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The Best Free Tools for Teaching English Online

Last Updated on March 10, 2023

Online teaching gives you the freedom to work from anywhere, set your own schedule, and build a career on your own terms. But unlike teaching for a company, where the platform is handed to you, going solo means setting up your entire classroom from scratch. That might sound overwhelming at first — especially when it comes to choosing the right tools — but it doesn’t have to be.

The good news? You don’t need to spend a fortune on software. Some of the best teaching, scheduling, and content creation tools out there are completely free. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your setup, this guide walks you through essential (and underrated) tools that will make your teaching smoother, more organized, and more professional.

Let’s start with the basics: the core apps that power your lessons, manage your calendar, and keep files flowing between you and your students.

Your Core Toolkit: Video, Calendar, and File Sharing

These are the non-negotiables for freelance teachers. Without them, you can’t teach, meet, or get organized. Thankfully, the free versions are more than enough to run a successful setup.

🧑‍🏫 Video Conferencing

Zoom
The gold standard for online lessons. Zoom’s free plan allows unlimited one-on-one meetings and 40-minute group sessions. It’s packed with useful features: screen sharing, whiteboard tools, breakout rooms, and easy scheduling. Most students are familiar with it, and it performs reliably even on slower internet.

Google Meet
A clean, no-frills alternative that integrates directly with Gmail and Google Calendar. No software needed — just send your student a link. It’s great for simplicity, but lacks some of Zoom’s advanced features like breakout rooms.

Skype
Still popular in parts of the world and among older students. Skype offers stable video and audio, plus chat functionality and screen sharing. If your student already uses it, it’s a solid option.

📅 Scheduling & Calendar

Calendly
This tool saves you from endless back-and-forth emails about availability. Set your teaching hours, share your booking link, and let students pick a time that works. It automatically syncs with Google Calendar, sends reminders, and prevents double-booking — all on the free plan.

Google Calendar
A staple for staying organized. Easily block off time for lessons, breaks, or admin tasks. If you teach across time zones, it helps prevent scheduling mishaps. Bonus: it connects with most teaching and booking tools.

📂 File Sharing & Storage

Google Drive
An all-in-one solution for sharing lesson materials. Upload PDFs, create Google Docs or Slides, and grant students view or edit access. Perfect for collaborative writing tasks, homework, or sharing feedback. It also integrates beautifully with Google Meet and Classroom.

WeTransfer
Sometimes, lesson videos, audio files, or large PDFs are too big to email. WeTransfer lets you send up to 2GB of files for free — no account required. Great for occasional big transfers.

Dropbox (Free Tier)
Offers cloud storage and sharing similar to Google Drive. The free plan gives you 2GB of space, and its intuitive folder system makes it ideal for organizing multiple student files. Especially useful if you want to separate teaching materials from your personal Google account.

Creating and Delivering Lessons

Once you’ve got your tech in place, the next challenge is building engaging, effective lessons. Whether you prefer to design everything from scratch or lean on curated materials, there are free tools to support every approach.

📄 Lesson Planning Resources

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. These platforms offer ready-made lesson plans, grammar guides, and activity ideas. Use them as inspiration or as complete solutions:

  • British Council TeachingEnglish – High-quality plans, especially for teens and adults.
  • BusyTeacher.org – Thousands of printable worksheets and classroom ideas.
  • ESL Brains – Engaging lessons based on real-world content. (Many free; premium optional.)
  • ESL Library – Limited free content, but still a good source for structured plans.

With these resources, you can build a flexible library that adapts to student levels and learning goals.

🎨 Visual & Interactive Content

Strong visuals and interactivity keep students engaged — especially in online settings where attention can drift. These tools help you create memorable materials:

  • Canva – Design eye-catching flashcards, slides, infographics, and lesson visuals. Templates make it easy, even if you’re not a designer.
  • Telegra.ph – A hidden gem for creating distraction-free, multimedia lesson pages or homework assignments. No sign-up required.
  • Wordwall – Build fun matching games, quizzes, and more with just a few clicks.
  • Quizlet – Create custom flashcard sets or use ones shared by other teachers. Great for vocabulary review and self-study tasks.

These tools aren’t just about looking pretty — they boost comprehension, memory, and engagement.

🧠 Grammar & Vocabulary Support

You don’t need to be a grammar expert on day one. These sites support your prep and provide great links to share with students:

  • EnglishGrammar.org – Concise explanations with examples and practice questions.
  • Grammar Monster – User-friendly and straightforward. Excellent for reviewing grammar rules quickly.
  • British Council: Learn English – Interactive grammar and vocabulary activities built for learners.

Whether you're brushing up yourself or assigning student exercises, these tools help you stay confident and credible.

Managing Students and Workflow

Freelance teaching is more than just showing up on Zoom. You’ll need to stay organized, track progress, and get paid — preferably without turning into a full-time admin.

