How to be an Online Tutor

Choose Your Subject Area and Expertise

To get started as an online tutor, the first thing you need to do is determine what subject area you want to teach in and make sure you have the expertise to back it up.

Do you have a degree or professional experience in a particular field of study? If so, that’s a great place to start. You’ll already have a solid foundation of knowledge to build from. If not, think about subjects you excelled in during high school or college, or hobbies and skills you’ve developed over the years.

Once you’ve settled on a general area of focus, refine it into specific topics or courses you’re qualified to tutor in. For example, if you have a degree in English, you might offer tutoring in literature, essay writing, or English grammar. If math is your forte, consider tutoring in algebra, geometry, statistics or SAT/ACT prep. The options are endless!

Make sure you feel fully comfortable with the material before promoting your services. Review current resources, brush up on any areas you’re rusty in, and stay up-to-date with changes in standards or best practices. You want to go into your first tutoring session feeling confident in your ability to help a student understand the subject matter.

When determining your areas of expertise, be honest with yourself about any limitations in your knowledge or experience. It’s better to start small and build up your offerings over time as you strengthen your skills. You can always continue your own learning through online courses, tutorials, and certifications to expand into new topics.

The key is choosing subjects you genuinely enjoy and are passionate about. Your enthusiasm will shine through to your students and help motivate them to learn! With the right expertise and attitude, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful online tutor.

Build Your Online Profiles

To become an online tutor, you need to establish your online presence. This means building profiles on the major tutoring platforms and your own website.

• Create profiles on Chegg, TakeLessons, and Wyzant. These are some of the biggest tutoring sites, so sign up and build a profile highlighting your experience, qualifications, availability, and rates. Include a professional photo and video introduction.
• Start your own website. Use a simple website builder like Wix or WordPress to make an easy-to-navigate site. Share details about your background, expertise, and tutoring approach. Embed your intro video here too. This establishes you as an authority in your field.
• Be active on LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn profile to emphasize your tutoring services. Post updates a few times a week sharing tutoring tips, insights into your subject areas, or success stories from students (with their permission). Engage with others in the tutoring and education space by commenting on and sharing their posts.
• Build your credibility. If you have relevant degrees, certifications, or work experience, highlight them in your profiles and on your website. You can also do free intro sessions, write a helpful blog, or offer a promotional discount to start building reviews and social proof of your abilities.
• Choose your subjects and grade levels. Decide which courses and grade levels you want to focus on for your tutoring business. You’ll want to highlight these specific areas of expertise in your profiles and website to attract the right students.

With a professional online presence established, you’ll start getting interest from potential students in no time. Be sure to respond promptly to any questions and schedule intro calls to determine if you’re the right match for their needs. Congrats, you’re on your way to becoming an online tutor!

READ ALSO- Becoming a Remote Tutor

Set Your Rates and Policies

Once you’ve decided to become an online tutor, you need to determine how much to charge and set clear policies to communicate with students. These steps will help you establish rates and rules to build your business.

Set Your Rates

Decide on a rate that balances being competitive with other tutors in your subject area and level of experience while still being profitable. You can charge by the hour or offer packages of multiple sessions at a discounted rate. For most tutors, $20 to $50 per hour is typical. Consider your education, certifications, reviews from past students, and rates of local tutoring centers when determining your fees. You want to charge enough to make a living but not price yourself out of the market.

• Offer a free initial consultation so students can evaluate if you’re the right fit before committing to paid sessions.
• Provide discounts for booking multiple sessions at once. For example, charge $30/hour for single sessions but $25/hour for 5 hours or $20/hour for 10 hours.
• Increase your rates over time as you gain more experience and reviews. But avoid raising them more than 10% at a time.

Set Your Policies

Create clear policies to communicate with students and set the right expectations. Some things to include:

1. Scheduling policy: How far in advance do students need to book? What is your cancelation policy? Let students know the best way to schedule or reschedule sessions.
2. Payment terms: When is payment due – before, after or at the time of the session? What forms of payment do you accept? Consider using a platform like PayPal, Venmo or Zelle to collect payments.
3. Refund policy: Under what conditions will you offer full or partial refunds? For example, if a session needs to be canceled due to an emergency or technical issues.
4. Communication preferences: What is the best way for students to contact you – phone, email, text? And what is your typical response time?
5. Materials: Specify if students need to bring their own materials, devices or resources to the online session. If you provide materials, include any associated fees.
6. Privacy policy: Explain how you will keep students’ information private and secure. Let them know if sessions will be recorded and how long any recordings will be kept.

Setting clear rates and policies and communicating them to students will establish the right expectations and help build trust in your services. Be open to revising them based on student feedback to improve your online tutoring business.