There have been some changes at DaDa.

The company is under new management and this has affected teachers, mentors and applicants.

Keep reading, as I will provide alternative opportunities for hopeful teachers…as well as disillusioned current DaDa teachers.

But first, let me explain.

Here are some recent changes that has led me to create this update. These changes have all seen a downward spiral in the reputation of the company…and the morale of the teachers:

DaDa Time-off Policy

This is where it all started to go wrong. DaDa introduced a policy that punished its hardest working teachers. This policy changed the penalty structure for taking time-off. It morphed from penalties for days off and changed it to per classes missed.

This meant that if you were a teacher that was dedicated enough to take on a large number of classes in your working days…you would lose a lot of money for unforeseen absences.

I explain it all in a lot more detail in the article below:

DaDa Hiring Freeze

DaDa stopped hiring teachers around the end of October 2018. From inside information, I know that the company was under new management and were looking to cut costs dramatically.

This either meant that they were taking on too many teachers or paying out too many referral fees of $100 per teacher for their liking.

This would be good news for current teachers, as it would mean that there would be more work opportunity for them with no new teachers coming in.

However, this was not the case…

TESOL Certificate and Criminal Background Check in 2 Weeks…or Contract Termination

New legislations in China meant that online ESL was to be monitored more by the government due to its increasing rise in popularity.

This meant that any new applicant for DaDa (shortly before the hiring freeze) would now require a teaching certificate and criminal background check.

This is completely understandable, as anyone who is interacting with children professionally should have the correct documentation to do so.

However…

…DaDa also required this change from their current teachers. And everyone was then given 2 weeks to sign a new “agreement” (wording changed from “contract” after the modification of contracts during the new leave policy) and also to produce a TESOL or TEFL certificate and evidence of a background check.

Failing to do so would result in termination of your contract.

Removal of DaDa Rookies Go!

The Facebook group for new hires and applicants of DaDa, was archived and closed in November 2018.

This was a place for new teachers to ask questions and get support for all queries to do with DaDa…and also to slowly integrate themselves into the world of online teaching.

However, it was seemingly removed due to it becoming a place for teachers to share their referral links to other companies. This is due to the hiring freeze and because of the disillusionment of current teachers within the company.

The removal of this group was a big indicator that the hiring freeze wasn't ending any time soon.

But the DaDa hiring freeze did not only affect recruiters, teachers or hopefuls….

Removal of the Mentor Team

This was the most recent change as of 5th December 2018. The sudden removal of the mentor team theoretically makes sense. No new applicants gives them no new apprentices to give mentoring sessions to.

However, the DaDa mentor team had received a new responsibility during the hiring freeze.

They had just been asked to complete a month long task within a two week deadline. This task was reviewing 40 classes of current teachers and writing performance reports by the end of November.

Then as soon as the task was complete, the mentor team were let go.

The Future of DaDa

These changes create an atmosphere of uncertainty in the world of DaDa. I felt this article was necessary to share all the significant events that has led to this uncertainty. I hope from reading this that hopeful applicants seek an alternative in their employment prospects.

There is currently no end-date in sight for this “DaDa Ice Age”.

However, this does not mean an Ice Age for all of online ESL. The industry is still in a state of progression.

And that is why over this period, I have worked very hard to find…

My Top-Pick Online ESL Alternative

During the DaDa (formerly DaDaABC) hiring freeze, I have been heavily researching every other online teaching company. I have been interviewing with current teachers, writing comparison articles, and even having meetings with management of all the top companies.

The Online Teaching Wars

I wanted to find which company was to be the “Facebook” of the online ESL world, as opposed to DaDa's seemingly current status to that of “Myspace” or “Bebo”.

By this I refer to the Social Media Wars where early adopters fought to become the premiere social media platform. Much is the same in the world of online teaching.

So Which Online ESL Company Do I See as the “Facebook”?

After all my research, DigiNo's top pick is…

Why SayABC?

The company are owned by VIPKID (the undisputed current leader in the Online Teaching Wars)…however, VIPKID's hiring policy excludes those from outside North America.

SayABC expands their hiring policy to include all other native English speakers. They also have a great pay and teaching structure and most importantly…happy teachers.

So I have gathered together three articles about SayABC with all the most important information:

And you can click the button below if you'd like to begin your SayABC application:

APPLY TO SAYABC!

Final Thoughts…

Honorary mentions for online teaching alternatives goes to PalFish and Cambly. These two are really innovating the online teaching world and earn the monikers of “SnapChat” and “Instagram” in my Social Media Wars metaphor.

The DaDa Hiring Freeze is not the end of earning money teaching ESL online or passive income from teacher referrals. It is merely the beginning. There are so many companies that offer so many different things to suit every hopeful teacher.

Even if you get rejected by one, there is another great company waiting for you to apply.

You can find the list of the best companies by clicking the image below:

Update – 18th February 2019

As of this day, I can finally say with evidence that the hiring freeze is over. I said previously that I would not consider it over until I saw an applicant get contracted on my referral record, and today, it happened:

The DaDa Hiring Freeze is over.

Be sure to spread the news around and share this article using the social media bar!