Great Ways To Make Money As An At-Home Tutor

Online tutoring jobs can be a great way to make money from home, especially if you are looking to work part-time. And they aren’t just available to those with a formal teaching degree. There are many opportunities open to college students, former teachers and tutors, and industry professionals.

What does online tutoring pay?

Online tutoring is a rich and growing industry with a wide range of business opportunities available for everyone from the college student or tutoring novice to the experienced teacher or savvy professional. With such a wide range of potential gigs, the expected pay rates offered to vary according to the industry, experience required, and other qualifications you may possess. You’ll find that many of these opportunities are for independent contractor positions, but there are employee jobs out there as well.

Some of these positions pay as little as $8-$10 hourly when little experience is expected and lesson prep time is minimal. For reference, when you’re tutoring students in English with company-supplied lesson plans and materials. Experienced tutors for standardized tests like the SAT and ACT can expect to earn more – even up to $26 per hour in some cases. Certified teachers working with K-12 students may sometimes have smaller salaries but also receive benefits – like vacation pay, retirement contributions, and that most-desired perk, employer-paid taxes!

If you decide to go out on your own as an intrepid entrepreneur and start a tutoring home business, the going rate for subjects like math and English is around $30-$40 per hour. Specialty subjects and positions offering a more personalized approach can go up to $50-$85 per hour.

What types of online tutoring jobs are available?

These teaching jobs run the gamut from K-12 coursework to English as a Second Language (ESL) to ACT/SAT and college prep – not to mention the opportunities out there for professional tutoring!

K-12 Tutoring & Coursework

Tutoring or teaching positions for K-12 classes tend to have the strictest requirements since you’re working with K-12 students. When pursuing these positions, make sure you have a college degree from a 4-year accredited school. You may also need a state teaching certification, and previous tutoring experience is most likely either required or strongly preferred.

Aim-for-A – AIM4A is regularly looking for online tutors with a Bachelor’s degree or higher available between 5 PM-8 PM on weekdays (and 9 AM-12 PM on weekends). Currently, they need folks who can tutor K-12 students in Math, Science, and ELA and tutors for ACT, SAT, and TOEFL standardized tests. They don’t advertise specific pay but instead ask that you send your expected pay rate along with your resume.

Connections Academy – As a teacher with Connections Academy, you can expect your pay rate to be based on your experience, education, and certifications with the opportunity to pay raises based on performance and annual reviews. They offer support to K-12 students along with college prep services like ACT and SAT prep. You must have teaching certification for the state in which you’re teaching to work with them.

Elevate Learning – As a teacher with Elevate K-12, you’re teaching students between Kindergarten and 12th grade while they are in school – so you should be available to teach on weekdays between 8 AM-5 PM EST. Currently, the subjects they teach are Math, ELA, Reading, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, and Robotics.

K12 – Virtual teachers with K12 should have a Bachelor’s degree, state teaching certification, and at least 6 months of teaching experience. There are also some travel requirements so that you can travel at least once per month to participate in school-based activities. K12 also has options for benefits, including medical, dental, and vision.

Skooli – Skooli advertises that all of their tutors possess at least a Bachelor’s degree and teaching certification, a Master’s degree (or PhD), a state teaching license, or ESL certification (or another language certification as appropriate). You can make your own schedule, and earn $25 per hour spent in the classroom. There’s a payout threshold of $100 and tutors are paid via PayPal.

Tutor.com – Tutor.com requires their tutors to be at least a college sophomore or higher – or to have a degree from an accredited university. You must also be an expert in the subjects you offer tutoring in – they provide a “concept list” for each subject so you can see how you measure up to their requirements. Some subjects require competency exams. They don’t advertise how much you’re paid, except to say it’s dictated according to the subjects you tutor and you can earn incentives based on the quality of your work. Expedited onboarding is possible for subjects in high demand, such as various maths, financial skills, computer science, college-level essay writing, and more (see the full list here).

Yup – Yup tutors specifically help students learn the concepts behind mathematics, covering pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability, and calculus. After registration on the site, you’ll need to take a teaching exam and then a subject exam for each subject you wish to tutor in. They don’t require you to have a degree or certification. They also don’t advertise a flat pay rate – just that their pay is competitive to the market rate and commensurate with your experience and qualifications.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

The most common requirement for tutoring students in ESL is that you be a native English speaker, with the second most common requirement being that you have a least some college as an enrolled student or have graduated with a degree. Some companies want you to have previous experience in teaching and even a language teaching certification like TEFL or TESOL.

Qkids – Qkids does not require tutors to have a TEFL or TESOL certificate. You simply need any “formal” or “informal” teaching experience such as mentoring, tutoring, coaching, or alternative education, eligibility to work in the US or Canada with a native accent, and a Bachelor’s degree in any field. If you are looking for early morning hours and like starting your day with the smiling faces of curious kids, join the Qkids family today!

If you’re interested in casual English tutoring like that offered by Qkids, check out the opportunities offered by the NiceTalk and Palfish apps as well.

Englishunt – In order to tutor with Englishhunt, you must have a teaching certification (or substitute teaching certification) in addition to a four-year university degree. They say that your pay rate depends on your experience and placement within their program. As of December 2018, they are not currently hiring.

goFLUENT – To work with goFLUENT as a Corporate English Trainer, you should have business/corporate experience, be a native English speaker, and have some college education (degree not required but preferred).

