Working as an online tutor is an increasingly popular side hustle thanks to the abundance of online educational opportunities. If you want to make money tutoring online, there are many platforms available that pay you for doing just that.
In this post, you’ll learn all about how to make money tutoring part-time, including which are the best platforms to consider, how much you can earn, and more.
Online Tutoring: An Overview
Demand for online tutoring is soaring right now, with parents seeking supplementary learning opportunities for their children. Online tutors help boost classroom performance, enabling students to get into better schools and build better futures.
Online tutoring is now a highly immersive experience that typically spans online learning portals, video conferencing via Skype, and screen sharing. Over the next few years, emerging technologies like virtual reality will also play more of a role in online education.
What makes a great online tutor?
Online tutoring isn’t for everyone. To make it as an online tutor, you need to have a fun and engaging personality, and patience to work with students — some of whom may struggle with course material and lag behind their peers.
The best teachers have a unique ability to connect with students and help them grasp difficult concepts, and tenacity to never give up.
It also helps to have a passion for a particular subject matter. For example, you may love the English language, math, or science. Being passionate about a subject can inspire students to explore the topic on their own, leading to stronger results.
The Benefits of Tutoring Online
Here are the top benefits of tutoring online.
Work from anywhere
Online tutors can work from the comfort of a home office. You don’t have to go into a physical location or travel. It’s one of the best home jobs a teacher could have, and a great way to make money online.
Help students improve
Having an online tutoring job comes with the unique satisfaction of helping young learners achieve their goals.
Ultimately, you never know whom you may work with. The person you tutor could go on to become a powerful CEO, politician, scientist, or writer. You can play a pivotal role in supporting them in their journey.
Control your schedule
One of the best parts about working as an online tutor is you can remain in full control of your schedule, working when you want to.
Make extra cash
Working with online providers or starting your own tutoring business is a great way to bring in extra cash. Often tutors teach online in addition to working full-time jobs because the work is flexible.
Tips for Tutoring Online
Here are our top tips for tutoring online.
Think twice before certification
As you can see from the above list, not all providers have teaching certification requirements. Some hire based on subject matter expertise alone.
Start by identifying the company you want to work for, and then go about fulfilling the requirements. Getting certified can lead to more tutoring gigs, but you may be able to start without going through the process — saving time and money.
Find direct opportunities to tutor students
Most online tutoring platforms take a cut of your overall pay and limit how much you can earn. You can potentially land more lucrative gigs by finding students through your own personal network, or online through LinkedIn and Facebook.
Cut out the middleman, and you can negotiate higher rates and pocket more of the profits. Consider placing advertisements online to drum up more business as a private tutor.
Progress is important
Online tutoring is a results-driven industry. Most parents will want to see progress in their kids’ test scores. So it’s a good idea to form a strategy, make solid lesson plans, and dedicate yourself to helping kids improve. The tutor is usually the first to receive criticism when students fail to improve their grades.
Launch supplementary content
To generate more business, consider starting a YouTube channel or even an Instagram account and post supplementary material.
For example, take a common problem that your students face in class — like an algebra concept — and explain it using a service like Tik Tok. The idea could potentially go viral, resulting in a wave of business opportunities.
Best Online Tutoring Jobs for 2021
Next, let’s take a look at the most popular platforms for online tutoring.
1. VIPkid
VIPKid connects English instructors to Chinese students who want to learn English. You can set your own schedule and teach one-on-one. And best of all, you don’t have to do any lesson planning. VIPKid handles that aspect, allowing instructors to focus their time on interacting with students.
Classes on VIPKid average about 25 minutes in length. You can teach from anywhere, and you don’t have to speak Chinese.
Teaching requirements
- At least two years of teaching experience teaching, coaching, tutoring, or mentoring
- You have to be legally eligible to work in the U.S. or Canada
- Have a bachelor’s degree from a university, in any field
- Have a working computer and internet connection
Average pay
VIPKid instructors earn $14 to $22 per hour. VIPKid does not withhold taxes.
2. Chegg
Chegg — formerly instaEDU — launched back in 2000 by students at Iowa State University. Today, the platform is available to the general public and has a user base of more than 2.9 million people.
In addition to connecting tutors and students, the company also offers discount textbooks, plagiarism checking, and access to internships.
Teaching requirements
- You don’t have to be from the U.S.
- Two forms of identity verification at signup
- College degree
- Recent photo
- Pass a skills test — varies by subject
Average pay
Chegg pays a flat hourly rate of $20 per hour for live lessons or prorated amounts for lessons that go less than one hour. You’ll receive compensation for your work every Thursday via PayPal.
3. Skooli
Skooli connects students with professional teachers over an online digital classroom setting. It’s a personalized platform designed to provide supplementary digital learning experiences. As a Skooli tutor, you can offer video conferencing, screen sharing, online chat, and an interactive whiteboard experience.
The company is seeking advanced tutors and pays a higher rate than most other online learning platforms. If hired, you can set your own schedule,
Start by applying and completing the verification process.
Teaching requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Specialized instructor qualification
- Official government-issued teaching license
Average pay
Skooli compensation is hourly, based on your qualifications and experience. The company pays after you complete a session.
