A few weeks ago I wrote an article about making money from side hustles.
I got a lot of great feedback and loads of traffic from that article which tells me that people want to know how they can either supplement their income or ditch their 9 to 5 to make their own money. We all know that starting out can be daunting and making the type of income you ultimately want can be slow as well. So, we must diversify and take on legitimate side hustles until we can generate enough income from one SOLID source. Even then, I don’t think I could depend on one source. But, that’s just me. They don’t call me “Ms Entrepreneurial Hustla” for nothing.
So, here I am online reading and doing research and I find an article that reads “NiceTalk App Pays You to Teach English” that made me want to read more into it. The article talked about a way to make money tutoring Chinese students in English.
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I have considered the idea of tutoring English before, but, I thought it could only be done by relocating to China. Not such a bad idea because, I could pack up and do my thing over there. But, what about my children? Can’t uproot a 2-year-old and an 11-year-old who are thriving in their current environments and are exceeding academically. But, when it said you can teach using an app on your phone… My antennas went up. I was willing to try it!
I told you guys, I am a risk-taker… and that’s what we do! J
So, I gave it a shot!!
I never would have guessed that signing up for this app would not only help me supplement my income financially, but it proves to me that I have something people from around the world need.
Getting paid to teach English
The app is called NiceTalk.
It’s China’s first mobile English learning platform that provides students with instant access to fluent English speakers through one on one video chats on iOS and Android.
NiceTalk app pays $10 usd an hour (or $0.17 per minute) to have conversations with Chinese students to help improve their English speaking skills while making new friends!
It solves one of the biggest problems all students who are eager to learn English face.
The problem of not having anyone to practice English with.
I thought this app was an awesome idea!
…in theory.
Reviews of the app online didn’t speak so highly of it though.
Being that I empathize with startups and the app came highly recommended I said “Oh, what the hell?” What won’t kill me… Will make me stronger!
Is the NiceTalk app legit?
I was skeptical at first. But, in my years of traveling to and from China I am aware that Americans can make a nice amount of money teaching English to Chinese students.
I even know lots of people who leave the USA to travel abroad to take on such a daring career. But, it’s legitimate and rewarding at the same time.
And if you know me… You know that –I’m a risk-taker
I am always seeking a side hustle that works!
With my Samsung S4, I installed the app, created an account, and recorded a video of myself explaining why I thought I should be a NiceTalk Tutor. While I waited for the approval to work, I completed the rest of my profile.
I was a tad-bit nervous because, when I logged into my NiceTalk account it said “REAAPLY” so, I thought I wasn’t approved. I didn’t get upset or anything, didn’t delete the app. Instead I waited. Got an “official” email 2 days later and wala, I was approved. J So, as with anything patience is a virtue.
I was approved 4 days later.
From there I logged in and saw that NiceTalk had paid me a $10.00 bonus just for signing up and getting approved.
Free $$ is fine with me. I’m sure you feel the same way.
NiceTalk pays you every Monday via Paypal but, only — if you’ve reached the $20 threshold.
I think this is a great side hustle because, you’ll feel like you’re getting paid to make friends in China.
What makes NiceTalk even sweeter for me is the fact that I am already accustomed to dealing with Chinese people who don’t speak English –on a day to day. I am also up at weird hours talking to our factories. So, to log on and get a call is cool for me.
This is by far the one of the easiest ways I’ve seen to make LEGIT money for an English-speaking hustla such as myself.
If you’re interested in trying this out, I suggest you read on to get all the details before moving forward.
How does NiceTalk work?
NiceTalk has two apps.
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An app for Chinese students (the white app in the picture) and an app for Tutors called NiceTalk Tutor (the blue app)
NiceTalk for Students
The NiceTalk Student app is only available to students in China who want to practice English.
When a student signs up, they’ll make a pre-payment in Chinese Yuan to their account. That gives them the ability to call tutors anytime of the day.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Students pay 1.5 Yuan, or $0.25 usd, a minute to chat with an English tutor from anywhere in the world.
Students have the option of choosing a tutor based on their profile, introduction video, and reviews given to them by other students.
NiceTalk for Tutors
English tutors are accepted from anywhere in the world.
All tutors are required to submit a 30 second video of themselves explaining why they would make a great NiceTalk tutor. The approval process takes a few days.
While they wait, tutors can create an introduction video for students and complete their profile with information about their “Country of origin,” “interests,” and “education.”
