How To Successfully Teach English Online From Bali

Bali is known as the home of digital nomads. Interestingly enough, Bali also has a reputation for having extremely sketchy WiFi. As online English teachers, unreliable internet is our worst nightmare. In this post, I’m about to show you how to successfully teach English online from Bali.

I’ve been living and teaching with VIPKID from Bali for the past two months and I have yet to encounter a technological issue*knocks on all the wood*.

After hearing about the internet issue in Bali, I came prepared to tackle whatever problem was thrown my way.

In order to successfully teach English online from Bali, you’ll need a plan:

1. Tackling the Internet

WiFi speeds vary across the island, therefore, I am only confident with recommending two different locations to successfully teach from. Canggu and Ubud.

Canggu

我目前住在古和bu无关t success while teaching online. The internet has been stable and strong 90% of the time. Also, the power has only gone out once. I like those odds!

I’m living in a villa we found on Airbnb. The internet speeds hover around 20 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload; strong enough to sustain VIPKID classes.

If you haven’t tried Airbnb yet,here is $40 off your first stay!

I highly recommend these Airbnb listings in Canggu because they are all verifiably online teaching friendly:

Luxury Villa with Grand Pool and Jacuzzi

Villa Embra V3

Bale Village C6 Villa – Private Pool

If you’re looking for another villa in the area, Airbnb is a great place to start. Be sure to message the host BEFORE booking to ask about the WiFi. Ask for a screenshot of the internet speed test. You can provide this link for the host:Speedtest by Ookla.

Ubud

Another area of Bali that has stable (enough) internet is Ubud. I’ve visited Ubud several times since living in Bali and can confidently say that many Airbnbs will offer reliable internet. Three of the Airbnbs I recommend for teaching are:

Villa Krisna: Ubud Identity and Modern City Style

I Love You – II Villa – Private Pool

Rumah Agung 2BR House with Private Pool

With the right accommodation, you should be able to receive decent quality internet to support your online teaching here in Bali.

Pro-tip:Teach from an iPad. My new iPad Pro connects to the internet with greater strength than my Macbook Air.

2. Back-Up Internet

Having back-up internet in Bali is absolutely necessary. Do NOT attempt to teach here without another source; it will not go well.

Back-Up Option #1

The best backup internet source you can find in Bali is a mobile hotspot.These are devices by XLcalled Huawei.

We purchased ours at the XL Center in Denpasar, however, you can find XL centers scattered throughout Bali.Hereis a map of where to find XL Centers.

It cost us approximately 850,000 IDR for a three-month plan. Unfortunately they do not offer plans for a shorter duration. Since we will only be here for one more month, we plan to sell ours on theCanggu Community Facebook Page.

Back-Up Option #2

Google Fi.

If you’re a traveler and haven’t heard of Google Fi yet, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon.

We have successfully used our phones all over the world(they offer service in 200+ countries)and it has also been an amazing back-up internet source. From the USA to Thailand to right here in Canggu, Google Fi has saved my butt a million times.

With Google Fi you can forget about buying local SIM cards everywhere you go, unlocking your phone, or paying for a mobile hotspot. Use thislink to sign upand get $20 credited to your first monthly bill.

3. Power Outages

停电在巴厘岛所以注定要发生best to be prepared for them. Nothing is worse than having the lights and internet shut off at the 20-minute mark of a successful class.

To tackle power outages, I brought a few necessities:

Lighting

Luxe Cordless Eye Friendly LED Lamp– I keep this portable light charged and nearby, especially when it begins to storm.

Brilliant Evolution LED Puck Lights– These are for extra lighting; they are especially helpful for side lighting to keep the shadows off my face and background.

I also use both of these light sources when I am in the United States andteach from my truck!They are very versatile and they pack small.

Battery Power

Inevitably your computer or tablet WILL die without electricity. The best advice I can give is to always keep your devices charged (including your phone for the back-up internet source with Google Fi).

When my iPad battery gets low, I plug it into a 10,000mAh power bank for recharging. I currently use a power bank similar to this one:

ZMI PowerPack 10k mAh

I also use this power bank to keep my LED light charged along with my phone for back-up internet.

Pro-tip:A 10,000 mAh power bank will suffice for tablet charging. I had a 35,000 mAh power bank that recharged my laptop- it was confiscated at the airport in Bangkok. Learn from my mistake, don’t attempt to bring a 35k mAh power bank on a plane.

Bali is a phenomenal place to explore and meet like-minded travelers. To assure successful online teaching from Bali, follow the steps above. Don’t be afraid to call Bali home for a couple of weeks, months, or years; teaching online here is completely doable.

If you’re looking to teach English online from anywhere else in the world, take a peek at my guide onhow to teach with VIPKID while traveling the world.

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