In this Lyngo review, we’ll weigh the pros and cons of signing up to teach with this online ESL company, explore the application and interview process, and cover the requirements for teachers.
Lyngo is a Japanese online education company founded in 2012 with an emphasis on delivering English as a second language (ESL) for Japanese nationals, both to adults and children.
Lyngo made our list of the 14 Best Places for Teaching English to Japanese Students Online.
Let’s dive in!
Requirements to Teach With Lyngo
Lyngo is perfect for inexperienced entry-level ESL teachers who might struggle to find a job with other employers that have more stringent requirements for teachers.
In an apparent bid to attract the most teachers possible, Lyngo’s requirements are fairly lax compared with other ESL companies. Applicants need not have any prior teaching experience to land a job.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly — in contrast to nearly every other major online ESL provider – you do not need a university degree to work with Lyngo. If you are currently a student or interested in breaking into the ESL field with no degree, working with Lyngo is potentially a great opportunity to get your feet wet.
Third, to qualify for a position with Lyngo, you don’t need to have a TEFL certificate. However, earning a TEFL certification from a reputable, accredited online provider is an easy, hassle-free way to invest in a serious teaching credential – one that will pay dividends if you intend to teach ESL in the medium to long term. It will also help you if you are looking to teach for any of these online teaching companies.
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Lastly, no previous teaching experience is required to work with Lyngo.
To recap, you can qualify for a position with Lyngo even if:
- You have no university degree
- You have no TEFL certification
- You have no prior teaching experience
The only real requirement is that you be a native speaker. Passport holders from the following countries are universally considered to be “native”:
- Canada
- USA
- UK
- Ireland
- South Africa
- Australia
- New Zealand
As far as technical capabilities, Lyngo’s requirements are pretty much the industry standards:
- Fast, stable Internet connection (Minimum 25 Mbps is best; test your connection for free)
- Webcam and USB headset
- Skype-compatible device
Pay For Lyngo Teachers
Lyngo pays teachers anywhere from 900-1,500 Japanese Yen (JPY) per hour, depending on experience, credentials, performance, and time with the platform.
As of May 2021, one American dollar currently equals 108 JPY. So, your pay converted into US currency will be roughly $8.30-$13.80 per hour. On the lower end of that scale, this pay rate is barely clearing US minimum wage – not a lot of money and certainly lower than the industry average.
The bottom line: if getting the highest return on your time investment is your biggest concern when browsing for potential ESL employers (and if you have the credentials to back up demands for greater pay), then you might be wise to look elsewhere.
The company pays out via PayPal.
What’s It Like Being a Lyngo Teacher?
Lyngo prides itself on creating a fun, relaxed learning environment.
Classes are one-on-one and last for 25 minutes. They generally fall into one of two types of lessons: “daily conversation” classes and “business conversation.”
The students’ ages vary widely:
- Nursery school
- Preschool
- Primary school
- Secondary school
- Adults
The biggest benefits of Lyngo compared to many other online ESL platforms are two-fold. First, all the lessons and materials are pre-planned and pre-made, so you have minimal prep work. If you’ve ever spent time in the lesson-planning trenches, you know how much of a timesaver having ready-to-go lessons on hand can be.
Secondly, the platform pairs students with teachers. Contrast this method of gathering students with many online ESL models which operate on the agent-client model – requiring teachers to market themselves and attract their own students.
With Lyngo, you simply apply, get onboarded, and are assigned students immediately. While some teachers may prefer to market themselves and build their own clientele, the Lyngo method is less labor-intensive and less time-consuming – so you can focus on the actual teaching.
Once accepted, the company expects teachers to work anywhere from 6 to 40 hours per week.
The Time Differential: An Important Consideration
Classes run on Japanese time from the early morning to the late evening with “peak hours” (i.e., maximum teaching opportunities) between 8:00 pm and midnight Japanese Standard Time (JST).
Japanese Standard Time (JST) is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). So, for instance, midnight Japanese time is 11 a.m. on the East Coast of the United States and Canada. Likewise, at midnight in Japan, it is 8 a.m. on the West Coast.
Accordingly, if you live in North America (or anywhere besides East Asia, for that matter) your “peak hours” will occur at odd times – which may actually be perfect for night owls or if you are interested in teaching as a second job.
You might also consider the benefits of teaching remotely in terms of not being tethered to any physical location; your work is portable so you can take it with you wherever you go. This is one reason why online teaching is increasingly popular with connoisseurs of the digital nomad lifestyle.
Reviews From Real Lyngo Teachers
Although the volume of reviews is sparse (9), Lyngo has an impressive 4.4/5-star rating on Glassdoor with 88% of reviewers saying they would recommend working with the company to their friends.
Predictably, while citing the flexibility of the schedule as a positive, the most common complaint is the relatively low pay:
However, as long as you are going into the job eyes wide open in terms of the low pay, Lyngo is nonetheless a good way to get your foot in the door to potentially find more lucrative work later on by leveraging your experience.
As we mentioned previously, working with Lyngo (and other online East Asian ESL companies) is beneficial if you are taking it up as a side gig because – as this San Antonio, TX reviewer notes — teaching hours are available at all hours of the night:
As one commenter on a Reddit thread concerning Lyngo puts it, “you won’t get rich” teaching for Lyngo, but you can add some valuable experience to your CV and make a modest side-income to make ends meet in these tough economic times.
How to Navigate the Lyngo Application and Interview Process
Filling out your info and getting started on Lyngo is quicker and more convenient than the same procedure on many other online ESL sites.
1. Go to the Lyngo Website
Head on over to https://www.lyngo.jp/join-us
2. Fill Out an Application
If you have an Indeed account, you can greatly expedite the application process by using their handy plugin.
Or, if you want to fill out the application form the old-fashioned way, the standard Lyngo application is actually quite short as well.
3. Interview via Skype
The interview, conducted via Skype, is pretty basic. You can expect standard interview questions like why you’re interested in the position, why you would make a solid online teacher, your future plans (if any) in the ESL field, etc.
There is no listed requirement for so-called “demo” classes as part of the interview process – a relief for many of us who do not look forward to conducting an unpaid lesson (or sometimes, multiple unpaid lessons) in front of critical eyes, as is often a taxing portion of the vetting procedure on other well-known ESL sites.
Lyngo FAQs
What Are the Requirements to Teach with Lyngo?
The only requirement is to be a native speaker – applicants do not need a degree, TEFL certificate, or teaching experience.
What Does Lyngo Pay?
The average Lyngo pay rate is between $8-$13 per hour.
How Can I Get a Job with Lyngo?
To get hired, interested teachers need to fill out a job application and interview via Skype.
Lyngo Review: The Bottom Line
Lyngo is perhaps the ideal platform for entry-level ESL teachers and university students still pursuing their degree. Compared to other better-known online ESL sites, the pay is relatively low. However, the pay is balanced by a hassle-free application process and, given the pre-made lessons plans, the minimal work required to prepare for lessons.
