Online tutoring is a fast-growing industry, enabled by the age of convenience and high-speed internet connections. By scheduling private tutoring sessions online with your students (once a week for example), you and your students can achieve the same results of an in-person tutoring session — except you can both do it from home.
No commuting through snowstorms, no appointments missed because of traffic, and environmental expenses of transportation are reduced too. When the moment comes to pull yourself out of the comfort zone, you may occur in the chaos of thoughts.
What is the best option for me? What are the risks? How do I know that this will work for me? Sure, you can receive professional consultancy from a job coordinator.
Yet, it may surprise you a bit if it is discovered that you can be a better advisor for yourself. Who else perfectly knows what you can do or not? You should spend some time sorting out those chaotic thoughts and finally clarifying ways that drive changes.
This article will particularly focus on online tutoring as a driver of change for those mothers who have been stuck in a housewife role for a couple of years. It will be also useful for students who lack enough experience or for job hoppers who are tired from office work.
- Top 13 Best Guidelines to Make Regular Income from Online Tutoring
- How Can I Get The Most Money Online Tutoring?
- Can You Make a Living Off Online Tutoring?
- Where Can I Get Online Tutoring Jobs?
- How Much Can You Make From Tutoring Online?
- How Can I Succeed in Online Tutoring?
- How do I Get The Most Out of my Tutoring?
- How do You Make Virtual Tutoring Fun?
- Is Tutoring Online Worth it?
- What Makes For a Good Online Tutor?
- Is Tutoring a Good Way to Make Money?
- How Much Does an Online Tutor Make Per Hour?
- How Much Should I Charge For Tutoring?
- How do I Become a Successful Tutor?
- How do I Become an Online Tutor?
- How do You Structure a Tutoring Session?
Top 13 Best Guidelines to Make Regular Income from Online Tutoring
1. Study Your Tutoring Skills
Is there a teacher in you? Sometimes teachers who spend the half of their lives tutoring, discover they are better with decorating living rooms. Unfortunately, when we come into a specific comfort zone, we can’t even assume to ask this simple question.
Read Also: Making Money With Technology-focused Media
I suppose a real teacher should constantly revise own tutoring skills that do not comprise academic background in the first place. Certainly, you should get involved in online tutoring having enough patience, ability to listen, desire to share, readiness to spend more time on the preparation than a lesson lasts.
2. Practice Your Tutoring Skills or Get a Certificate to Teach
If you want to become a professional tutor and have a long waiting list of students, you need a certificate that allows teaching the subject of your expertise. For instance, if you’ve already spent four years in college and got that certificate but have practiced, you could enter a special course for teachers. There you will get practical lessons and methods how to engage learners with a systematic approach to studying.
3. Choose a Reliable Online Platform to Safely Expose Your Profile
The community of online tutors is huge and they are united by different online tutoring services. For example, if you visit Preply, you’ll see that it gathers tutors with different price tags. There are a few factors that influence charges.
Among them, we single out an origin of a tutor (naturally, natives earn more than non-native teachers), a degree (the Master’s makes the most), experience (1+ year is just preferable), reviews from current or previous learners (particular bonuses to your profile that true teachers earn with their daily performance).
4. Replicate Each Lesson First
This is far from simple lesson planning. Make a detailed picture in your mind how a good lesson should be built. Don’t try to recreate a perfect lesson. Judging from my own experience, there are no such. There will be always some points in presenting material that another tutor would criticize or redo.
However, this isn’t a reason to mimic the methods of others or regard yourself a pathetic tutor. The methodology can be shared but approaches always differ. Hence, do not get tired to replicate each lesson and come up with new techniques to deliver your lessons.
5. Make Trial Lessons to Master Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is dissimilar to traditional in-class lessons. Many tutors of an old school fail to keep contact and show their full potential by having a Skype lesson. It is explained by the fact that lessons you give online require even more preparation since you can’t just use a whiteboard to assist you with explanations and other training activities.
This is why it is better to practice and detect all the bottlenecks on trial lessons you could give to one of your friends or relatives. It may sound as a waste of your time but it will add you more confidence which is invaluable for the tutor’s reputation and success.
6. Choose a Number of Supporting Tools and Sources
To substantially decrease the preparation time, tutors should form a list of those tools and sources that would support their lessons. Not only it simplify the whole process but it also engages learners because today tutors mostly deal with Z-gen students. These learners are known for their impatience and ignorance to conventional ways of studying.
They expect to absorb new information through familiar sources and ways of receiving data. Hence, it’s better to use all the tools that will capture attention and warm up interest in such students. One of such is interactive video-based lessons with quizzes and training games.
If you still wonder how the above-mentioned ways can generate income, then you can have a look at this short summary. All these top 13 Best Guidelines are part of your tutoring strategy which will generate more potential learners interested in your high proficiency. Hence, a tutor who always works on own performance will make a regular income growing an audience of students.
