How to Become an Online Tutor & Work Anywhere

Tutoring is a really popular freelance career. Students young and old from around the world hire tutors in a huge variety of subjects. 

If you have skills in something people want to learn and you know how to teach, you can earn money as a freelance tutor. Lots of these freelance tutors are teaching online. Join them and become an online tutor, and you’ll be able to work anywhere in the world.

Here is some helpful insight into how you can become an online tutor and work anywhere you want!

How to Become an Online Tutor and Work Anywhere

Tutoring Definition

Tutors are teachers who may or may not be formally trained in teaching. They educate students of any age in virtually any subject, usually via a virtual meeting space.  

What exactly do freelance online tutors do? 

Tutors teach one or more subject to one or more student at a time, usually remotely with the teacher in one location and the student or students in another. Tutors frequently have degrees in the subjects they teach, but not always. Most have some type of education or training in teaching – either a formal teaching degree or online tutor training. 

There are tutors for hundreds of different subjects in areas such as:

• languages
• math
• science
• music
• writing 
• test preparation

What are tutoring rates? 

Most freelance tutors online are paid by the hour. These hourly rates can vary depending on whether you work for yourself or through a company which provides tutors to students. If you work for yourself, you can set your own rates, which will likely be higher than what you may earn on a tutor website or platform. If you sign up with one or more tutor websites, what you will earn depends largely on what that website pays and could also depend on what you teach, when you’re available to teach and other factors. 

Below are the average hourly rates that freelance tutors earn in seven different countries, according to PayScale.

 The United States – 17.62 U.S. dollars per hour

Australia – 29.55 Australian dollars per hour

India – 309.68 Rupees per hour

The United Kingdom – 15.60 British pounds per hour

Canada – 20.19 Canadian dollars per hour

The Philippines – 151.11 Philippine pesos per hour

South Africa – 99.01 South African rand per hour

What qualities do you need to become an online tutor?

If you’re interested in earning money as a freelance tutor, you should:

• like people
• if you’re tutoring kids, like kids
• be able to be on time for classes all the time
• have patience
• have good organizational skills
• have a quiet, private space in which you can teach
• have a reliable, high-speed internet connection
• have a reliable computer

What skills do you need to be an online tutor?

• a firm understanding of the subject(s) you’re teaching
• knowledge of how to teach 

Many freelance online tutors have formal university degrees, often in education. Many others do not. Some online companies require degrees and some don’t. 

Whether you have a formal university education or not, you will probably need one of the many available types of teaching certificates, which you can get online. Check with any tutor websites you’re interested in signing up with for their specific tutor requirements.  

You will also need one or more certifications in the subject(s) you are tutoring. Check with any companies or tutoring platforms you’re interested in signing up for their specific tutor requirements.  

Many online companies which hire tutors also require their tutors to have previous experience in teaching or tutoring. 

How do you begin online tutoring?

If you don’t have a university degree in education, the certification you choose will help you with the tutoring skills you will need. You can also check with the tutor website you’re interested in signing up with, for direction on specific training.  

You should look into joining tutoring associations that are specific to your geographic location, so you can learn as much as possible about tutoring and keep up to date with developments in the field of online tutoring. It might also be a good idea to join the International Tutors Association, if you’re interested in tutoring students in a country or countries other than your own.

How can I find online tutoring jobs?

There are a huge number of students looking for online tutors in many different subjects all around the world. Search online and you will discover many online platforms for tutors in many different countries, such as:

• Tutors.com 
• VIPkid.com (English language tutoring)
• Preply.com (language tutoring in any language)
• Naukri.com
• Seek.com.au
• Turtlejar.co.za

If you have a teaching degree and teaching experience – or even if you don’t – you can also offer your online tutoring services privately. 

Now you know how to become a tutor and work anywhere you want. Sign up to be a tutor with Preply and you can set your own rate for how much you will earn right here.

Cover image by Wokandapix

Sabina Lohr

Sabina Lohr is a lifelong freelancer turned entrepreneur who created World of Freelancers to help others discover how to work for themselves online and live the freelance lifestyle. She’s always really enjoyed the freedom that freelancing brings, including several years on and off of working online while traveling and living abroad.

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