Making Money Online: Tutoring

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Do you have expertise in a specific subject? Do you enjoy helping students learn? Then consider supplementing your income as an online tutor.

It may not be for everyone, but it does allow you to work from home with the potential of a world wide customer base. You can also set convenient hours that don’t interfere with your regular job or family responsibilities.

How It Works

Most online tutoring companies require you to have a way to demonstrate expertise in a subject. Some accept a degree or professional experience, while other may administer a test to check for proficiency. While it is not mandatory that you have a teaching degree, some students and platforms may prefer it if you do. Alongside academic requirements, some tutoring platforms may require that you pass a criminal background check before accepting your first student.

Applying for a tutoring job is fairly easy. All you have to do is fill out an application form, take a couple of free training courses to acquaint yourself with the learning system, possibly pass a proficiency test, and pass the background check.

Once accepted by a tutoring company, the company coordinates both you and your students based on the subject matter and the number of hours required by each student. You may also be required to provide lessons plans depending on the company you work for.

The number of students you tutor varies, depending on the amount of hours you have available, as well as the number of students requiring your help. Your qualifications will determine the number of subjects you can teach.

Tutor-Student communications vary from one company to the other. Most use a secure server that acts as a forum for tutors, students and parents. Many sites offer screen-sharing capabilities, allowing the teacher and student to view each other’s work-sort of like a digital blackboard. Tutors can also communicate with students through telephone, e-mail and video conferencing.

The amount of money you make as an online tutor depends on the tutoring platform you join, and the subject you cover. According to earnings information posted at Glassdoor, and included in job advertisements, typical earnings at some of the top tutoring sites are:

• $11 to $12 per hour at Tutor.com
• $16 to $20 per hour at Tutor Pace
• $15 to $18 per hour at Rosetta Stone
• $20 per minute of edited instructional video at Universal Class
• If you work as a freelancer you have the potential to earn a lot more, as well as a lot less depending on your areas of expertise.

Sites to Consider

There are two types of websites you could check out to get started tutoring: freelancing sites, and tutoring platforms.

First, are freelancing sites. These sites have freelance job postings for a wide range of skills and tasks. Check sites such as Guru, Upwork, and Freelancer for opportunities that fit your skillset.

Finding work through a freelancing site, where rates are negotiated on a per-job basis, has the potential to be more lucrative than working for a tutoring platform, where rates are fixed. It is also a place where you can work as a tutor using your experience as your credentials if you don’t meet the educational requirements of a tutoring platform.

If you want a steady stream of tutoring clients and projects, a tutoring platform might be a better fit, and there are many you could join. Before joining one, you should research several since each varies in how students are tutored, and how tutors are compensated. Here’s a sampling of the most popular to get your started.

• Tutor Pace: If you have a Master’s degree it’s likely you’ll find a subject-matter fit at Tutor Pace where you’ll tutor students ranging in grade from kindergarten through college.
• Rosetta Stone: If you know a foreign language with native-speaker fluency, you could work as an online language tutor, helping students learn a new language.
• Tutor: This site offers part-time tutoring jobs for a wide range of subjects. In order to qualify, you must either be enrolled in college, or a college graduate.
• Universal Class: This site offers video-based online courses in topics as diverse as Organic Chemistry, JavaScript Programming, Soap Making, and Cookie Baking.

Tips

Now you’re ready to get started! Before you go, we have some tips on how you can apply what you’ve learned to have the best experience possible working as an online tutor.

Identify your areas of expertise.

This involves deciding your subject area as well as your audience. Every subject and platform has its own unique requirements. Make a list of your areas of expertise, as well as documentable evidence of proficiency, such as degrees, projects completed, and professional experience.

Research tutoring sites.

There are a wide range of sites that offer tutoring opportunities, and we’ve provided links to a few in this article. Take some time to review a wide range of tutoring sites and identify those that you believe will fit you the best.

Work with more than one platform.

The only way to figure out which format of online tutoring works best for you is to try them on. Submit video proposals to Universal Class, pick up a freelance tutoring role at Guru, and sign up at Tutor Pace. Take the time to try a few different formats out before settling on one.

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