If you are intrigued by this career possibility, below is a collection of online tutoring companies that may be a good fit for you. It is by no means an exhaustive list, so (as usual), make sure you do some research before jumping in.
7. Tutor.com
Countries of operation: US & Canada
Topics: English, Math, Science, Social Studies
Required Credentials: University or Professional degree
They will pay for training.
Pay is based on hours spent tutoring.
8. Tutor Vista
Countries of operation: US & UK
Topics: Math, English, Language Arts, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Integrated Science, and others
Required Credentials: Masters degree
Doesn’t pay for training.
9. Class of 1
Topics: Math, Physics, English, Chemistry, Economics, Statistics, Accounts, Finance, Human Resources Management, Corporate Strategy and Marketing Management
Required Experience: Classroom teaching experience in High School/ College/ Graduate/ Post Graduate
Required Credentials: Minimum Post graduate degree in the subject with English Medium education
10. Smart Thinking
Countries of operation: US
Topics: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Medical Assisting, Neuroscience, Nursing, Medical Surgery, Pharmacology, Online Writing Lab, Spanish
Required Commitment: Prefer minimum of 9 hours/week
Paid training (10-15 hours)
11. Tutorzilla
Topics: Math & Science
We was unable to find any further information about credentials or commitments required.
12. Sylvan Learning
Countries of Operation: US & Canada
Topics: Wide variety of topics
Sylvan, obviously already a recognized name in the tutoring business, is now operating online too.
13. Tutor Nation
This service is simply a portal connecting tutors (in all subject areas) with students. They cover the gambit of live tutoring, as well as email tutoring and live online tutoring.
You pay for membership to be listed as a tutor. They guarantee to send you tutor requests or they’ll extend your membership for free.
How Can I Get The Most Money Online Tutoring?
Online tutoring has become increasingly popular among students in recent years. And there are countless web-based services popping up these days with new learning portals and content delivery platforms.
Whether you’re a seasoned online tutee or you’re thinking about giving it your first try, here are five simple tips to help you get the most out of your online tutoring experience.
1. Reset your brain and body as necessary. Sitting at a desk or table through an entire hour-plus online tutoring session can be taxing. Tell your tutor you’d like to take a brief (1-2 minute) stretch break every twenty minutes.
When the time comes, get up and have a drink of water or a handful of trail mix, then do a lap around your apartment or house, or even do some jumping jacks. Trust me, a simple exercise break like this will not only re-energize your body and brain, it will also help to maximize your focus for the remainder of your online tutoring experience.
2. Don’t be passive. If your tutor is lecturing or reading through dull information with you and you find it hard to stay engaged, speak up. Ask him or her to give you an exercise or activity that will force you to process new or difficult information more actively.
For example, if you’re utilizing a learning interface that has a whiteboard or notepad feature, do some of the writing yourself. Or keep a small dry-erase board or even a notebook and pencil handy so that you can take notes (or graph functions, etc.) and show them to your tutor for affirmation throughout the session.
3. Find a quiet, undisturbed location where you won’t be interrupted. Nothing can kill the rhythm and focus of a good online tutoring session quite like a dog jumping up onto your lap and knocking a glass of water all over your keyboard.
Shut the door and put a sign on it alerting others not to disturb your tutoring time, turn down the music, and–especially if you live in a noisy city–shut the window. If that’s not possible, consider using a headset to enhance your listening and speaking capabilities.
4. Speaking of focus, dedicate yours to your tutoring session. By this, I mean that you should log out of Facebook or Instagram, turn off your cell phone, stop downloading or uploading large files, and clear your computer’s desktop of any unrelated, eye-catching clutter.
The most effective learning spaces in a school are clean, organized, well-lit, and otherwise conducive to learning. By tuning in to nothing but your tutoring session and eliminating distractions, you’ll set yourself up for a better online learning experience.
5. Power up and log in at least five minutes early. In my experience, students tend to wait until the last possible second to load a website, log in, and access the learning interface (or open Skype, iChat, etc.).
Procrastination like this leaves no room for what could go wrong: your wifi password has been reset and you don’t know the new one; your operating system demands that you install new software; the website asks you to download a new add-in; your laptop is almost out of juice and you can’t find the power adapter.
With a little extra time, you can take care of these sorts of problems and start your tutoring session with a greater sense of calm and focus.
Can You Make a Living Off Online Tutoring?
Lots of students need help with their education. They might need some advice regarding a report they have to submit or a challenging research paper that they can’t finish on time.
At the same time, there are plenty of well-educated people who have the skills that enable them to help these distressed students in exchange for a pre-agreed upon fee.
Online tutoring is an excellent chance for students as well as tutors because they can set their own schedules and work according to their own pace. At the same time, the student and the tutor don’t have to meet so they can manage all their work remotely.
On average, online tutors earn between $11-$20 an hour for common subjects.
Your earnings as an online tutor depend on your education level, specialty, experience teaching, and the company you’re working for. In general, the pay for elementary subjects will be less than college or specialty topics.
