Facebook feed. You have the option to follow the students and comment on their Moments and they can do the same with the teachers. You can do written comments or recorded ones. Make recorded ones since the students want to hear your voice and love to listen to people speak English.

When you add Moments, try to add ones that are video-based. It is easy enough to do. Record yourself out at the park or another interesting place, and talk about what the students are seeing. End the video by asking them a question to answer. Follow up when they answer the questions. Be sure to follow them. Of course, there are other ways to do this and this is just one suggestion.

?Tip: Use emojis when you are writing Moments.

Write down canned responses to give to your students after each lesson. Keep those on your phone in some sort of notes or another program. Edit them somewhat when you give feedback after each lesson so that they are somewhat authentic. The point is to make sure that you are giving enough feedback.

If you are not a Palfish Official Teacher, then you will need your own lesson plans. Unlike teaching from your computer, you will not have the ability to screen share the lessons. Print them out to follow along, or if you have a computer, then you can follow along with it as well. You can use a site like this to find lesson plans.

TPR Demo

VIDEOS