Learnlight – Learnlight (previously ISpeakUSpeak or ISUS) hires virtual language teachers to work at least 10 hours each week on a fixed schedule for at least one year. You must have a foreign language teaching certification (such as TEFL TESOL, ELE, DITALS, etc.) and at least two years of experience in language teaching. Based on Glassdoor reviews, their rate of pay is low.

Open English – Open English serves students in Latin America, promising 24×7 access to the best native English tutors – in order to teach with them, you should be an ESL/EFL professional. They offer opportunities for teaching live group classes, providing writing feedback, designing curricula, participating in quality assurance, and more. They specify this is an opportunity best for part-time folks who are already busy teaching or studying. According to Glassdoor, pay is reportedly low – and their site invites you to submit contracting proposals for their consideration.

Rosetta Stone – Rosetta Stone often has Online Language Tutor openings for both general English and specific types of English (for example American English and British English) – these tend to be part-time positions with specific schedules like weekdays between 11 AM-3 PM EST. Requirements include being a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s degree.

Standardized Test & College Prep

Many positions in test prep require you to have achieved a certain score yourself on the standardized test you plan to help students prepare to take. You’ll also commonly be expected to have a college degree along with some teaching experience. Some positions may even require teaching certification.

Connections Academy – We mentioned them earlier as an online school solution for K-12 students. They also provide counseling and college prep services for students – which can include tutoring and preparation for standardized tests like the ACT and SAT. You must have teaching certification for the state in which you’re teaching to work with them.

PrepNow – To qualify for tutoring with PrepNow, make sure you have a Bachelor’s degree (from a 4-year college) and at least two years of teaching/tutoring experience. You must also have either a composite 28 on the ACT or 650 on SAT Math and SAT Verbal/CR. You should be available to work at least 6 hours each week on weeknights and weekends. According to Glassdoor, tutors could be paid between $14 to $26 hourly.

Kaplan – Periodically, you can find online test prep positions open with Kaplan with an emphasis on college-level instructors and SAT tutors wanted.

Tutapoint – TutaPoint.com tutors must have at least two years of experience in tutoring, and you must be enrolled in or have graduated from a university in America or Canada. Beyond helping in all class subjects, they emphasize that they offer standardized test prep and college counseling services. They note that they hire state-certified teachers, college professors, retired teachers, teaching assistants, and more.

College-Level Tutoring & Beyond

The opportunities for tutoring don’t stop with grade school students or ESL! College students also stand to benefit from solid academic support, and professionals of all stripes look for continuing development or learning new skills. Most of these jobs require you to be in college or have a college degree, and some even require post-graduate work.

Chegg – If you excel with Chegg, you could make upwards of $1,000 per month, and they advertise that their tutors start at around $20 per hour. Even better, they handle billing for you and you get paid each week. You choose when to work by logging in when you’re available and they’ll match you with folks who need tutoring, from middle and high school students, college students, or even professionals. You’ll need to demonstrate to them that you are currently a university student or were once enrolled in a 4-year university, and you may be asked to complete a subject test in order to tutor in certain subjects.

Instructional Connections – You can apply from any city or state to work as an Online Academic Coach with Instructional Connections, although they list the job openings grouped to specific locations. These are part-time positions and you must have a Master’s degree in the subject area you offer. Additional degrees or certifications may be required depending on the field.

Studypool – Studypool advertises that their tutors can make up to $5,000 per month thanks to their practice of requiring lower commission rates than similar platforms (they only take between 20% – 30%). You must possess a college degree or be an enrolled college student to qualify, and you have complete control over your own schedule.

TutorMe – To qualify for a tutoring position with TutorMe, you should have a college degree (or be enrolled in an accredited university) and have previous tutoring experience. You must also demonstrate knowledge of the subjects you choose to tutor (and there are over 300 to choose from) – they tutor the usual grade school subjects, offer standardized test prep, and will help anyone seeking to learn new skills like programming. The pay rate is $18 per hour of active lesson time, which includes time spent on written lesson explanations. They pay out weekly through PayPal.

Not Up to Tutoring Directly?

 

If tutoring or teaching students directly is not your strength or what you want to do, consider writing lesson plans and teaching materials instead! There are several companies out there that need folks to put lessons together, prepare curricula for various classes, write test prep questions, and more. Start your search with the following opportunities:

• APass Education
• Shmoop
• Study.com

Start a Tutoring Business

There will always be a demand for private tutors, whether for grade school kids or college students. If you are a great teacher and knowledgeable in a particular subject, there is likely a parent out there willing to give you a shot. Here are a few considerations when starting a home business:

• What subjects can you tutor?
• What age groups can you help with?
• Will you tutor your students at your home, in their homes, or online?
• What supplies will you need? (Pencils, textbooks, workbooks, whiteboard, scheduling software, online classroom software)
• How will you attract new clients?
• Does your jurisdiction have any special licensing requirements?
• Will you need special insurance if tutoring out of your home?
• How much do you need to charge to turn a profit?

If you want to head online and offer your tutoring services in a virtual classroom there are a few software options to consider.

• Podia
• LearnSpeed
• WizIQ

Where can I get more information?

There are several forums and industry-related communities that offer information, networking opportunities, and possibly job listings.

• The Tutor House is a great site for learning more about offering tutoring services from home. Get everything from initial subject ideas to business tips.
• ESL Employment offers a forum and job listings.
• Common Core State Standards Initiative – Make sure you understand the Common Core in order to understand what children are expected to master so you can incorporate these goals into your tutoring.

Teaching can be a very rewarding career. Thankfully, this is one work-at-home option where the opportunities are limitless.