Where Can I Get Online Tutoring Jobs?
Due to the advancement in technology, online tutoring is becoming extremely popular among students, parents, and tutors. Most people find it convenient to learn from home while being helped by an online teacher that they can reach whenever they want to.
Here are some of the best online tutoring jobs that you can give a try. Each job is designed to suit different skills, so check each company out in order to find the right fit for you.
1. MagicEars
If you’re Canadian or American, MagicEars might be a good job for a beginner online tutor. You can earn between $20 and $26 per hour and your money will be transferred into your PayPal account on the 10th working day of the month.
This website is designed to help students in China. The service is provided to students ages 4-12 and signing up for teaching is extremely easy. You can simply write your name and email and you’ll immediately be able to teach and help others.
Each interactive classroom is made up of 1 up to 4 students, talking and interacting to learn the basics of the English language. You can set your own working hours which is a big plus, especially if you’re still giving online tutoring a try.
You’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree and proof of experience before you start tutoring. You’re teaching students in China, so you should take the different time zone working hours into consideration before you sign up for this job.
2. Chegg Tutors
Tutoring of all levels is available at Chegg Tutors. This is an excellent choice for all online tutors as all subjects are offered. The target students are middle school, high school, college students, and professionals.
If you have the needed experience, you can easily join the website. Moreover, it offers jobs to college and university students as long as you can provide proof that you’re currently studying for a 4-year certificate.
If you can present proof of your current or previous studies, in addition to your school scores, you’ll be immediately hired to provide educational assistance to struggling students. You can apply from anywhere in the world as all nationalities are welcomed, as long as you have the needed knowledge to offer online tutoring.
Once you sign up, the website will start assigning students to you. As you work more, you’ll be able to improve your score and build your reputation. This means that you’ll get more online opportunities.
The pay rate is $20 per hour, and you’ll receive your money every week via PayPal. The more specific your academic discipline is, the more money you’re likely to make.
Although some platforms offer a higher salary, this is an excellent place to start your journey as an online tutor.
3. TutorMe
TutorMe is another helpful online platform that connects struggling students with the right people who can offer academic assistance. Signing up is extremely easy and is suitable for beginners and first-timers.
Start your application and write down information about yourself and your education. You should select the subjects that you’ve mastered while you were studying or the subjects you taught as a teacher if you have any teaching experience.
After that, the website will start connecting you to students who are looking for someone who can help them with their homework tasks, essays, assignments, and lessons.
You should have some previous teaching experience if you want to apply for an online tutoring job. The working hours are extremely flexible as you get to set your own schedule. All subjects are available and you’ll be working with student levels K to 12.
The two-way rating system allows students to rate you so you can get more jobs as you gain experience. However, this also means that a disgruntled student might give you a bad rating, affecting your overall score.
You’ll receive a beginning salary of $16 per hour, paid every week via PayPal. The hour is calculated based on the number of minutes spent with each student, as long as it exceeds 5 minutes. This is quite low compared to other online tutoring jobs but is still good enough, especially for a beginner.
4. QKids
QKids is another website dedicated to Chinese learners, so if you’re not comfortable working in a different time zone, then this might not be the right one for you.
Currently, there are more than 600,000 Chinese students using the platform, so you’ll definitely get a lot of work if you decide to sign up.
You’ll be part of a big team that involves thousands of other online teachers who work together to help these students achieve their academic goals. As long as you live in the USA or Canada, and have a bachelor’s degree, you’re qualified to apply for a tutoring job.
Students as young as 4 or 5 till the age of 12, can join this website for premium educational help from native speakers. These students are keen on improving their English level so you should be proficient and fluent enough to help them understand the basics of the language.
Each class is made of 1 to 4 students and will last 30 minutes. You can take many classes per day because you’ll find lots of enthusiastic students who are willing to learn.
The website tries to match you up with the same students every single time, so you can help them improve their language through continuous practice. However, this doesn’t always work, so you might end up with some new students every now and then.
You’ll get paid $15 to $21 per hour and there is a system of bonuses available for excellent tutors. The website gives you the tools that will help you make things easier for students.
This means that you can start teaching even if you don’t have much teaching experience. There will be some training available so you can become a better online tutor.
5. VIPKid
The VIPKid platform is designed to offer American-quality education to hardworking Chinese students who can’t join American schools. The students’ age ranges from 4 to 12.
You can make some extra cash teaching English, as long as you’re eligible for work in the USA or Canada. You should have at least one year of teaching experience.
If you don’t, you should provide proof that you’ve been offering private tutoring, mentoring or church teaching. This job isn’t suitable for students or someone who has never tried teaching.
The interview process is a bit competitive, so you won’t make it unless you’re actually fit for the job. However, you might have a friend who can serve as your referral.
This platform offers multiple bonuses if you’re always on time, more students sign up for your classes, or if you’re teaching more than 30 classes per week. You’ll be paid between $15 and $22 per hour.
