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Teaching means much more than just imparting knowledge. It is a way of inspiring change. Being a teacher can be more fulfilling than you could ever imagine, and it is not just me saying this.
Take the example of Steve Menking, a former six-figure Wall Street equities trader, who switched his career to earn $1,000 an hour as a home tutor. He says it’s “More fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.” I have a hunch I know why he’s in such a good mood.
Thanks to the option of online tutoring from home, teaching is now more fun and profitable than ever. Be it people at different stages of life looking to learn new skills or students looking for extra classes, they all need creative and professional tutors. Luckily, even a working professional or someone with expertise in a specific skill can now teach for a side income. If you are interested in teaching as a flexible way to make money, this is your time to shine. Here’s how you make money as an online tutor!
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1. Choose Your Niche
You can’t become the best in something if you don’t know what that something is. The first step to getting freelance tutoring jobs is to figure out your skills and interests. If you are proficient in something specific, you are already halfway there. For example, a musician can teach an instrument or give vocal training. Similarly, a scientist can teach Physics or Chemistry. Being a professional in one subject or skill makes you more desirable and qualified because of your vast practical experience.
You may be good at multiple subjects like math, physics, and chemistry. In that case, you are already destined for success! From teaching these subjects to helping someone code the next Facebook, there are multiple ways for you to make money teaching. For example, a skilled graphic designer can teach Photoshop, whereas a traditional artist can teach painting and sketching. My point is that there are different ways to make money online by teaching and it’s important to narrow down to one topic.
We all start from somewhere, and as a teacher, start by asking yourself “What subject or skills am I good at?” Let’s assume you are a wiz in math and want to teach it online for side income. The next step would be to figure out if you want to teach general math or help with SAT preparations. Both niches have individual requirements and values. While helping with SAT preps generally pays more, there is more demand for general math tutoring.
2. Get Qualified
Online tutors can make up to 100k a year, depending on their qualifications and certifications. These certifications can also dictate which online platforms you can teach. For instance, Chegg & Varsity Tutors only hire people with a bachelor’s degree in the subject they wish to teach. The certifications you need also vary subject to subject. You will need a TEFL/TESOL certification for English, while math, engineering, or science degrees improve credibility when teaching STEM subjects.
Getting certified or pursuing a degree might not always be an option, and with Preply and Wyzant, you won’t have to. Preply and Wyzant don’t require formal degrees from their online tutors and hire based on merit and experience. Taking online courses with LinkedIn Learning and Grow with Google will further boost your credibility. Not only that, but they are easier to complete too.
Ironically enough, a teacher must constantly learn to improve their skills. You can take advantage of various free and paid tools to develop the teaching techniques and soft skills essential for tutoring. There are also similar paid courses available on Udemy and Coursera for you to check out.
3. Choose a Tutoring Platform or Go Independent
As an online tutor, you either work independently or choose among a range of online teaching marketplaces. Some of the best online tutoring platforms include Wyzant, Varsity Tutors, and CodeMentor. These marketplaces have their unique audience and set of pros and cons. When joining a marketplace, make sure to do your due diligence and choose a platform that aligns best with your requirements.
Online tutoring becomes easy with these platforms as you are paid timely and don’t have to find students by yourself. A simple trick here is to optimize your tutor profile by adding a video introduction, your qualifications and testimonials, and relevant keywords for better reach.
The only drawback of these platforms is that they can charge high commission fees of up to 40%. If you want to keep 100% of your earnings, you might want to go independent. Working for yourself provides the opportunity to earn more along with the freedom over your working hours. But, you will have to get students by yourself, and for that, you will need a website and an Instagram profile.
Bonus tip: Optimize your website with keywords for college towns like Austin, Michigan, and New York.
4. Determine Your Rates
One of the most important steps in the process of becoming a tutor is to finalize your rates. You must consider factors like the subjects you teach and where you teach. Depending on the requirements, your qualifications and experience will affect your hourly prices. Let’s break down these online tutor requirements individually to give you a better idea of your hourly earnings.
Starting with subjects, if you teach elementary math or reading, you can easily make $25 to $40 per hour. On the other hand, you can make over $300 a day ($50 to $100 per hour) by helping with test preparation for subjects like advanced sciences and foreign languages.
Similarly, qualifications are a determining factor, and as one would assume, experienced tutors make more than new tutors. Where you live will also influence the rates. For example, urban areas like New York and San Francisco pay better than rural or low-demand areas.
Exploring online teacher forums will help you understand the standard rates in your area and charge accordingly.
Bonus tip: Offer flexible pricing strategies like a sliding scale based on the client’s ability to pay and package deals for longer commitments to stand out and get more clients.
5. Find Students & Market Yourself
When working independently as a tutor, you are essentially running a business, and like in every business, you will have to market yourself to find students. Even if you are working part-time as a college student or are a mother, you will have to figure out creative ways to find students online. Marketing works like dominoes—once you start getting students, word-of-mouth referrals will begin working their magic.
Leverage online groups (Find an Online Tutor in the USA on Facebook) and subreddits (r/Tutoring or r/Teachers) to connect with other teachers. Then, leverage these connections to get more clients and become a better tutor while at it.
Now, it’s starting to sound like you’re running your own business, doesn’t it? Being an independent tutor is like running a business, and like all businesses, you will need a website or an Instagram page too.
This extra effort of building a website will reap unimaginable benefits. It acts as your business’s online presence to get new clients and describe your services. Use your website to showcase testimonials from ex-students and target students. These testimonials and reviews are as important as certifications for you and should be put on the landing page of your website.
6. Plan & Structure Your Lessons
Getting new students is no doubt important, but so is ensuring their long-term commitment. To do so, plan and structure your lessons keeping in mind your students and the subjects you teach. For example, when tutoring beginners and young students, use examples they can easily associate with.
Take examples from teaching models like the 5E ( Engage – Explore-Explain-Elaborate-Evaluate) Model to understand what works and what doesn’t. Giving quizzes will help students recall what they just learned and ensure active participation. Also, planning regular tests and giving constructive feedback will help you track students’ progress and ensure efficient learning.
An umbrella teaching strategy will keep you consistent in your lessons and make it easier for students to understand. However, you should personalize your lesson based on the student’s needs. Not every child has the same learning capacity and will require personal attention. When offering one-on-one sessions, understand the student’s requirements and build your lesson plan accordingly.
Bonus tip: Schedule classes based on students’ availability. For example, you can work on the weekend to teach college students or someone with a full-time job.
7. Expand & Scale Your Tutoring Business
Now that you know how to become an online tutor, the last step in this guide is to learn how to grow your business. If you’ve already mastered the art of one-on-one tutoring, why not take it a step further? As a teacher, you don’t always have to teach one-on-one sessions to make money. Yes, you can take group sessions on Zoom or Google Meet, but that’s not what we are talking about.
We are talking about leveraging the power of the internet and platforms like Udemy and Skillshare. Uploading lessons on online teaching platforms is a great passive income idea as you get paid every time a student watches that lesson. Expanding your business is all about working smarter. So instead of teaching one lesson over and over again, why not offer pre-recorded lessons?
We told you there are several benefits of building a website, and here’s another one—use it to hire more tutors and build your business. With more tutors, you can take up more students and offer courses for additional subjects. So get your whiteboards out and start getting paid for teaching what you already know!
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