They don't respect their teachers - Online ESL Teacher NovaKid Employee Review

1.0
Mar 21, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The students were great, until I got unfairly dismissed and couldn't say goodbye

Cons

I worked for Novakid full-time until they unfairly dismissed me with a few hours notice due to unjustified negative parent feedback. I couldn't even say goodbye to the students I had taught for months. I worked for them 7 days a week with no evenings off, until late at night as these were their 'peak hours.' According to their teacher-level system, I was 'expert' which meant my performance was in the top 5% of teachers and I had a fully booked schedule with 90 classes a week. But that didn't matter because I got a 'thumbs down' from some parents who thought they knew more about ESL than someone with 8 years of experience, who has worked in International schools and has taught students from 20 different countries. When I appealed this decision, they sent me a copied and pasted response about how I could improve future lessons with them, which was not even applicable to me as I'd lost my job. When I had previously expressed concerns about job security I was told teachers aren't dismissed without good reason but this isn't the case. I rewatched the last lesson which I received negative feedback for and appealed it, giving examples. I was told the material was too difficult for the student but I had followed all of the Novakid level adjustment guides and criteria and gave examples of this but this was ignored and my account was immediately deactivated. If you want job security, don't work for this company and don't support a company that treats its hard-working teachers like they are disposable.

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NovaKid Response
1y
Thank you for sharing your feedback about working at Novakid. We’re sorry to hear that your experience was not a positive one. Our Teacher Ops department has reviewed your feedback and would like to clarify a few things to avoid creating any misunderstandings for others who may read your review. Regarding your TLS status – it is true that you were at Expert level. This level is partly based on having regular student and we were happy to reward you for your consistency and dedication. We’d like to point out that you received three negative reviews in the past few months. It is important to note that each and every negative feedback is carefully reviewed by our academic team before any action is taken. In fact, around 60% of all negative feedback is deemed invalid. This means that if you were informed about a negative lesson rating, the complaint was thoroughly reviewed and confirmed by Novakid methodologists, confirming that you did not meet our lesson standards. As a leading online English school, we are committed to providing the highest level of service and educational quality to our students. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

Explore other reviews about NovaKid

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Job is fun. Students are great. Salary is real time. Flexible work hours. Can take leaves anytime as long as I follow 10-day rule to avoid penalties.

Cons

Sometimes the platform experiences some technical issues.

2.0
Feb 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Flexible work from home setup. - Opportunity to teach kids internationally. - Clear curriculum provided, so lesson prep is minimal.

Cons

- Cancellation policy might change from 5 days to 10 days for teachers, while students can cancel or reschedule with only 8 hours’ notice and teachers don’t get paid. - Vacant slots are hidden from students, making it harder to attract new learners and grow schedules. - Communication is poor—teachers are directed to bots instead of real support staff, and surveys feel ignored. - Policies feel increasingly like micromanagement, despite teachers being labeled as “independent contractors.” - Surveys and feedback channels exist, but teacher concerns are consistently ignored.

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NovaKid Response
3mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback about teaching at Novakid.
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