6. Brainfuse
Brainfuse has a 15-year track record in use in rural and inter-city areas where the bandwidth isn’t the best. Since their system is built for choppy internet, you don’t have to worry about having your sessions interrupted from dropped sessions or connection troubles.
They offer both on-demand and prescheduled tutoring sessions. If you find yourself with some free time, you can log in to find a student wanting a session with very little wait time.
Brainfuse offers tutroring for K-12, higher education, and even career services such as resume writing and interview skills.
They do want their tutors to have some prior experience. To apply, you send them your resume and they’ll get back to the people they’re interested in.
7. GeeklyHub
GeeklyHub focuses on solely helping college students with their homework. This is an on-demand tutoring service and the tutors are freelancers.
How it works is a college student posts a task they need help with. Then, a qualified tutor will accept the task and help them with it. This could be explaining how to do a math problem or proper sentence structure.
GeeklyHub’s AI helps narrow down the tasks so that only the most relevant show up in your account. You can accept as many tasks as you’d like every day.
They pay well and say that the average tutor earns $20/hr. Another plus is that you can even choose Payoneer, Paypal, or Skrill as your payout method.
How Much Can You Make From Tutoring Online?
According to Preply’s internal business data, the average hourly rate for an online tutor is $18.30 (USD). However, when you look more closely, the average hourly rate for an online tutor could be as low as $10.00 or as high as $38.90 depending on the subject of study.
The rates charged by tutors can, however, be significantly higher than the aforementioned average by subject area when it comes to teaching advanced topics such as business English, calculus or test preparation whereby we see some tutors charging $50 and upwards.
How Can I Succeed in Online Tutoring?
Online tutoring requires both preparation and dedication: in other words, it asks for a high level of professionalism. If you’d like to work from home in online tutoring, remember these seven tips on how to become a successful online tutor.
1. Take an Online Course Yourself
Before you take on a student, it would be very beneficial for you to take a few classes online. Find a private tutor that specializes in something you’ve always wanted to learn and give it a try. It would be best not to schedule a class in something you already know well because it affects the interaction when both parties have the same level of knowledge in the subject taught.
You need to learn how to give classes to students with either no understanding of the matter, or whose knowledge is far inferior to yours. When choosing a tutor from whom you are going to learn, of course, look for the ones with the best rating, but also take a class with someone whose references are quite poor. You need to see both what you should and shouldn’t do.
2. Be Professional
It is important to understand that even though this is a job done from the comfort of your home, it still requires your best professional behavior. One easy tip for feeling more professional is to dress as if you were tutoring the students at their own house. The clothes not only serve to make an impression on your student or their parents, but also keep your attitude in check.
Similarly, make sure you have a part of a room that you use strictly for work so you wouldn’t associate the place with leisure. The space can be as small as you’d like, but it needs to be able to hold all the materials you will use for classes. Reference books nearby might come in handy even though you won’t use them on a regular basis.
The general idea is not to waste your students’ time on you trying to find the necessary materials or a book that is ‘surely somewhere around here’. Finally, make sure your internet connection is solid – it is now your most important tool.
3. Have Extra Material
When a student contacts you, ask what type of help they need. Many students will bring their own homework, textbooks and other materials to tuition, but always make sure you have extra material to engage them, in case their material runs short. You want to make sure you can fulfill the time slot they booked with more than just jokes and small chat.
Take time and make some materials on your own. Try to think what you were attracted to when you first started learning about the subject and give your exercises a fun twist. The more fun your students have with the material, the more they will like your classes.
4. Make It Personal and Interactive
This is actually a continuation of the previous point. When you’re planning your classes, make sure that every class is tailored for the specific needs of each of your students. Every student has their own learning style and it is up to you to recognize it and nurture it. One thing, however, that should be common to all sessions is for them to be interactive.
Allow the student to actively participate both by doing and by asking questions while you guide them and pay full attention to what they are doing. It is important to note that for this type of student-tutor interaction, you must be an expert in your subject. Don’t tutor the subjects with which you are not comfortable and in which you can’t answer students’ creative questions.
5. Use Expressive Body Language
When Skyping with friends, it is very easy to just lie back in your chair and answer the questions they throw at you. In professional tutoring this is unacceptable. Your body language plays a huge part in engaging the students with the material.
Keep your eyes focused on the student and not their surroundings. Keep your posture straight and your body animated (as much as possible in these conditions). If you seem bored, they will also become disengaged. You can only expect as much interest for the material as you yourself show.
6. Be Available
Once you have a base of students interested in getting regular tutoring, make sure you are available at times at which they need help the most. In many cases, those will be at later night hours when they are studying for an exam or finishing their assignments. You might also have students from different time zones.
Respect your own time, but keep in mind that students have their way of functioning and that the best tutors adapt to their students’ biological clock.
7. Start Small, Then Expand
Even though online tutoring might seem like fast cash, don’t immediately book 10 classes a day. Start small so you have enough time to prepare. In the beginning, it might take you longer than you thought, but don’t get discouraged. It gets easier with time.
