How To Make Money Teaching Online
Hello everyone,
Are you a teacher looking to make some extra income?
Or maybe you’re not a teacher at all, but have some skills or knowledge you’d like to share with others online?
Teaching online can be a great way to earn money from the comfort of your own home.
In this blog post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about how to start making money by teaching online classes, courses, tutoring sessions or lessons.
We’ll cover picking your subject area, setting up your online classroom, pricing your services, finding students, and getting paid.
Let’s get started!
Pick Your Subject Area
The first step is deciding what subject or skills you want to teach online.
The options are almost endless – you can teach just about any topic you have expertise in.
Here are some popular subjects for online teaching:
– Academic subjects like math, science, English, history, etc.
– Foreign languages
– Music lessons (voice, guitar, piano, etc.)
– Art/drawing lessons
– Coding and computer skills
– Cooking or baking
– Fitness and exercise
– Crafting and DIY skills
– Professional skills like resume writing, interview prep, etc.
Think about your own background, education, career experience, hobbies and interests.
What are you really knowledgeable about that you could teach others?
Chances are there are people out there who would pay to learn those skills from you.
Set Up Your Online Classroom
Next, you’ll need to set up your “online classroom” – the virtual space where you’ll actually conduct your teaching sessions.
There are lots of video conferencing tools and online learning platforms to choose from:
– Zoom
– Google Meet
– Skype
– Facebook Live
– Online tutoring sites like Varsity Tutors or Chegg Tutors
– Course platforms like Udemy, Skillshare or Teachable
Many of these have screen sharing capabilities so you can share your camera, slides, documents or anything else to enhance the learning experience.
Test out a few different platforms to see which one works best for your teaching style and subject matter.
You’ll also need to gather any other materials or equipment required, like:
– A good quality webcam and microphone
– Lighting if you’ll be on camera
– A quiet, distraction-free space to teach from
– Whiteboard or downloadable software for writing/drawing
– Digital materials like slide decks, articles, practice files, etc.
Spend some time setting up your online classroom and getting comfortable with the technology before your first session.
You may want to read:
- Remote Education Jobs Opportunities
- The Role of Technology in English Teaching
- Managing Discipline in Online ESL Lessons
- The Rise of Online English Teaching
- The Ultimate Guide To Online English Teaching
Price Your Services
One of the biggest advantages of teaching online is that you get to set your own rates and pricing model.
When determining your rates, consider:
– Your experience level teaching this subject
– Average rates for similar online classes/tutoring
– Whether you’ll teach group classes or one-on-one
– If you’ll charge a session rate or package rate
– Pricing your services competitively but also paying yourself fairly
For example, an experienced tutor might charge $40-60 per hour for one-on-one sessions, while a group class could be $10-20 per person.
Less experienced teachers may want to start a bit lower at $20-30 per hour until building up a client base.
Be upfront about pricing, payment policies, rescheduling rules, etc. so students know what to expect.
Find Students
With your subject area selected, online classroom set up, and pricing determined, it’s time to actually find students to teach!
There are a few main routes for this:
Teaching platforms
Many online teaching platforms already have a built-in marketplace where students can find and book classes and lessons. Some popular ones include:
– Outschool – teach online classes to kids
– Skillshare and Udemy – create pre-recorded video courses
– italki – language tutoring
– TakeLessons – music, language and other creative lessons
The platforms handle marketing your classes for you and take a cut of your earnings (usually 15-30%) in exchange.
Your own marketing
You can also market your teaching services yourself through avenues like:
– Creating a website or online course sales page
– Social media promotion on sites like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram
– Listing your services on freelancer sites like Fiverr
– Asking colleagues, friends, family to refer students
– Advertising locally through community centers, libraries, etc.
– Optimizing your website for relevant search terms
This puts more work on your shoulders for marketing and admin tasks but allows you to keep 100% of the revenue.
Established tutoring companies
Companies like Varsity Tutors, Chegg Tutors and others hire tutors as contractors in many academic subjects.
They handle finding clients and take a share of the revenue.
Start teaching part-time while maintaining another job, then increase your hours if it goes well. Word-of-mouth referrals from happy students can quickly build your client base.
Get Paid
Finally, you need an easy way for students to pay you for your teaching services. Some options include:
– PayPal for one-off payments or installment plans
– Stripe integration to collect payments through your website
– Services like Venmo, CashApp or Zelle for peer-to-peer payments
– Have students purchase pre-paid lesson packages upfront
– Monthly subscription or membership for ongoing classes
Many online teaching platforms will automatically handle billing and payments for a percentage of earnings.
Tips for Success Teaching Online
To wrap up, here are some additional tips to become a successful online teacher:
– Create a professional online presence (website, social media pages, etc.)
– Develop a structured curriculum or lesson plans
– Provide good notes, resources and practice materials
– Be patient, engaging and adapt to different learning styles
– Promote your expertise through blogs, videos, etc.
– Offer flexible scheduling and payment options
– Get student testimonials and build your reputation
– Invest in continuing education for yourself
– Consider teaching specialties or niche markets
– Always be prepared and limit distractions during lessons
The market for online teaching is rapidly growing as education moves online.
With the right skills, setup and marketing in place, you can start earning great money teaching online classes or lessons.
It allows you to work from home, be your own boss, and share your knowledge with eager students across the world.
Get started today!
________________________
