The Best Online Tutoring Jobs [Make an Extra $1,000 a Month]
Below you’ll find the best online tutoring jobs available today. We’ll also share our tips for finding the best tutoring jobs and what you’ll need to get started.
Tutoring can be a great side hustle for someone who has an area of expertise, likes kids, and wants to make some extra money. It can be an excellent fit for someone who is already a teacher or is studying to become a teacher.
Many tutors are also people who have retired and want to spend some of their free time passing their knowledge on to the next generation.
Online tutoring is making becoming a tutor easier than ever before. If you sign up with one of the online tutoring websites you can choose your own schedule and they will fill your time. We interviewed one man who earns $1,000 a month tutoring part-time. (See the interview below)
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What it Takes to Be a Tutor Online
Are you ready to become an online tutor and make money from home?
For many tutoring gigs, all you’ll need is a four-year degree. However, some positions may require an educational background in a specific subject or additional qualifications. If you have higher qualifications, you can get more clients–and earn more money.
Keep in mind:
- Most tutoring positions are part-time and pay structures may vary.
- Many of the options will be in the afternoon or evening or early in the morning.
- You may work with kids from kindergarten through 12th grade and even college students and adult learners.
Finally, most of the tutoring jobs are one-on-one with a student, going over each area or material where they have problems or questions. However, certain programs have group tutoring lessons online in which case you will help multiple students at the same time.
Equipment you need:
- computer with a camera
- a headset with a microphone
- secure internet connection
- quiet spot where you can interact with students
Ready to get started? Make sure you apply through many different online tutoring companies. This way you have a better chance of getting hired. Before you apply to be a tutor, check their requirements so you can ensure you meet everything they need.
Pro Tip: Consider working through several online tutoring services so you have a steady flow of work. Some may offer more regular gigs while others may be seasonal. One of the main reasons people work with a company is to land jobs quickly.
Wondering where to find online tutoring jobs? Below is a list of some good options.
Best Online Tutoring Jobs
If you’re looking for places to get started searching for online tutoring gigs, here are some websites to kick off your search:
1. FlexJobs
FlexJobs handpicks tutoring jobs for you. It’s a paid job search service, but it’s worth the fee since you’ll be presented with only the most relevant tutoring jobs.
Plus, and maybe more importantly, FlexJobs isn’t a marketplace for tutoring gigs. They aren’t going to take a cut from your pay like the other websites will. That’s why we recommend you start with them.
At the time of this article, FlexJobs had over 380 tutoring jobs listed in their database. Everything from Calculus to Spanish tutors are needed. Here are some of the current jobs for tutors found at FlexJobs:
With the FlexJobs search engine, you’re able to filter results across a variety of conditions: remote vs in-person, level if education, travel requirements, subject matter, full-time vs part-time, etc.
Many of these jobs are direct jobs, meaning you won’t need to split the fee with FlexJobs. All you pay them for is the job search service. Once you find the work, you work directly with the employer to get paid.
Find the best remote jobs, part-time jobs, and freelance jobs, all hand-screened for legitimacy--no ads!
2. Wyzant
Whether you’re new to tutoring or an established pro, Wyzant can help you find students. This online marketplace connects students and parents with tutors looking to help. Creating an online profile is free.
You can include pictures, videos, student reviews, and more to showcase your expertise and qualifications. According to the site, new job opportunities are listed every minute so you will have access to a large volume of potential students.
Here are some of the jobs you can find through Wyzant:
You can choose your own hourly rate when setting up your profile. Wyzant lets you schedule and sync lessons with your personal calendar. You can also collect student ratings and reviews to feature on your student profile.
Other features include reporting and tracking your lessons and payment history. In addition, you have the option to provide your students with helpful lesson feedback and view their improvement over time.
Wyzant also handles all payments on your behalf, making sure you get paid for your time. You will need to report your time after each completed lesson. After the company collects the payment, they will deduct the service fee and issue your payment by direct deposit or check.
Services fees range between 40 percent for 20 hours or fewer of tutoring to 20 percent for more than 400 hours of tutoring. The sliding scale fee means the more you tutor, the less you pay out of each lesson.
3. Preply
Preply is an online marketplace that connects students and tutors in a variety of subjects. Tutors can create a profile that lists their expertise and credentials. They can also apply for offers posted on Preply by students.