Ideally, you would also start with lower to medium fees, depending on what you can offer. As you get more practice and receive more and more positive reviews, you can start charging higher fees. Do make sure to ask your students to leave a review; they are essential for attracting new clients.
How do I Get The Most Out of my Tutoring?
Working with a tutor can help you to better understand course material. The best way to get the most out of tutoring is to be prepared for your sessions. These ten tips will show you how to prepare for and best benefit from those sessions.
- Always bring all your course materials to tutoring sessions. This includes course syllabus, books, notes,
or other materials. Treat your sessions the same way you would treat your class in terms of what you bring to it. - Ask questions. It’s a good idea to come to each session with written out questions for your tutor about
something you may be struggling with. These should be prepared prior to your session while you are studying or
doing work for class. Make sure your questions are specific so that your tutor can answer you effectively. - Get to work. Learning is not a passive process, so it’s important to try things out on your own. Stay active in
your sessions by working through problems or practice questions. If you don’t have problems to solve, ask your
tutor to prepare some. - Keep the work going after your session. Learning isn’t just for class time and tutoring sessions, and it takes
practice. Practice what you are working on after your tutor sessions, just like you do after class. Take some time
to reinforce what you’re learning. - Know how you learn. There is a good chance that you and your tutor learn differently. If you don’t
understand what your tutor is telling you, ask if the two of you can try a different approach more in line with our
learning style. - Don’t expect your tutor to replace your professor. Your tutor is there to help you understand the material
and retain it longer, not to re-teach material from class or give you answers to problems. It may take longer than
expected to learn the material, but stick with it. - Be patient. Have patience with your tutor and with yourself. Because learning is a process, the material is not
likely to come all at once. Try to reduce your anxiety and frustration by practicing some stress relief. - Stay engaged. You may not be highly interested in your subject, but try to find something you can connect to
in what you are learning. If you’re having trouble, ask your tutor to help you relate material to something that
makes sense to you. - Reduce distractions. Keep your sessions in a quiet, secluded space and put away things like cell phones,
excess materials, or anything that draws your attention away from you work. - Get started early. The best way to succeed in class is to stay on top of it from the beginning
How do You Make Virtual Tutoring Fun?
Whether it’s a third-grader who needs help with math or a high school student who needs to refine their personal organization skills, tutoring can offer students an opportunity for a one-on-one experience to improve their academic life.
However, a lot of kids think of tutoring as something that is not very fun, and so they avoid it. Tutoring sessions can be a lot of fun if the student, tutor, and parent work together.
1. Create the setting
The first thing the student and tutor can do is create an atmosphere that makes tutoring more enjoyable. Maybe a young student sits on a beanbag chair instead of at their desk or perhaps they get to write with their favorite glitter pen. Classrooms have so many rules that it can make learning less exciting than it really is.
Of course, these rules are there for a reason and help maintain order in the classroom but, when kids are working in a one-on-one situation, there’s a lot more flexibility. If it’s a nice day, perhaps tutoring can occur in the backyard.
Maybe a student needs a little bit of background music to concentrate and block out any other noises in the house. Each student is an individual, and it’s important they create a setting that works specifically for them.
2. Ask the student to teach the tutor
Although this seems counterintuitive, students really like to lead the session if they are at the right maturity level. During the school day, students spend most of their time listening and may not get to participate as much as they want, especially if they are in a larger classroom. However, during an in-home tutoring session they have the opportunity to be the leader from time to time.
They can teach the tutor about a new topic they’ve learned at school, or they can talk about their favorite hobby. When students can explain a topic to somebody else, they are demonstrating that they have completely mastered the material.
If a student is struggling with long division, they should make a goal actually to teach this to the tutor. Once they can do this, they know they have become incredibly successful at the skill they’ve been working on.
3. Choose topics the student is really interested in
Many students work on reading or writing with their after-school tutor. They should talk to their tutor about subjects they would like to read about or learn how to do. If the tutor chooses the right reading passages, the student is more likely to be successful because they are reading something they love or are curious about. When students read about dry topics, they tend to zone out quickly, so an inherent interest in a topic is essential.
4. Take adequate breaks
Students also need to take adequate breaks because nothing is fun when they’re overly tired. Before commencing a tutoring session, students should make sure they’ve had a little bit of time to run around and get out extra energy as well as have a snack if they’re hungry. If younger students are working for longer than an hour, they should plan a five-minute break to relax and refocus.
5. Encourage open and honest communication
Students should also focus on open communication with their in-home tutor. If the session is moving too quickly or slowly or if the material is overwhelming, the student should let the tutor know right away. The more the tutor knows about the student’s learning process, the more they will be able to adjust the session to the student’s individual needs.
Is Tutoring Online Worth it?
One recent study found that online tutoring worked quite well. It looked at Cignition, used a good study design and found solid results. Older research looking at computer-based tutors found similar results.