4. Wyzant
Wyzant connects instructors to students for one-on-one teaching opportunities. The site offers more than 300 subjects, and 65,000 instructors making it one of the most widely used tutoring services on the internet.
Teaching requirements
- Be at least 18 years old
- Live in the U.S.
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Teaching certification isn’t a requirement
Average pay
Listing your services on Wyzant is free. Teachers post an hourly rate and collect 75% of the profits. Wyzant retains the remaining 25%.
In addition, Wyzant has a referral program, where you can collect 100% of the hourly rate with no percentage dedication when you recommend a new student and they sign up for the platform.
5. Qkids
Qkids specializes in connecting online tutors with students. You can set your own teaching schedule, and the site doesn’t require lesson plans but encourages them. Lessons last for 30 minutes, and sessions have one to four students at a time.
Teaching requirements
- Live in the U.S. or Canada
- Resume submission
- 1-2 minute intro video
- Have a webcam
- Need headset with microphone
- Minimum upload speed of 2 Mbps, and 4 Mbps for downloads
- Teaching license or certificate – TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, ESL
- Bachelor’s degree
Average pay
Qkids tutors receive $16 to $20 per hour.
6. Preply
Preply is a leading online education service and another great source for tutors. You can set your own rate and schedule through Preply, and benefit from training webinars and upskill sessions. Plus, you can work with kids from more than 180 countries.
Teaching requirements
- Be at least 18
- Have a recent photo
- No degree requirement — acceptance depends on your experience and the quality of the video and personal description that you submit with your application process.
Average pay
Preply pays an average hourly rate of $18.30, although rates can be more or less depending on the subject.
7. TutorMe
TutorMe is an online platform offering on-demand tutoring opportunities for students across a wide range of topics. Like with most tutoring websites, TutorMe comes with flexible scheduling and you can teach from any location that has internet access.
Teaching requirements
- Be at least 18 years old
- Previous tutoring experience is necessary
- Have mastery of your subject
- Must be a graduate or current student of an accredited university
Average pay
TutorMe pays instructors $16 per hour.
8. Tutor.com
Tutor.com is a leading tutoring service provider, offering 24/7 tutoring opportunities across more than 40 different subjects. Tutors help students grasp difficult concepts and build their problem-solving skills. The service is one of the longest-running programs, stretching back to 1998.
Teaching requirements
- Live in the U.S.
- Have a valid Social Security number
- Be available at least five hours per week
- Have subject matter expertise
- Have a four-year college degree, or current enrollment in an accredited university and working towards a four-year degree
Average pay
Tutors receive $10 per hour through Tutor.com.
9. KidPass
KidPass lets you decide what classes you want to create and instruct. You can offer in-person and online classes, pre-recorded videos, semester courses, and individual or group sessions.
Teaching requirements
- Be at least 18 years old
- Live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K.
- Pass a background check
Average pay
Earn up to $80 per hour working with kids and families teaching through KidPass.
10. Yup
Yup is a math-focused online tutoring platform that’s available 24/7 to both students and tutors. If you love math or have prior math teaching experience this is a great place to look for gigs. Subjects include pre-algebra and go all the way up to calculus and statistics.
Teaching requirements
- Submit a written application
- Pass a math proficiency exam
- Complete a mock tutoring session
Average pay
On average, tutors are earning around $14 per hour, which leaves something to be desired.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most frequently asked questions about making money tutoring.
Can you make a lot of money with a tutoring business?
Yes, but it depends on whether you hustle and how good you are. Successful private tutoring generally requires building a network and customer base. Tutoring sessions need to be impactful and you have to demonstrate progress to retain students.
The work isn’t easy, but if you enjoy it and help your students succeed, you could land long-term, well-paying clients. Or, you could choose to work with tutoring sites and work with a steady stream of students.
The bottom line here is that starting your own home tutoring business is likely to generate far greater revenue than tutoring for an online platform. However, it’s also most likely going to require a lot more work and a larger time commitment.
Is online tutoring challenging?
It all depends on your level of expertise, the students that you’re working with, and the material you’re instructing. If you’re great with students and know the material like the back of your hand, you shouldn’t have any trouble. But if you’re shaky about a particular topic, you may want to brush up on your skills before teaching it or you could run into some issues. Furthermore, not all students have the same background knowledge or learning ability. This means you’ll need to be able to adapt to each student’s unique learning style to help them succeed.
The Bottom Line
Online teaching can be a steady full-time job or a way to make extra money on the side. You can help students with standardized test prep, foreign languages, math, and everything in between.
Start by outlining a basic plan and decide if you want to work with younger students, high school kids, or college students. Then, explore the various online tutoring companies listed here and find a company that’s a good fit for your qualifications and experience.
If you have a college degree and subject matter expertise, chances are you’ll be in a position to start teaching sooner than you may realize. Some sites may require certification, but not all of them will. You should also consider pursuing direct tutoring opportunities.
Here’s to finding a well-paying tutoring gig that helps you earn extra cash, while you help students prepare for their own life journey.
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