omina is 26 years old and has been working in shifts for several years in one of the stores where sneakers are sold in the capital. She and her 3 friends work in a chain of stores with the same owner, but all three girls work as online English teachers to increase their monthly income.
Learning English online is today the newest trend in the labor market where the greatest demand comes from Asian countries.
"At first, Greisi, our friend, who had come into contact with an online company looking to hire English teachers, started working. Based on the working hours you choose per day, the monthly payment can go up to 400-500 dollars", says Romina.
The girl says that in addition to working as a shop assistant, she can take online English courses at any hour of the day. According to the instructions given by companies that recruit teachers, this form of online work allows you to get online with students at any time.
“We get paid $3 an hour and the lesson lasts 25 minutes. In general, it is the student who chooses the teachers, you can be online and they can choose themselves. If I give my best in the course and they feel satisfied, they ask for it themselves. It's available at any time, from morning to dinner and midnight," says Romina.
The girls say that the students are mostly from Japan and China. The busiest days are those on the weekend where the demand for online learning is greater.
"In general, the students are Japanese, polite and respectful. Their ages range from children to 70 years old.
If you work 3 hours a day regularly with 6 classes of students, you get paid 9 dollars a day and you can earn 300 dollars a month, while in the store I get paid 1 thousand lek a day for 8 hours of work and away from home", says the girl who Today, she earns a salary of nearly 60,000 lek per month, thanks to her two jobs, in the store and as an online English teacher.
The other girls, Romina's friends, have also started working from home for months. Greisi and Bora have gradually quit their sales jobs and devoted themselves to individual online English courses.
“Unë e pashë se puna online më jepte më shumë të ardhura ndaj e lashë pas disa vitesh që punoja në dyqan. Prej 5 muajsh i jam përkushtuar punës online nga shtëpia dhe jam e kënaqur me të ardhurat që fitoj. Kompania që më ka punësuar është e kënaqur me mua dhe paguhem rregullisht çdo muaj. Mendoj se për ne vajzat që nuk kemi mbaruar studimet e larta dhe nuk kemi profesion, tregu virtual i punës na ka ofruar shumë mundësi të reja”, thotë Bora.
Për t’u rekrutuar nga kompanitë e huaja që ofrojnë kurse anglishteje online, nuk duhen njohuri të shkëlqyera anglishteje. Pas një testi që kryhet online ku duhet të kesh minimum njohuritë bazë, shumica e aplikantëve e kanë fituar vendin e punës.
Vajzat tregojnë se sfida qëndron në kërkesat që kanë studentët për ty.
"If your English is good and if you have good communication skills, students will look for you on their own, as soon as you enter the classroom with your profile created by the company. Usually there are endless requests on weekends and for example yesterday I stayed in class from 11.30 to 17.30. My day's work yesterday was 18 dollars for the 6 hours of teaching I did," says Romina to Gazetasi