Once the profile is approved, a tutor can start receiving calls and get paid.
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Tutors can log in anytime as long as they’re connected to a reliable Wifi network.
NiceTalk pays tutors $0.17 usd a minute or $10 an hour.
What do you talk about during a call?
NiceTalk is meant to give students a chance to have casual conversations with native English speakers.
So there is no formal lesson or plan for each call.
It’s entirely up to the student and/or tutor to decide on how the conversation will go.
More often than not, calls are simply casual conversations where the students gets to know the tutor and vice versa.
Since I’ve been a NiceTalk Tutor, I’ve found that many students love asking me about my travels and life in America. They really love learning about life outside of China and enjoy making a new friend.
It’s my responsibility as a tutor to then help students with their sentences and vocabulary whenever they’re struggling.
NiceTalk has a curriculum you can download based on the students speaking level. Beginners to Intermediate.
Students really appreciate tutors who aren’t afraid to call them out and correct them.
How does NiceTalk pay tutors?
NiceTalk pays all tutors using PayPal.
They’re working on setting up other payment methods, but for now NiceTalk only pays with PayPal.
Is the NiceTalk app stable?
The app has its moments of lag.
But for the most part, its stable enough to use everyday.
Their development team is constantly improving functionality and adding features regularly.
If you’re thinking about becoming a NiceTalk Tutor, be aware that you might encounter some connectivity issues from time to time.
If that happens, just close the app and restart it. That usually fixes the problem.
Since I’ve downloaded their latest version, I’ve hardly had any connectivity issues unless my home internet has trouble.
How can I become a NiceTalk Tutor?
Before I go into how you can become a NiceTalk Tutor, there are a few things you’ll need to know.
NiceTalk accepts applications from anyone, BUT I learned later on that there are a few qualifications you need in order to get approved.
Qualifications to be a tutor:
- Must speak English fluently and clearly
- Must be friendly and patient
- Must have a tablet or smartphone running iOS 8 or greater, or Android 4.1 or greater with a functioning camera
- Must NOT be camera shy
You won’t need any certifications, degrees, or proof of experience.
Just speak English fluently, clearly, and without a heavy accents.
Chinese students will find it difficult to talk with a tutor who has a thick accents and usually avoids calling them even if their English is text-book perfect.
I’ve found a lot of success because of my clear tone and friendly personality which students can see in my 40 second introduction video.
How do I create a NiceTalk account?
Click HERE to sign up.
You’ll be taken to this page:
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Fill out your email, first and last name, and enter a password.
The link above pre-populates my referral code 50MT9SH1.
I would greatly appreciate you signing up using my referral code. And as a way to say thank you, I’ll be here to help you get set up and to answer any questions you might have until you get your first payment.
Just tweet me with the hashtag #NiceTalkHelp and I’ll respond!
Moving on…
After you’ve created your account, you’ll be allowed to download the app
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Click “Download now”
There are a few things you’ll need to do before you’re able to log in.
How do I install the NiceTalk Tutor app?
It’s fairly straight forward with a few exceptions for iPhone/iPad users.
For iPhone/iPad:
After creating the account and downloading the app, you might encounter the following message :
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If this happens, go to Settings > General > Profile > then select “Hangzhou Feizhu Technology Co., Ltd”
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When you click on “Hangzhou Feizhu Tech…” this is what you’ll see:
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Click on “Trust ‘Hangzhou Feizhu Techn…”
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Click “Trust”
NiceTalk is still a new app and they’re working on getting it into the app store soon.
Until then, you’ll need to go through this process to install it on iOS.
For Android Phones/Tablets:
- Download the app
- You may need to allow this app to install within the security settings
- That’s it Image may be NSFW.
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Submit your introduction video:
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The first thing that pops up when you open the app is this screen that will ask you to record a short video of yourself explaining why you’d like to be a NiceTalk tutor.
Here’s what you should do to get a fast approval:
- Say your name and where you’re from clearly and loudly
- Talk about why you would make a great tutor.
- Have you tutored before?
- Have you been complimented on how friendly and understanding you can be?
- Mention anything that proves you’re a patient and kind tutor (e.g. do you work with kids, do you volunteer, etc.)
- Talk about your travels and/or your interest in Chinese culture!
The approval process takes a few days.
While you wait, move on to creating an superstar profile!
Create a superstar NiceTalk Tutor profile!
This is a must!
