Are you a student who wants to make extra cash? Do you enjoy helping others learn? Would you love to teach others about something that you know so much about? Then becoming a tutor might be perfect for you!
Tutors can work from home and set their own hours. They do not require a degree or special training. You just need to pass a simple test to get started.
Online teaching is becoming easier and reaching more students across a wider geographic area and different time zones.
These prospects look promising. According to IBISWorld, the online tutoring services market grew at an average annual rate of 6.9 percent from 2014 through 2019. Between 2019 and 2024, the industry is projected to grow at an average annual rate close to 7.0 percent.
You can easily see that the online tutoring industry is quite profitable.
10 Steps to Start Online Tutoring Business
Let’s now look at the specific things you need to do to get started running an online tutoring business.
1. Check out The Options to Start Online Tutoring
There are basically two ways to go about starting an online tutoring service: You could register with one of the popular websites and provide lessons via their platform, or you could create your own site where students can sign up for lessons.
Another option is to set up a website, create videos, use a payment platform, and so on.
2. Arrange Proper Tutoring Tools & Software
You need a working laptop with an integrated camera and microphone for teaching online courses.
You need to have videoconferencing tools for virtual collaborative presentations. Free and paid ones exist. Some popular free ones include Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet.
Help students learn better, another essential tool for online tutors is virtual whiteboard software. These types of programs allow them to draw sketches and write notes using their fingers.
You will also need document-shareing tools for class collaboration. Google Docs is a free tool and is indeed one of the best ones available.
3. Choose Subjects You Want to Teach
Choose carefully what topics you wish to cover as an online teacher. Your specialty should match your chosen subject area. You may also add additional areas of expertise to your list of courses.
For instance, if you are a literature specialist, consider including history as another course. Or, if you’re an art instructor, include photography as an option.
A teaching background is a good value add to this business. Besides that, certifications for certain subjects are also desirable.
The qualifications and certifications will enhance your CV and help you stand out among other tutors.
4. Have the Plan to Find Students
Think carefully before choosing which type of student you want to teach. You may decide to focus on primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, or high schools.
Choose according to your qualifications, experience, and exposure; don’t choose just because there’s a lot of interest in a particular topic. Ultimately, it’s your teaching skills and expertise that will get you more students and help you grow your business.
5. How to Attract More Students
You must put forth extra effort once you start teaching online tutoring courses.
- You need to update your profile. Include your teaching experiences and include some audio and video clips from your lectures.
- Try to be available for teaching online as often as you can. You can teach students from different time zones, so try to be available as much as you possibly can.
- Ask your students to write reviews about your class and include them in your teacher profile.
- Try to include some interesting points in your teaching by adding colorful pictures, and charts, and sending notes via text message to your class.
- Add a personal touch to your teaching style so that the students feel more at ease when they’re learning from you.
Answer any questions students may ask immediately. If they need help clarifying their doubts, answer them right away.
6. Cost of Starting an Online Tutoring Business
If you choose to work through an online portal, there are various schemes. Some do not charge the tutors anything; if you land a position, you are paid immediately.
Others require payment from tutors before they can offer you a position. In either case, you must pay for the service.
To start an online tutoring service on your own, you will need to spend some money on legal forms. However, starting from your home, there will be no cost for the rental. For a setup like a computer, tablet, or smartphone, you may need to spend up to $1,000.
7. How to Set Price Rates and Get Payment Online
Tutor websites pay their tutors anywhere from $30-$40 an hour. If you’re able to tutor for 30 hours a week (which is not difficult), your monthly earnings range from $3500-$4200.
If you want to get into freelance writing, you should consider charging $20-$25 per article. You may also choose to work part-time instead of full-time if you wish. However, you must remember that freelance writers rarely make much money because they do not have an employer who pays them.
If you’re running an online tutoring business, you can easily accept payments for your services through online banking platforms like PayPal or Payoneer. You can open a PayPal or Payoneer account and start receiving payments right away.
8. Legalities For Online Tutoring Business
If you choose to go the self-employed route, you must first verify your identity legally. You may either use a service offered by the government or a private company.
- Register your online tutors’ business name and get it set up.
- You need to form a legal business organization.
- Register for Taxes.
- Obtain the necessary permits and licenses.
- Insure your Business
- Open a Business Bank Account in the name of your Business
9. How to Market your Online Tutoring Business
It doesn’t take good qualifications or high-quality of teaching to succeed in this kind of tutoring job. You need to do good research and market your tutoring service appropriately.
Start a blog for your company and write articles related to your services and products. Add testimonials from satisfied clients and include links to your site.
Post links to your website on social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., and/or create a page for yourself or your company on these websites.
Start by making a list of all the schools and universities in your area. Then send out promotional emails to them, mentioning your new product or services.
Use printed materials to advertise your online tutoring services.
Talk to your family and close personal contacts about your business. This creates a positive buzz about your company.
Advertise your tutoring services on radio and television by targeting ads for your tutoring business. You could highlight the classes and subjects you offer.
Build a good reputation with teachers, professors, and parents so that you get lots of referrals from them and they help you out by giving you leads.
10. Getting Prepared for Online Tutoring
To start an online tutoring business, you need a good computer or laptop, a reliable Internet connection, and excellent teaching skills. You should prepare yourself very well before launching your own online tutoring business.
Speak clearly and communicatively, so that the student gets the essence of learning.
Use the digital whiteboards often so they become an integral part of your classroom experience.
When using charts and graphs, use them appropriately.
Upload and share notes and files for others to use.
Be very friendly and helpful when interacting with students. Make them feel at ease and confident enough to ask questions or clarify their doubts.
In order to start an online tutoring business, one must understand the basic concepts of how the internet works and what tools can be used to make money online. The first step in setting up an effective website is to choose a domain name.
You should also register the domain name before beginning your online tutoring business so that you do not lose it later. A domain name consists of two parts; the top-level domain (TLD) and the second-level domain (SLD). TLDs are generally country-specific extensions such as.com,.org,.net, and. in. SLDs are typically company names such as.edu
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