Online Chinese teaching is expected to become one of the most popular occupations in 2018, as Mandarin fever has been sweeping across the world in recent years, says an authoritative department, China News reported on Jan. 29.

The monthly income of a qualified online Chinese teacher is about 10,000 yuan ($1,581), exceeding that of employees in China’s first-tier cities, according to Lingo Bus, the online Chinese learning platform for kids launched by VIPKID, one of the world’s largest online learning platforms.

China’s Ministry of Education has said that over 5 million Chinese teachers are needed in the world, and the figure will continue to grow with rising number of Mandarin learners.

Statistics show that in Australia the number of Mandarin speakers now ranks second behind those speaking English; and in Russia, the figure has increased to 56,000 in 2017.

Lingo Bus, launched in June last year, mainly offers Chinese education services to kids around the world.

Currently, it has over 4,000 registered students, covering more than 40 countries including the U.S., Canada, and Egypt. Nearly 6,000 people have applied for the post of Chinese teacher on the platform.