If you don’t create an awesome Tutor profile, students will not call you and this could all just be a waste of time.
But, if you take the time to make a great profile, you’ll find that students will constantly call on you and will even save their money to speak with you and only you.
The following are the steps I’ve taken to make my profile:
Complete your profile details:
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- Add of photo of yourself.
- Make sure its a nice shot that’s well lit and smiling. Students love that!
- Select your country of Origin.
- Students sometimes choose tutors based on your country of origin because they might have plans to travel there.
- Select the languages you speak
- Enter your PayPal email address
Record your profile introduction video:
I attribute my success on NiceTalk to my 40 second introduction. I was a little nervous at first. But, it was easy peasy.
I’ve heard that students choose tutors solely based on their video.
To create your own awesome intro video, do the following:
- Find a quiet, well lit location with Wifi access
- Speak loud, clearly and cheerfully.
- Students love tutors who seem friendly, approachable, and who are easy to understand (meaning tutors who don’t speak too fast or with heavy accents)
- Talk about yourself in detail.
- Where are you from?
- Where are you originally from?
- What kind of work do you do?
- What are some hobbies?
- Are you interested in Chinese culture? If yes, mention it!
- Any fun facts about yourself is a huge plus!
- Remember students enjoy making friends with tutors so the more you share about yourself, the more comfortable they’ll feel with you.
Once you’re done recording the video, it will be posted on your profile for all NiceTalk Students to watch.
Then fill out the sections about your education, teaching experience, interests, and write out an introduction of yourself.
I’d say the most important sections are:
- Introduce yourself
- Profile Video (which you should have already done)
- Interests
But again, the more information you share, the better.
Take a look at a snippet of what I wrote: (That period after all is a typo… Be careful about those.) Image may be NSFW.
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You an fill out your profile how you please. Just make sure it’s inviting!
Tips on making the most money with NiceTalk
Although you can log online at anytime of the day, that doesn’t guarantee students will be lining up to chat.
There are algorithms involved that rank you as a tutor as well peak times when tutors are needed most.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned that’ll save you time and make you money!
Log in during Peak Hours
Students usually log in after class or after their day job.
The peak times are between 4pm – 11pm China time zone
For those of you in the United States that’s:
- 1am – 8am Pacific Daylight Time
- 2am – 9am Mountain Daylight Time
- 3am – 10am Central Daylight Time
- 4am – 11am Eastern Daylight Time
You’ll still get calls during other times, but the rush happens during these peak hours. You’re a lot more likely to get a steady stream of calls during these hours.
Get excellent reviews
After every call, the student gets a popup message asking them about their experience.
Reviews are critical for building trust with other students, so make sure to do your best to help every student as much as possible on every call
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Ask the students what they’d like to focus on early in the call so you can deliver what they expect
- Some students just want to chat
- Other students have specific questions about lessons they’re learning
- Be patient as they try their best to speak.
- Sometimes a student can have a tough time forming sentences. Be patient and help them out with words they can use.
- Compliment them on their efforts. It’s not easy and often embarrassing at times for them to make mistakes. Remind them that its just a part of the process.
- More than anything, be their friend. Be interested in their lives and what they’re doing.
Set up appointments
Scheduling a time to chat is the best thing you can do to help your loyal students out.
NiceTalk doesn’t have any features for scheduling calls, so you’ll have to agree upon a certain time with the student, then be sure to log in at that time.
Don’t miss phone calls
As NiceTalk grows in popularity, there will be more tutors to compete against.
NiceTalk has algorithms in place to rank every tutor based on reviews, and time online.
If you miss a call when you’ve logged online, that can impact your rankings which will drop your profile to the bottom of the list.
Make sure that you only log online when you’re free to chat and connected to a reliable wifi network.
In conclusion
Becoming a NiceTalk Tutor has been a wonderful experience on so many levels.
Not only am I able to make money anytime I want, but I now have friends in China who are eager to meet me when I go back. Which will be very soon! It always helps to have friends in China. They speak the language and can help you a great deal.
What do you think?
Is this something you’d be interested in?
Sign up to become a tutor and remember my offer to help!
One final thing
Please note that some of the links on this page are referral links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to use them. I only recommend products/services that I have used (or have vetted personally) and that I think will be valuable to you. If something I’ve had a good experience with doesn’t feel like the right fit for you, please do not feel obligated to use them. Thank you for supporting us at Gumbumper! Image may be NSFW.
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