Going Up Education Review: Structured ESL Curriculum for Online Teachers
Going Up Education combines 450+ ready-made ESL lessons with an all-in-one teaching platform — video classroom, payments, parent messaging, and progress tracking. Built for independent online ESL teachers. Here's the honest breakdown.Ready to try Going Up Education?
"All-in-one: curriculum + live classroom + payments + parent messaging in a single platform — built specifically for online ESL teachers."
Best for
Independent online ESL teachers who want a ready-made curriculum AND a back-office for scheduling, payments, and parent communication — without stitching together 5 separate tools.
Pricing
Pioneer membership (Early Access)
Pro tip — heads up before you bookmark it
Early Access caveat
English Universe is still in Early Access (2026). Bugs, design changes, and occasional downtime are expected while the team ships improvements. The Pioneer pricing discount is the trade-off — verify current rates on the Going Up Education site before committing.
What is Going Up Education?
Going Up Education is an ESL platform built specifically for teachers who run their own online schools. Two products sit under the same roof:
- The Legacy Curriculum: 450+ ready-made ESL lessons across 5 levels — Pre-Beginner, Beginner, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Advanced. Each level has themed units (e.g. "Family is Love", "Out on Safari", "Smart Homes"). There's a separate Adult Lessons track with conversation-focused content.
- English Universe: the newer teaching platform. Built-in live video classroom, course builder, homework review, student progress tracking, parent messaging, and Stripe Connect payments.
The pitch is consolidation. Most independent online ESL teachers stitch together Calendly + Stripe + a curriculum PDF + a Zoom link + a homework WhatsApp group. Going Up Education collapses all of that into one tool.
As of 2026, English Universe is in Early Access — Pioneer teachers get discounted founding rates in exchange for testing and feedback. The Legacy Curriculum is fully built and stable.
How teachers use it
Three workflows where Going Up Education shines:
- New teacher launching an online school: skip the curriculum-writing phase. The 450-lesson library covers Pre-Beginner to Advanced, and the platform handles bookings and payments out of the box.
- Teacher scaling from 1-to-1 to small groups: course builder lets you create reusable lesson templates, assign them to cohorts, and track each student's progress.
- Teacher tired of stitching tools: replace Calendly + Stripe + Zoom + Google Classroom + a WhatsApp group with one platform. Parent messaging alone saves hours weekly.
- Teacher transitioning from a school to independent: the Legacy Curriculum gives you a structured teaching framework so you're not inventing lesson plans from scratch.
Is it worth your time?
Yes — if you're an independent online ESL teacher and you're tired of running your school across 5 disconnected tools, Going Up Education is worth a serious look. The curriculum alone justifies a trial.
The catch: English Universe is in Early Access. Expect occasional bugs, missing features, and platform downtime while the team ships improvements. The Pioneer pricing discount is the trade-off — you get cheap rates, they get your feedback.
Honest recommendation: start with a free Trainee account to explore the curriculum. If the lesson quality fits your teaching style and your students, upgrade to Pioneer for one month free. The early-access friction is real but manageable — and the founding pricing locks in for life.
The honest pros and cons
What works
- 450+ lessons ready to teach Pre-Beginner to Advanced, structured and themed. Saves weeks of curriculum writing.
- All-in-one platform Curriculum + video classroom + payments + parent messaging. Replaces 4–5 separate tools.
- Stripe Connect built in Accept card payments and payouts without a separate merchant account.
- Parent messaging Direct communication channel without giving out your personal phone number.
- Course builder Build custom lessons with interactive templates and assign them to student cohorts.
- Both kids and adult tracks Lesson library covers young learners and adult conversation-focused content.
What doesn't
- Early Access bugs English Universe is still being built. Expect occasional outages and missing features.
- Locked into the platform Curriculum and student data live inside Going Up — switching out later means migrating.
- Pricing tier unclear upfront Pioneer rates are discounted but exact post-launch pricing is not yet published.
- Smaller community than Ellii Fewer third-party resources and teacher forums compared to larger platforms.
- Video classroom limitations Built-in classroom is functional but less polished than dedicated tools like Zoom or ClassDojo.
- Limited free tier Trainee account is explore-only — full curriculum access requires paid membership.
Best alternatives
If Going Up Education isn't a fit, these are the resources teachers actually switch to:
Ellii (formerly ESL Library)
Hundreds of ready-to-use lessons with flashcards, videos, and a lesson planner. Long-established curriculum provider.
British Council Learn English
Free, polished activities from a trusted institution. Great for warm-ups and self-study.
ESL Brains
Lesson plans built around TED talks and authentic videos for adult and teen learners.
Teach-This.com
3,000+ printable ESL worksheets, CEFR-aligned, updated monthly. Reliable backup library.
Frequently asked questions
What is Going Up Education?
Is Going Up Education a curriculum or a teaching platform?
How much does Going Up Education cost?
Does it suit young learners or adults?
Can I teach my own curriculum alongside Going Up's?
Do students need accounts?
What are the best Going Up Education alternatives?
Ready to consolidate your online ESL school?
Free Trainee account to explore the curriculum, Pioneer membership for the full platform. If you're tired of stitching Calendly + Stripe + Zoom + Google Classroom, Going Up Education is built for you.
Visit Going Up Education