Becoming an online tutor has its own benefits. If you’re someone who wants to escape the 9-5 grind in conventional workplaces, you should choose the digital nomad lifestyle, where you will have the freedom of choosing place and time at your own convenience.
So if you’re aware of what you’re good at, want to make a living out of it, or want to know about how to become an online tutor and start your digital nomad journey, this detailed blog will help you!
How to Become an Online Tutor?
Becoming an online tutor is simpler than you might think! To become an online tutor, you must know how to become a tutor at first. Then you need to find out if there’s any vacancy for online tutors in your targeted sector. You see a problem, you provide a solution and make a living out of it.
You can do synchronous or asynchronous teaching, one by one tutoring or free tutoring as a social service. For students, doing free tutoring has its own benefits like improved academic performance, increased confidence, flexible learning pace, reduced anxiety, personal growth, etc.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to become an Online tutor:
Know your audience
As an online tutor, creating a positive environment for your students is very important. Knowing the kind of environment in which they will be comfortable and stay connected for a longer run will help you in a longer run. The learning techniques which will be incorporated in your course should be designed as per your audience.
Choose the topic of your subject
Deciding the topic to teach is the most crucial step. The topic is chosen according to your skills and the field in which you are most comfortable. As an online tutor, you have to deliver the best knowledge to your audience and for that, having a good command of the subject you are going to teach is essential.
You should do thorough research to know about the subjects in demand. You can be a math tutor online, an english tutor online, etc., depending upon your ability to teach the subject.
Design the course model
Just after figuring out your skills and potential, the next step is identifying the course model. Choosing which course content should be given for free and where subscription should be applicable is an important step.
Market your online course
After you launch your courses on your app, it is time to stay active. To let your users and other students know about you, it is important to regularly update about new courses and offers. To do this, you must have a good marketing strategy in order to make your business successful. You can also collect reviews, ratings and feedback to improve your way. Make good use of social media platforms to market your course.
Get your own app
If you are passionate about teaching, then getting your app is the best way to become an online tutor. You can connect to a larger audience through your app. Selling your courses online, assigning assignments, etc. becomes much easier through your app.
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What are the Best Online Tutoring Jobs? Top Sites Mentioned
The best online tutoring jobs offer the flexibility to set your own hours and work from anywhere while helping students achieve their academic goals. Also, the sites mentioned below consider online tutoring jobs for college students as well.
Here are some of the top online tutoring job sites that offer flexibility, good pay, and the opportunity to teach online from anywhere:
Tutor.com
Started in 1998, Tutor.com has more than two decades of experience in helping students reach their academic goals. Subjects on Tutor.com range from elementary school to college level. Tutor.com provides one-on-one tutoring and homework services in over 250 subjects. Online tutors are required to commit to at least five hours per week of online tutoring.
Pay: $10 to $23 per hour
Certifications: Online tutors must submit their academic credentials, take a test, submit a writing sample, background check, and ability to work in the United States. Some topics require a college degree, while others are open to college students. the
Pros:
• Waiting time during scheduled hours is paid
• Over 250 topics
• All aged students
• Can pick up additional tutoring session
• Little prep work
Cons:
• Pay varies depending on experience and subject
• Have to pass proficiency tests for each tutoring subject
• Must hit a minimum of 5 hours a week
Chegg
Chegg offers educational resources such as textbooks, learning materials, and online tutoring. Tutors can schedule meetings or meet with students as they log on.
Pay: $20 per hour but can fluctuate
Certifications: Don’t need formal teaching experience but academic records may be needed for certain subjects.
Pros:
• Flexible hours
• Competitive pay
• Get paid once a week
Cons:
• Pay can fluctuate depending season
• Work can be slow
• Part-time work only
TutorMe ( Currently, Pear Deck Tutor)
Started in 2015, TutorMe was built on the belief that “no student should ever feel alone in their learning journey.” TutorMe connects the student with a tutor who can help them work towards and reach their academic goals. Today, it is known as Pear Deck Tutor.
Pay: $16 an hour
Certifications: A college degree and experience working with students. College students can apply if they have high test scores or expertise in a specific subject.
Pros:
• Easy to fill out the application
• Weekly payments
• Easy platform
• Positive reviews from existing tutors
Cons:
• Flat rate pay regardless of experience
• 4% acceptance rate for tutor applications
• Applications can take up to a month to be reviewed
• Students choose tutors on a “first come, first serve” basis
Preply
Preply provides a flexible option for online tutors. It is an online language learning platform, its sole purpose is to make it easy for a student to connect with a tutor conveniently.
Pay: $10.00 to up to $38.90 depending on the subject of study.
Certifications: No formal certificates are required, But having experiences in teaching are highly valued.
Pros:
• Set your own hourly rate
• Global student base
• Flexible schedule
Cons:
• Preply takes a commission; varying from 18 to 33%
• Highly competitive
• Payments are not guaranteed if students cancel
• Bookings can be hard to make
Wyzant
Wyzant is an online services marketplace in educational technology for matching tutors with students.
Pay: Flexible you can charge as you like.
Certifications: Wynzant may ask you to take a brief proficiency quiz or submit your written application to tutor the subject.