But tutoring programs, online or in person, are not without their challenges. Online tutoring of course has potential disadvantages. The body of research on tutoring effectiveness has relied mostly (but not exclusively) on in-person experiences. Several studies demonstrate online tutoring can improve learning outcomes—but it is more effective when mimicking aspects of in-person tutoring.
The key to online tutoring is to identify which elements are typically missing from online experiences and add these as platform features.
In-person, for instance, tutors can watch as students solve problems in real-time, stepping in as needed. An online tutoring platform where tutors can see students solve problems (via an online whiteboard, or a webcam to view student problem solving) would offer an equivalent.
Keep in mind, using an online whiteboard strictly for live demonstrations by the tutor (i.e., for how to solve problems) is likely to be less effective. An alternative or complementary approach might be for students to submit work to the tutor beforehand, letting the tutor review it, and advising the student during the tutoring session. This kind of strategy might work well in subjects like writing.
Be sure to test out your tutor. Ask for them to give you a trial lesson. Oftentimes, tutoring is a matter of getting a good fit.
What Makes For a Good Online Tutor?
Expertise. Part of what makes tutoring and one-on-one teaching especially effective is pedagogical content knowledge: knowledge of common misconceptions, common weak areas, understanding how to diagnose what’s holding a student back, and knowing strategies to address those misconceptions.
Collaboration. Tutoring works best when tutors support students in solving problems themselves. This creates a more active learning environment. Tutors have to hold back however on telling students how to perform a procedure correctly. Knowing how to let students solve problems is really the hallmark of a good tutor. That also means learning methods of giving feedback should be a major area of training for new tutors.
Engagement. Tutors will be more effective if they can spot disengagement or low self-efficacy in students. Lack of engagement often manifests as low-effort responses, diminished communication with the tutor, or signs of frustration. Tutors who know some strategies to re-engage students (e.g., switching topics, reframing the problem, etc.) are likely to be more effective.
Understanding. Tutors ought to have a solid understanding of how students improve over time. For instance, creating space to review prior material, even if students seem to have “mastered” it once, is critical. Simple blocked time working on a topic often leads to a false sense of long-term mastery.
Other things to look for. Motivation is important. For a while, I would just hiring kids on the block to tutor my kids because it just helped with motivation.
That said, tutors need to enter tutoring sessions with a strong sense of what concepts and skills the student lacks, and be prepared with activities to address those misconceptions.
Those who come to every tutoring session knowing how students are doing on the assessments are likely to be much more effective. This should go beyond just “the student didn’t do fraction multiplication very well, so let’s have them practice more multiplication problems.”
The more that tutors can pinpoint the type of error (for instance, the student still occasionally finds common denominators instead of multiplying them), the more effective tutoring sessions will be.
Research into math teaching strategies illustrates that students often use “blended” strategies as they move from an inferior (or incorrect) strategy to a superior (or correct) strategy. The change doesn’t usually happen all at once. Tutors are in a great position to help students understand what they need to work on, or to develop study habits that will continue to pay dividends into the future.
Several studies demonstrate online tutoring can improve learning outcomes—but it is more effective when mimicking aspects of in-person tutoring. The key to online tutoring is to identify which elements are typically missing from online experiences and add these as platform features.
Is Tutoring a Good Way to Make Money?
1. In-person Private tutoring
Using our website parents and students can find you, message you and book in lessons with you. You can set your own rate for tutoring, ranging from £20-100 per hour. Some Tutors only want to teach for 2-5 hours per week, so whilst you can’t make a living from that, it’s still a great way to make money.
Most tutors charge £40 per hour. Of course, if you do 20 hours per week, like a number of our private tutor do, you can earn a lot more. Some tutors that work for Tutor House make over £3000 per month, whilst that would only be for 8-9 months of the year it’s still great cash.
2. Online tutoring from your home or a cafe
This is a growing area and usually tutors charge slightly less online. But this all works out in the end, as you don’t have to pay for travel costs and you don’t lose the time traveling. Traveling to the student is usually dead time.
Online tutoring is very popular because it allows you to share files, share more than just a book with students, look up ad hoc problems, answer questions and also leave lots of homework for students. Online tutoring is an easy and flexible way to make money.
3. Upload your teaching resources
This is another area, where as a Tutor, with daytime availability, you can share and upload resources for all subjects and levels. This makes a huge amount of sense. You have the resources for all classes and lessons, so you may as well share your resources online. Sharing is caring.
You only make a small amount per downloaded resources- usually £2-£5- but if 100 people download your resources you’re making decent money. Watch this space, Tutor House is building a resource platform as we speak…
4. Residential tutoring placements abroad and in the UK
It offers customers residential placements- where tutors travel with families abroad. Tutors travel with the family whilst they move around the globe, or tutors travel with the family on holiday. That may be for just a week, but quite often it’s for a month of residential tutoring.
Tutors live in with the family and work with the children on a daily basis. Usually this is for 30 hours tutoring per week. All accommodation, travel and food is paid for. Tutors can earn £800+ per week. For current jobs- click here.