🧾 Learning Management & Student Platforms

These platforms help you structure your classes and centralize communication:

  • Google Classroom – Assign homework, quizzes, and share lesson materials. Easy for students to access with their Google accounts.
  • Edmodo – A lighter-weight LMS with a social-media-style interface. Great for younger learners or informal groups.
  • Notion – Not a teaching platform, but an excellent all-in-one workspace. Create a dashboard for lessons, track student progress, save notes, and plan content. Flexible and free.

Even if you’re not running a school, these tools make your freelance teaching feel polished and professional.

💸 Receiving Payments

No matter where your students are, you need a reliable way to get paid. These options work globally and integrate well into a freelance workflow:

  • PayPal – Trusted, easy, and widely used by students around the world. Just beware of international transaction fees.
  • Wise (formerly TransferWise) – Excellent exchange rates and low fees for receiving direct transfers from abroad.
  • Stripe – Ideal for teachers with their own websites or payment gateways. Requires some setup but offers more control and automation.

Reliable payment systems = fewer awkward conversations and smoother business.

Marketing Yourself as a Freelance Teacher

Being a great teacher is just one part of the puzzle. If you’re freelancing, you also need to attract students — and that means thinking like a small business. Fortunately, there are free tools to help you build a strong presence and reach the right people without spending a cent.

🌐 Build a Presence

Start by creating a simple online home — a place where potential students can find you, learn what you offer, and get in touch.

  • Carrd – Ideal for beginners. This tool lets you create a clean, mobile-friendly one-page website for free. Add your bio, teaching services, pricing, contact form, and even a short intro video.
  • WordPress.com – A more flexible platform if you want to blog, add pages, or grow into a fuller site over time. The free version is enough to start showcasing your services and testimonials.

Pro tip: Use a consistent photo and color scheme across your website and profiles to build recognizability.

📣 Promote on Social Media

Choose just one or two platforms to start — don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on where your target students spend time:

  • Instagram – Good for reaching young adults or learners in Latin America and Asia. Share tips, mini-lessons, and class openings.
  • LinkedIn – Ideal for corporate or adult learners. Post teaching insights, testimonials, and offers.
  • Facebook – Still powerful for local markets and community groups.

Use Canva to create branded posts, stories, and ads — all visually appealing without needing design skills.

📬 Email Tools

Once you have some interest, keep in touch with leads and current students. Email marketing is still one of the most effective (and underused) tools for online teachers.

  • Mailchimp – Free for up to 500 contacts. Use it to create newsletters, automate welcome emails, or share lesson updates and offers.
  • ConvertKit – A bit more stripped-down than Mailchimp but great for building a personal audience or offering freebies like downloadable lesson guides or booking discounts.

Even a simple monthly check-in email can boost retention and lead to referrals.

Bonus Tools to Level Up Your Lessons

These extras aren’t essential, but they’ll help you stand out — especially if you teach kids, make asynchronous content, or want to improve your audio/video presence.

🎥 Video Creation

Pre-recorded content can save you time, add professionalism, and help students review at their own pace.

  • OBS Studio – Free, powerful software to record or livestream lessons with screen sharing.
  • Loom – Easier to use than OBS for short video walkthroughs or student feedback. Free tier includes 5-minute recordings.
  • OpenShot / Clipchamp – Basic video editors perfect for trimming, captioning, or splicing clips together.

These are perfect for things like grammar tutorials, onboarding videos, or mini vocabulary explainers.

🎤 Voice Tools

Audio feedback and pronunciation guides add a personal touch — and help auditory learners improve faster.

  • Vocaroo – Ultra-simple. Record, copy the link, and share with your student. Great for homework instructions or personalized messages.
  • Audacity – A free but more advanced tool for recording and editing high-quality voiceovers or exercises. Useful if you’re making more polished materials or podcasts.

These tools add texture and variety to your lessons, and they help students feel more connected even outside of class time.

Tips for Staying Organized and Productive

Juggling students, schedules, lesson planning, and admin can get overwhelming fast — especially as your teaching business grows. These free tools help you stay on top of everything so nothing slips through the cracks.

  • Trello – Use Trello boards to manage student progress, plan lessons, and keep track of ideas. You can create a board for each student or organize by week, topic, or level.
  • Notion – A flexible all-in-one workspace. Notion is great for teachers who want to combine note-taking, planning, and databases in one clean dashboard.
  • Google Keep – For jotting down quick lesson ideas, vocab words to review, or student feedback right after class. It syncs across devices and is great for fast capture.
  • Calendly + Google Calendar – Automate scheduling, reduce back-and-forth emails, and avoid double bookings. Once it’s set up, your availability updates itself — and appointments get added to your calendar automatically.

Building a system that works for you doesn’t need to be complicated. Start simple, and adjust as you grow.

Final Thoughts: A Fully Equipped Classroom, for Free

Online teaching doesn’t mean figuring everything out alone. With the right (free) tools, you can run smooth, engaging lessons and build a professional business — all without paying for fancy software.

The key is choosing tools that work together, support your workflow, and help you focus on teaching, not admin. Whether you're just getting started or levelling up your existing setup, the resources above will help you teach confidently and independently from anywhere in the world.

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