Pros:
• Flexible hours
• Work-from-home options
• Teaching materials provided
Cons:
• Management lacks
• Pay is not proportional, it takes 25% of your pay
Elevate K-12
With Elevate K-12, online tutors can expect to tutor students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Tutors are not employees, but rather they are contracted and can set their own tutoring hours. Tutors can enjoy resources such as “pre-made lesson plans” and training.
Pay: $22 to $50 per hour
Certifications: Elevate K-12 requires online tutors to have a college degree or be enrolled in a 4-year college program. Prior tutoring experience is also expected.
Pros:
• Good compensation
• Paid training
• Learning materials, training & curriculum materials, and lesson plans provided
• Additional 20% for administrative time
Cons:
• No pay for canceled classes or tutoring sessions
• No employee benefits
• Part-time only
• Pay is less than a teaching salary
EF Education First
Since its beginning in 1965, EF Education First offers English language tutoring to both children and adult learners. They are focused on helping students see the world and experience new cultures.
Pay: Up to $20.51 per hour
Certifications: Must be a fluent English speaker, have employment eligibility, and be enrolled in a TEFL certification program.
Pros:
• Teaching experience is not required
• 1:1 and group classes
• No minimum hours
• Flexible hours
• Prepared and uploaded teaching benefits
• Holiday pay and pension contribution
Cons:
• Basic pay
• Must be a native English speake
• Not a full-time position
• No full pay when a student cancels
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Advantages of Online Learning
From Tutor's Perspective
According to a recent MIT study, massive open online courses (MOOCs) are just as effective as what has traditionally been taught in a classroom or a lecture hall.
1. Geographic and Borderless Reach
Without question, one of the incredible benefits as an online tutor is the ability to reach and teach people from every corner of the world. One thing you will need to study and gain an understanding of is how to market yourself as an online teacher, to reach this worldwide audience.
2. Time Flexibility and 24/7 Tutorials
The best part about online teaching is you don’t need to worry about it if you are doing asynchronous Teaching Online where lectures, courses are already uploaded. People can access your courses while you’re sleeping or relaxing on a beach. You create courses with videos, PDFs, and PowerPoint presentations, upload them to the platforms you’re offering your services in and students can sign up anytime to study your material from anywhere in the world.
3. Makes Teaching More Affordable as a Teacher
It is not always cheap to rent a place, it’s going to cost you a lot if you’re following the traditional ways of teaching. The cost from hiring a place,traveling can also be a significant saving you can make by teaching online. Despite the cost of needing a decent HD webcam and microphone, teaching online is far cheaper cost-wise than teaching in person.
4. Saving Time
Time Management is something that many of us struggle with and as a teacher life can certainly be hectic time-wise. A great thing about online teaching is the sheer amount of time you can save.
5. More Equal Opportunities for Learners With Access Issues and Disabilities
A very important consideration, when it comes to teaching online, is it gives the opportunity to people who find accessibility more of an issue.
A wheelchair user might find it sometimes quite challenging to get to certain places or locations, based on the lack of transportation, facilities, and guidance (i.e. signage for wheelchair routes into a building). So people who are physically challenged get a fair chance in life.
From Students Perspective
➤ Saves Time and Cost:
Online learning are budget-friendly. You can search for courses that align with your objectives and budget.
➤ Enhances Your Professional Skills:
Online learning is a vital means of updating your skills, knowledge, and attitudes.
➤ Customizes Your Learning Experience:
Online learning affords you the privilege of customizing your learning environment. You can learn while commuting, in your house, at a friend’s house, or even set up your ideal classroom and complete your homework assignments.
➤ Developing Self-Discipline:
Online learning will compel you to develop self-discipline skills such as time management and project management.
➤ Review Course Materials Easily:
You can access your course dashboard, which contains articles, podcasts, videos, and written documents any time you want.
What Challenges are Faced by a Beginner Online Tutor?
Establishing Credibility: As a beginner online tutor, it can be difficult to establish credibility with students and parents. You may need to demonstrate your qualifications and experience in order to gain trust.
Technical Challenges: Online tutoring requires a reliable internet connection and the ability to use technology. If you are not comfortable with technology, you may need to invest time in learning how to use the necessary tools.
Building a Client Base: It will take a lot of time and effort to create a client base. Because already there are so many platforms that are teaching students online. So drawing students from there is going to be tough!
Adapting to online teaching methods: Learning is one thing and teaching is another. These two are different things, and coming online for teaching creates another spectrum. So this is challenging to beginner online tutors.
Setting competitive rates: As someone new to this digital nomad lifestyle it is tricky to set the suitable price. You can’t set too much or too less, both would be problematic. You will always find other users always setting more or less for the same service that you are providing. So you would need to be clever with setting the perfect price.
That’s it for today. Every lifestyle has its pros and cons, so does the digital nomad lifestyle as an online tutor. But if we can overcome the challenges and stay on the right path then we will see this profession has much to offer. By addressing the challenges of online teaching, you can create a suitable career aligning with your digital nomad dreams. With dedication and continuous learning, you can make an impact in the world of online education.
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