5. Teaching and tutoring abroad, especially in China
Teaching abroad for a year is a growing field. There is a big demand to teach in China. Tutoring and teaching in China is growing so fast due to a number of reasons:
The living experience
China is a great place to live now. It’s a great place to explore, to eat and to understand. It’s not all about big cities and pollution, China has some amazing countryside. Many schools are also moving there. We even work with a nursery based in a tea plantation!
The pay
The rate of pay is much higher than in the UK and Europe. You can earn between £22,000-£30,000 per year of teaching as a standard teacher with only a few years of experience. All you need is a degree. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but considering schools pay for your accommodation and food and sometimes even flights- this is serious money! It’s £50,000 per year when all added up, and that’s big.
It’s a new experience
For some people, Dubai is the new place to teach. Yes, it’s more westernised, but it’s in the desert. Or, imagine living in a tea plantation in China! Teaching in China is very popular for young groups of people who want to teach and explore the world. Flights from China to Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are cheap and easy.
How Much Does an Online Tutor Make Per Hour?
The average hourly pay for an online tutor in the United States is $21.53 an hour.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $31.73 and as low as $10.58, the majority of Private Tutor wages currently range between $17.07 to $23.56 across the United States.
The average pay range for a Private Tutor varies greatly (by as much as $6.49), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
How Much Should I Charge For Tutoring?
Private tutors work either online or in-person to help students with a wide range of topics. Most often, private tutors have backgrounds working as certified teachers, professors, or professionals in specific subject areas. Some private tutors are high school students, graduate students, or even teaching assistants.
For private tutoring from a student or teaching assistant, you can expect to pay an average of $25 per hour. For high-level tutors such as professors or teachers, you can expect to pay $56 per hour or more.
The cost of private tutoring can also vary depending on where you live. Private tutors are generally more expensive in large cities and metro areas where the cost of living is higher. If you or your child have special needs, you’ll likely pay a higher fee because the tutor will adjust the lesson plans to fit your learning needs.
Some private tutors also charge additional fees or offer discounts under certain conditions. A private tutor may charge a travel fee if they have to spend time commuting to your home for the lessons. This fee may be in the form of a set rate or an hourly stipend. Additionally, private tutors may offer bulk lesson discounts if you purchase a set number of hours or lessons upfront.
Private tutors may also charge cancellation fees for missed or forgotten classes. Most private tutoring arrangements don’t involve a contract, which means it’s important to lay out the ground rules and work out exactly what the tutor will charge before making a commitment.
How do I Become a Successful Tutor?
Whether you are a new or expert tutor, these strategies will make tutoring a productive and rewarding experience for you and your student(s).
Be honest. This helps to establish rapport and trust, the two most critical elements to a successful tutoring relationship.
Be flexible. This means being willing to adjust techniques and approaches to meet the learning styles of the student.
Be patient. What is obvious or easy for you may not be so for your student. Learn not to show annoyance in your speech or body language.
Be a good listener. Learn to pick up clues in your student’s speech that enable you to understand how he is really feeling. A good listener does not dominate the conversation!
Be professional. Except for discussing your student with staff and/or faculty, information about the student must be kept confidential.
Be willing to share your own experiences. By sharing information about what you have encountered, the student may feel relieved that he is not alone. Sharing experiences and lessons learned goes a long way toward building trust and support. It also helps the student build self-confidence.
Be a collaborator. The tutor-student relationship should be viewed as a partnership. You are not there to take the place of the instructor. Let the student know you are there to work with her to supplement classroom and individual study.
Teach the student how to learn. As a tutor your ultimate goal is to help the student become an independent learner.
Be confident. You were chosen for qualities that enable you to be a good tutor and role model. However, having confidence also means having the courage to admit you don’t know an answer. Be honest with your student; tell her you’ll need to do your homework? and then follow through. She may actually feel better knowing you’re not perfect (and it is a great opportunity to teach learning skills).
How do I Become an Online Tutor?
If you’re interested in becoming an online tutor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 60.6% of online tutors have a bachelor’s degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 22.6% of online tutors have master’s degrees. Even though most online tutors have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an online tutor. When we researched the most common majors for an online tutor, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor’s degree degrees or master’s degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on online tutor resumes include associate degree degrees or doctoral degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an online tutor. In fact, many online tutor jobs require experience in a role such as teacher. Meanwhile, many online tutors also have previous career experience in roles such as tutor or internship.
How do You Structure a Tutoring Session?
Being a good tutor means more than just being an expert in your field. A good tutoring session is vital to build a relationship with your students and to gain their trust. For a successful future with your students, it is essential to identify their strengths and weaknesses. We put together a few tips on how to structure a good tutoring session.
1. The first Tutoring Session
Be on time! Do not let your students wait. If your tutoring session is at your student’s house, don’t be too early either. Remember that your students often have a busy day and feel pressured and stressed if their lesson starts earlier than planned.
