The Benefits of Online Tutoring

Online tutoring isn’t new. With hundreds of tutoring sites popping up all over the web, this is the best time to become a tutor! Who wouldn’t want to work from the comfort of home or their local coffee shop? I’m relatively new to the tutoring game, but I’ve learned there are plenty of perks to the job. Here is what I think are the five best benefits to being an online tutor:

Make your Own Schedule. Currently, I’m a full-time student, so working a part-time job was difficult for me. If I wanted off for a holiday or a personal event, I would have to request off weeks in advance or pay someone to take my unwanted shifts. With online tutoring I get to choose when and where I want to work. When I need to travel somewhere, this doesn’t mean I need to postpone work and forgo getting paid. Even when I fly across several states to visit my family, I still have the luxury of working online to make some extra money. With the flexibility of online tutoring, you could even add this as a second source of income. I have several colleagues who use online tutoring along with their regular jobs as a way to make some extra money for vacations and holiday gifts.

Rewarding Experience. Most tutors will agree that helping students learn is a rewarding experience. A lot of students will reach out to you at times they are frustrated or stressed out about their school work. Even by helping them solve one answer, you are lifting a weight off their shoulders and making their day a bit easier. By sharing your knowledge, you also help students learn and grow in their academic field. My favorite part of tutoring is when a student finally understands a concept that we have worked through together. You get a sense that you are making a difference in your students’ lives.

Become a Better Communicator.Tutoring is not always an easy task. Just because you think the way you approach a problem makes sense, does not mean it will translate that way to the student. Once you get experience tutoring, you learn different ways to communicate. This may force you to see from the student’s perspective. You may need to break up a subject matter into the most basic elements or get straight to the point. Approaching problems different ways not only makes you a better communicator, but also sharpens your skills in whatever subjects you specialize in.

Build a Network. Most tutoring sites allow you to establish a reputation and network of students. As you help students with their studies, they will leave good reviews on your profile or request you as their regular tutor. Having a good reputation usually results in students willing to pay a premium price for your tutoring services. These students may even recommend you to their friends and other student, further expanding your network.

Getting Paid. Not all tutoring sites are created equally, but for the most part, tutors make good money if they have previous tutoring or teaching experience. Tutor Me has a great payment setup through PayPal. All tutors are paid $18 per hour. Time is accumulated based on time spent working with the student or time spent writing a student’s written lesson. Payments are paid weekly. 

Hopefully this advice has helped you. If you do plan on becoming an online tutor here are some of my favorite tutoring sites: TutorMe and eTutorCloud. Good luck with your endeavors!