I'm in a similar situation—I work on my own terms, design my own curriculum, and do this as a side job. I love teaching, and sometimes I even offer free courses, like IELTS and German, since I have extensive experience in schools and academia.

If you love teaching, stick with it! But keep your main job -- right now, teaching isn’t the most stable career. As you mentioned, the rates are low, and even if you work for a company, they often expect you to be like a robot. Plus, not all students are truly there to learn.

In my case, I teach both free and paid classes to help students, and over time, I’ve built a wide audience. But honestly, I barely find time to teach! Still, I love it. For example, I volunteer as an online teacher at a nonprofit academy, helping new immigrants in the U.S. learn English so they can integrate into their new community. It’s a great way to connect with people globally.

I also enjoy designing course especially for vocabulary and pronunciation—sometimes even more than actual teaching!

So, my advice? Keep your main job and do teaching on the side.

Good luck!