Do you remember when was the last time you read the hard copy of a book?
Blinking? No worries.
It is very unfortunate that the book reading habit has greatly reduced because of our addiction to the electronic devices like iPhone, Xbox, Amazon Kindle etc. Because, most of us are spending our free time to watch videos, play games and to chat with our friends through social media.
Not only adults but also our kids are watching their favorite cartoons on YouTube without needing our support. And most of our smalls kids know about mobile phones much better than us. Do you agree?
Thanks to mobile phones and tablets, these days the traditional classroom sessions are boring for both small kids as well as teens. Based on the latest report in 2017 (Source: Statista ), the unemployment rate is more among the high school dropouts (close to 18%).
That’s why online tutoring is getting more popular among the parents to improve the knowledge of their kids so that they can successfully complete their high school and enroll for higher education in universities.
When everything can be done using a mobile phone, laptop or tablet, why not teaching as well?
What is online tutoring?
Often, many people use the words ‘teaching’ and ‘tutoring’ interchangeably in their conversations. But there is a major difference between the two.
For instance, if you need to explain the tips on making money online by watching videos to someone with a basic knowledge of computers and the internet, then you can call that as tutoring.
But, if you need to explain the same topic to someone who doesn’t know anything about computers, then it is called teaching.
Teaching is like developing a new app whereas tutoring is adding a new feature or update to an existing app.
What are the tools needed for online tutoring?
A traditional classroom will at least have the following items for taking classes.
- Study desk
- Chairs
- Black / Whiteboard
- Chalk / Markers
In the case of online tutoring, the classroom itself is virtual. So, you don’t need all the things listed above. It is enough if you have the following:
- Desktop / Laptop ( You can also take the sessions from your phone if you are comfortable with that)
- High-speed broadband connection
- Good quality microphone & speaker
- Video chat ( Skype, Hangouts or other video calling apps )
- Reference materials (if needed)
Important: Make sure you are sitting in a room with no background noise or any kind of interference which may affect your tutoring sessions.
Did I miss anything?
Yes. Of course, the online tutoring sessions needs you and the student as well ?
Mostly, teens and high school students hire either private tutors or select tutors from reputed online tutoring services to improve their knowledge of the subjects they find hard to understand in classroom sessions.
Do you need a degree to become an Online Tutor?
Yes. To become an online tutor, you need to at least hold a Bachelor’s degree. It will be an added bonus if you have done any kind of certification related to the subject on which you are going to take classes.
If you will be providing support only to complete homework or other kinds of assignments for the students, then you may not need any certifications. And, it fully depends on the tutoring service you chose to apply for the job.
Based on your skills and experience, you can teach not only small kids but also middle or high school students.
Not only subjects but also you can teach English, Spanish, French and more. And, there has been a lot of demand for native English speakers in the countries like China, Japan etc to teach English for their kids.
( You may like: How To Become An ESL Teacher and Make Money from Home? )
How to search and apply for Online Tutoring Jobs?
1. Job Search Websites
To search and apply for any kind of job, job search website is the easiest option. However, the job opportunities will be scattered and you need to apply the suitable filters to find the right job. Plus, the selection process may take a long time before you can get a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
2. Freelancing Job Websites
You can try the popular freelancing job websites like Upwork, PeoplePerHour, Freelancer etc to search for the online tutoring jobs on your specialized subject/field. But, these sites will take a flat percentage of service fee from your salary. For instance, Upwork takes 20% service fee for your every job contract.
3. Marketplaces / Classifieds
You can create catchy ads on freelancing marketplaces like Fiverr with a detailed description of your skills and the expected rate. Alternatively, you can also put ads on classified websites like Sulekha, Craigslist etc.
4. Online Tutoring Services
This is the best place to search for an online tutoring job on any subject because they focus only on tutoring jobs (like a specialty store and not a supermarket).
The selection criteria and the rate per hour vary with each tutoring service. But, you should be able to make at least $10 per hour to work as an online tutor.
Basically, online tutoring services function as a middleman to connect the tutors with the students & parents. Parents can choose their desired tutors based on their skills, experience, location etc.
Top 10 Best Online Tutoring Services
Here is the list of best online tutoring services that helps you to become an online tutor right away to make money @ home :
1. Chegg Tutors
Chegg Tutors is a reputed online tutoring service available since 2003. You can choose your favorite subjects and start tutoring for students at your own flexible schedule. You don’t need to pass any kind of tutor certification to become an online tutor through Chegg Tutors. The payments are processed every week.
2. eTutorworld
Besides teaching individual subjects like math, English or science, you can also provide tutoring to the students for taking various exams like SAT, SCAT, ACT and more. To become an online tutor through eTutorworld, you need to get past their extensive selection process.
3. Skooli
You need to possess at least any of the qualifications like Bachelor’s /Master’s / Ph.D. Skooli will be doing a complete background check before approving your profile. The payments are processed through PayPal. And, you can request the payment once your balance reaches $100.
4. TutorVista
TutorVista expects you to hold a Master’s degree on the subject + few years teaching experience. You have the option to choose any number of working hours from 4 to 9 for a day. And the average session duration for a student is 45 minutes. Besides teaching, you will also get paid for providing support to students on their homework assignments.
5. Growing Stars
You have the option to choose from a variety of subjects like English, math, physics, chemistry, biology, life science and more. Besides the subjects, you can also provide online tutoring for the exams like GCSE, ACT, SAT, PSAT etc. on Growing Stars and get paid for the same.
6. Eduboard
To become an online tutor with Eduboard, fill in the application form and take the English test. Besides the test, there is no need to have any other tutoring certification. Either you can take classes on the subjects like math, physics, chemistry etc or you can provide support for homework assignments or projects. Eduboard will take a commission of 20% of your fee.
7. MindLaunch
If you possess a Master or Ph.D. degree and also have a license to work in the US, then MindLaunch is the best online tutoring service for you. Unlike the other tutoring services, MindLaunch aims to provide long-term education support for it students. You need to undergo a 10-hour interview process and an extensive background checks if you are interested to become an online tutor.
8. TutorMe
Basically, TutorMe is a P2P based online tutoring service where the tutor and the student will be connected on a one-to-one basis. For considering your application, it verifies that you possess a university or equivalent degree and a complete background check.
9. Preply
To become an online tutor using Preply, you don’t need to undergo an extensive selection process. Not only you can set your own working hours, but also you can specify your hourly rates as well. Preply is a good option for a newbie who wants to start a career in online tutoring.
10. Wyzant
You don’t need to pass any tutor certification. But, you need to take the proficiency quiz or written test conducted by them and get good scores to become an online tutor. Instead of an hourly or fixed fee, Wyzant will be paying you based on the number of hours you had worked in a week.
Conclusion
If you are a beginner without any prior experience in teaching, then the best option for you to become an online tutor is to apply for a tutoring service which doesn’t require any kind of certification. For someone whose profession is teaching, then they can choose the tutoring services which offer better pay rates.
Joanne B Kaminski says
I completely agree that our young ones know how to use technology without any help from us. I have been tutoring online since 2010 and have worked with kids as young as 3 and 4 years old. I personally help them with teaching reading.
I love that you have so many companies mentioned here. Many of them will take a big cut of the tutors rate. To help people earn even more money I have created a YouTube page that shows them how they can make even more money.
This may be useful for your readers. https://www.youtube.com/joannekaminski
Online tutoring is growing by leaps and bounds and if you have a passion to teach and you want to do it online, this is an amazing field to jump into.
Thanks for the amazing content you provide on your blog.
vrimee says
Thanks for the information.
I will update this in my blog soon.