Here are some of the jobs you can find through Preply:
Preply has a strong demand for language tutors.
When you join you get a custom website domain to promote your services online. In addition, you can set work hours and manage lessons in a personal calendar through the site. You set your own hourly rate and Preply gets a cut of your earnings.
Creating a profile is free and Preply only takes money out of your earnings. They charge 100 percent commission on your first lesson payment with every student and 18 to 33 percent commission on all subsequent lessons.
The more tutoring you do through Preply, the lower your commission rate. According to the site, most popular tutors earn up to $550 weekly. Your earnings will depend on your hourly rate and how often you can offer your services.
Preply does not require you to be a certified teacher to offer your services. All you need is knowledge and passion in the area where you plan to offer services. However, teaching experience is recommended and will increase your chance to attract students.
The company handles all online payments. You will get paid once the student confirms the lesson. Money is kept in your Preply wallet and can be withdrawn at any time via PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill.
4. SchoolTutoring Academy
If you have more formal teaching qualifications, you may consider tutoring with SchoolTutoring Academy. They hire highly qualified educators across all subjects for private tutoring.
Here are some of the jobs you can find through SchoolTutoring Academy:
SchoolTutoring Academy is looking for tutors passionate about teaching and helping students gain confidence in their academic abilities. To become a tutor, you will need to be a teacher and hold a bachelor’s degree.
Related: 9 Part-Time Jobs for Teachers (After School & In the Summer)
Many of their educators have completed a master’s degree program as well. They put a strong emphasis on the teaching skills of the tutors and provide teacher training to help them continually assess and update them.
Tutoring subjects include math, science, English, English as a Second Language (ESL), and language instruction. In addition, you can tutor students who are getting ready for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT.
5. VIPKid
Important Note: Unfortunately, China isn’t allowing foreign tutors right now. VIPKid isn’t an option. We suggest using one of the options above to start your tutoring journey.
English is a highly sought-after skill all over the world. Even if you’re not an English teacher for your day job, you can help students in other countries learn how to speak and understand English.
VIPKid is an online English tutoring service with over 600,000 students and 70,000 teachers. It’s a perfect option for teachers who want to earn extra money.
If you haven’t heard of them yet, VIPKid connects teachers all over the world with students in China who want to learn English. It enables you to continue using your teaching abilities, but on your own time.
Teachers everywhere will cheer at this part: There’s no lesson planning and no grading! VIPKid provides all the teaching materials in a convenient PowerPoint slide format and you simply follow their format for each 25-minute lesson.
As an online teacher with VIPKid, you do have to sacrifice some of your “normal” schedule. That’s due to the time difference between China and the U.S. (or wherever you live).
You could pick up a few classes in the morning before your regular school day begins. My husband has actually been teaching with them, and most mornings he’s started classes by 4 a.m. Plus, he fits in a few Friday and Saturday nights, which also might work for you if you’re a full-time teacher.
VIPKid provides a ton of free training resources and tips for getting more class bookings. You’ll also need to give student feedback following each class, and parents can rate your teaching as well.
Compensation as a VIPKid teacher is based on a per-lesson fee, plus bonuses for things like late bookings and referrals. It can take a few months to get your schedule fully booked, but once you get going, it’s possible to earn up to $22 per hour.
You can fit in sessions whenever you have free time. It’s also easy to do while you’re traveling, as long as you have strong Internet access and a quiet place to work. Read our full VIPKid review.
6. Legacy Tutoring Sites
The sites above have made it easier to start tutoring, but there are still several legacy sites that allow you to find tutoring jobs. These sites include:
An Interview with a Experienced Tutor
This is an interview with Aaron Graham, a Chemistry Tutor, who’s been tutoring part time with Tutor.com for 1.5 years.
What led you to start working as an online tutor, and then on to work with Tutor.com? Do you work with any other companies to offer online tutoring?
I had tutored students in-person before, but Tutor.com is the first time I tutored online. My goal was to find part-time work I could do from home. I was a graduate student when I found Tutor.com on the Internet and did some investigating.
Even though I was a little cautious at first, after finding them to be legitimate, I was very eager to start the process. They are the only company I tutor for because I have a full-time job now.
Where would someone new to this type of work search for opportunities to get started?
The best resource is the Internet. There are a lot of new online tutoring companies to check out.