Dress to impress. How you dress as a tutor is important. Do not over and not underdress. Wear clean and straightforward clothing and nothing too distracting. Look professional, but don’t forget that you are not working in a corporate environment.
The first tutoring session is always scary for both the student and the tutor, as you don’t know each other yet. It is better to be over-prepared but don’t do too much. The first lesson should be used to start a relationship with your student. Try to make the lesson fun so your student will look forward to the next one.
Don’t start right away with exercises. Talk with your student about what they would like to focus on in the coming lessons, get to know each other, and also have a laugh. In the first session, you need to find out your student’s strengths and weaknesses to prepare the following lessons.
Ask your students beforehand to bring all their books and sources so you can get an overview of what they should already know and where to pick up.
Prepare one exercise that helps you to estimate their level. Don’t do too much. You still don’t know what learner type your student is. That may take a few sessions, and until then, you need to improvise during the tutoring classes.
If the lesson is too difficult, that demotivates, and the student may give up already after the first session. If the lesson is too easy, your student may be bored quickly. Ask for honest feedback so you can improve for the next lessons and motivate your students to learn.
Do the exercises together. Never let your student do all activities do alone. These tasks are better for homework.
2. Establish a Good Relationship
It is vital to build a good relationship with your students. Often, this relationship comes quickly, but at other times, it may take a few sessions before the student opens up. The success of this relationship reveals the personalities of your student and yourself.
Talk about yourself and tell your students a bit about your life. But be careful. There is a fine line between a personal and a professional relationship. In a good tutoring session, the tutor should not talk more than 1/3 of the time.
Knowing your field is also not enough to become a distinguished tutor. Your interaction with the student plays a vital role. This implies that you build a positive and effective learning environment.
The most important quality is to find a common language to establish emotional contact. Without this, you will not be able to make adjustments to the program if necessary. Knowing the student better will help them increase interest in the subject.
3. Evaluate and Understand the Needs of a Student
When you first meet the student, start by assessing what they know and their aims so that you can prioritize what to teach during your tutoring sessions. To achieve this, ask the student what topics they are good at. Also what they like about the subject you will be working on.
Let your student speak freely about the issue so that you can understand the extent of their knowledge. This way, the student will feel valued. The student must study with confidence in themselves. Don’t make them feel bad when they make mistakes. Always focus on what they are good at to not lose their motivation.
4. Work Together to Set Goals
After establishing the student’s needs, work together to identify and set goals that they can achieve in a reasonable amount of time. By giving them the responsibility to move toward goals, they will involve more.
Write down the objectives so that the student can easily follow them. Once you have both identified the goals, center each session to cover a specific one. And before handling any of these goals, let them know in advance to prepare physically and physiologically.
5. Familiarize With the Needs of the Student
Depending on the lesson’s length and your student’s mood, you may find them tired during your tutoring session. Keep in mind that your students also have other subjects and pressure during their school day. Therefore, if they seem tired or in a bad mood during a session, cheer them up.
For instance, if it is a language course, you can occasionally suggest that they translate, listen and sing songs instead of grammar exercises. You could also watch cartoons in that language and see if the student can follow the story coherently. A good tutor should be flexible with their teaching style and always have a fun activity in mind.
6. Adapt Your Teaching Method to the Student’s Learning Method
Not all children learn the same way. Some students work best alone, while others learn better in a group or with a guide. Therefore, give them a chance to work and learn in their way of preference. This will help them edge closer to their goals and realize significant progress. Change the tuition from face-to-face to online tutoring via webcam if your student can not make the class on time. Classes online are better than no classes at all.
If the student’s grades do not improve, but you notice significant effort on their part, help them to recognize their efforts and avoid discouragement along the way.
7. Be Prepared
Part of your tutoring job is to prepare your lessons well. Your salary compensates for the preparation time. It is always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. Bring recourses, books, laptops, songs, or games, so you always have a plan B if A does not work out. Write detailed lesson plans. You can use lesson planners that may help you to keep an overview of each student.
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Use quality materials. This translates to having your own set of materials, which you consider to be the best written, structured, and clearly demonstrate any theoretical calculations. You should not only choose a good teaching material but also be able to explain to the student why you chose it. Provide your student with additional materials, use the latest technologies in teaching, and make the educational process more interactive.
8. Write a Tutoring Contract
To avoid misunderstanding and, therefore, to lose focus on what is important during the tutoring session, you should be upfront with all agreements. A tutoring contract would help ensure that both parties understand the agreements, such as late cancellations, payments, putting classes on hold, or changing fees.
Final Words
Online tutoring can let you have a successful career without leaving your home. You can work while you’re traveling or spending time with your family.
The best online tutoring jobs won’t only help you change your life but also help others realize their dreams. It’s an excellent choice for people who feel that they can’t do a desk job anymore.
If you are looking for teaching experience (or to supplement your existing teaching repertoire), online tutoring may be a way for you to expand your horizons and help a student in the meantime.
