Working as an online tutor can give you great earning potential as well as allowing you to work from home and have a flexible schedule. As the world continues to embrace the digital age, working online has become more commonplace. This has only increased in our current climate during the pandemic.
The demand for online tutoring is growing, especially as children and young adults have spent patches of time with the schools and universities closed. Online tutoring means that students can learn when and where they want. As a tutor, you can apply this same flexibility to your working schedule.
If you are an existing tutor wanting to take your business online to maximise its potential or are brand new to tutoring – moving to an online platform could seem daunting. We’ve set out some tips to help you on your way to an easier and more practical way of working.
What can I tutor in?
There are no official qualifications needed to be a tutor in the UK but the academic background of the tutor will be considered by potential clients. You do not need to be a qualified teacher to be a tutor but of course, this can be advantageous. Real-life experience and a proven track record of successfully helping individual students achieve excellent results is arguably the most important point of consideration.
Consider your highest qualification as this will likely be the topic you have the most knowledge of. Based on this you may choose to for a specific subject, exam or industry. For example, if you have a University degree in Law you may choose to tutor in this subject generally or specifically for the GDL or LPC exams
What skills do I need?
Alongside the academic knowledge it is also important to make sure you have the qualities needed to work with students. You will need to be professional but also friendly and approachable. If you are working with younger students you may need to be more patient.
Which platform do I use to tutor online?
We use an online interactive whiteboard called Bitpaper. No downloading is required. We simply share a unique lesson link where the tutor and student can access real-time. It is almost as if your tutor is sitting right next to you writing on the same page!
Online IT basics:
For video conferencing, the following are popular choices:
Finding online tutoring jobs:
For tutors who wish to focus their time primarily on tutoring students as opposed to marketing, many sign up to a private tutoring agency like Telios Tutors.
Interested in becoming an online tutor? Click here to apply by creating a tutor profile.