What skill set do you need to get started as a tutor? What qualities make you excel as a successful online tutor?
To be an online tutor, you need to have a good grasp of the concepts in the subject you want to tutor. Having the ability to relate topics to real-world examples and explain them to the students helps students understand how they can apply what they are learning.
Good communication skills and lots of patience are essential, too. Sometimes it is very difficult to tutor someone online who might not have the basic foundation for the particular subject. As the tutor, you have to detect, adapt, and teach to the student so they can fully understand the concept.
What hours can you expect to work?
At Tutor.com you set your own schedule. You can schedule hours a week or two in advance or sometimes work at the last minute.
What are the pros and cons of the job?
The pros of this job are definitely the flexibility of being able to set a schedule yourself and pick up extra hours when you have free time. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. If you have the expertise, you can tutor in multiple subjects.
The cons would be that you have to sit at a computer all the time, especially on a nice day. Sometimes you do not always get the hours you want to schedule. The peak hours for tutoring are in the evening when students are doing homework. This is the best part-time job I could ever have.
Related: The Best Part Time Jobs With Benefits
How much money can you expect to make initially? How much do you make, now that you are experienced?
Tutors are paid by the number of hours they tutor. When I was tutoring 20+ hours a week and had been with Tutor.com for several months, I was making about $1,000 per month. It was a nice supplemental income.
Care.com has a great article on the average prices of various tutoring services which can give you some insight into how much you can expect to make.
What mistakes have you made along the way to becoming a successful tutor?
Sometimes it is hard conveying the right information to students, especially when they are frustrated. But with experience, you get familiar with the questions students ask, and this allows you to adapt and clear up misconceptions for a student with simple, real-world examples.
How has this job helped you in your own financial life?
Tutoring online has provided me with the income I need to do some things I enjoy like going to the movies or out to eat occasionally. My wife and I are saving up to purchase our first home. Tutoring online has helped us save money for our down payment.
If you are looking for a way to earn a little extra money and help students understand a topic you are an expert in, online tutoring and Tutor.com is definitely an opportunity you should look into.
Editor’s note: Neither PT Money nor Tutor.com was compensated for this interview. I simply reached out to Tutor.com with a request to provide me with a tutor who could answer some of my basic questions about this increasingly popular part-time venture. I hope you found it useful.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a flexible gig that will allow you to make a difference to a student, try tutoring. It’s a rewarding gig where you get to help those struggling in a particular subject master the material. You can also set your own hours and only work when you have time available.
There are several options for finding online tutoring jobs and getting started. To make sure you have a consistent flow of gigs, sign up with more than one tutoring company. Soon, you will have regular students that keep coming back for help, making it easier to get consistent work.
Resource: Part-time job search engine
Have you ever worked as an online tutor? Share your experience below.
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Never used the above mentioned site before, but tutoring, consulting, or freelancing are great ways to make extra cash more or less at your leisure without investing much money. Whatever you do, make sure you are getting paid what your time is worth.
Great option for some extra pay. Another thing that people can do is writing. There are some great websites out there that are looking for experienced writers. Textbroker.com is one of many. The internet is just a great place overall to look for that extra income (if done correctly).
Also check out tutorspree.com!
Cool idea! I’ll have to share this with my friends that are still in school and looking for jobs.
Cool idea! I’ll have to tell my younger brother about this. He tutors in math.
@tutordotcom Thanks for allowing the interview! Turned out nice.
@ptmoney Agreed, turned out great!
Cool idea! I’m curious what level of knowledge or credential you need to tutor, if any. Either way, sounds like there’s decent money to be made if you have some free time on your hands.
Thank’s for giving up some tip’s on how to deal as online tutor.
tutor.com … cool startup idea..
What a very useful part-time gig! I’ll add this to my collection of websites that I keep in mind in case I ever hear of anyone looking for extra income. I enjoyed tutoring when I was a student, and I can see how this would help out a lot of people in need – both who need a tutor and those who want to use their knowledge to make some side money. Thanks for the creative share.
Whoa, this is an awesome way to make extra cash. Who would have thought? Oh, tutor.com. And the domain name is genious! I love tutoring, especially in math. For some reason, students hate math and I enjoy showing them the fun side of it. I wish I had an extra 20 hrs per week. I may sign up just to do an hour a day. Thanks for this information, Phil.