How to become an online tutor

So you want to become an online tutor? Well that’s actually not a bad idea! The ongoing pandemic has left several parents seeking out ways to supplemental the lackluster online education that their children are receiving from their public or private institutions. How are they doing this you ask? Well it’s by hiring aspiring tutors like yourself! Becoming an online tutor is a great source of income whether it be on a full time basis or just as a lucrative side hustle. However, it should be taken with great seriousness as students and parents are turning to you to assist with shaping young minds and helping with academic studies.

The online tutoring business is booming! Therefore it’s important to establish a few things before propelling yourself into an already competitive business. Granted there’s enough money and business to go around but you want to be able to market yourself as the most knowledgeable and deserving of clients nationwide. Now, first things first you’ll have to pose yourself a few questions to better understand what audience you’ll be targeting, how you’ll persuade them to utilize your services above others and how you’ll be able to best compete in a competitive market.

After researching the market and determining what customers tend to need and require you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the students that need your help the most. To do this, determine the characteristics of users based on age, behavior and location so your innovative mind can begin to work its magic! Next you’ll choose a subject topic that you feel most comfortable with teaching. For aspiring tutors with advanced degrees you’ll be left with a greater array of topics to cover based on your extensive educational background. It's important users trust your knowledge so displaying and discussing your credentials will serve as a great selling point.

The model and course pattern that you choose to proceed with will also hold great value to customers. During times like these it’s important to offer virtual courses, emailed coursework and grading, text chat messages and/or even video conferencing. As far as models go, you’ll need to determine if you’re comfortable providing a more traditional vs comprehensive model of e-learning. The comprehensive model will more than likely attract more customers to utilize your services as it allows clients to receive help on a range of topics instead on just one. The traditional model, allows users to focus on and receive assistance in one subject area.

You are now ready to choose and set up your online platform to sell your courses! In this section, I’ll go over some top tutoring software providers as well as some already well established sites willing to pay for your services.

Software Providers

Newrow — is a great web-based, professional online learning platform designed for online instruction. In addition, the site provides tutors with over 30 micro-video lessons to help them master teaching online.

WizIQ — is an education and training technology leader that allows users to create and sell interactive courses to be consumed for self-paced or live classes. The site also offers mobile services to help make learning portable and accessible 24/7 on personal handheld devices.

myTutoring — is a complete solution for your online tutoring business. It provides a rich interactive classroom with whiteboard, audio/video/text communication, document sharing and screen sharing. It also accepts and processes several payment methods from your clients for provided services.

Online Tutoring Job Sites

Chegg — is one of the biggest names in online tutoring. The site offers a number of tutoring positions for those that want to instruct students in middle or high school but is especially good for those who want to work with college or professional students. Pay starts at around $20/hour and the site is open to tutors in non-traditional areas — whereas many other sites tend to focus on core subjects.

Tutor.com — is a site great for those relatively new to the tutoring game. The company welcomes experienced teachers but primarily requires a bachelor’s degree along with a subject matter expertise test to get started. The platform has a strong reputation and is part of the Princeton Review family — a staple in the education world.

Studypool — is a great platform for new tutors that want to build some experience in a lower pressure setting. Instead of pairing tutors and learners in a one on one session it allows tutors to work on individual questions or assignments. Tutors essentially select questions, quote a price and provide a turnaround time. This site works well as a low-commitment and flexible way to gain some experience and cash.

Regardless of which route you choose take on your journey towards becoming an online tutor it’s important to utilize a few market techniques to make your business successful. Many find the following to be useful tools:

• Email marketing to create engagement with audience
• Blog posts to aid in growing your email lists and promoting your courses
• Forums or communities to share and interact with other tutors and students
• Paid ads on sites like Facebook or Google

Lastly, to attract more students so your tutoring business can continue to thrive long term, these tips may come in handy:

• Collect reviews, ratings and feedback to improve and/or display for potential clients
• Be flexible to allow for a greater audience in a number of time zones
• Respond quickly and provide valuable support to students
• Build and complete a profile with text and video that allows your skills, commitment and knowledge to come across to potential clients