ONLINE JOBS ENRICH TEACHERS LIVING OVERSEAS

Education startups' customized language lessons have economic, cultural implications

Fear and despair seized Stephanie Prestigiacomo, 30, on Sept 6, 2017. A full-time mom and a native of Florida in the United States, she saw Hurricane Maria devastate Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island she lived on, ransacking her house and leaving her husband jobless eventually.

Prestigiacomo lost almost all hope until a Chinese educational startup offered her a part-time English teaching opportunity. The gig not only helped drag the family out of a cul-de-sac but became the family's main source of income.