HOW TO TUTOR ONLINE in 8 steps
Are you gifted in teaching or maybe you have knowledge that you want to share with other people? There is no need to stress about finding a company to hire you when you have all the tools to succeed as a small business for yourself!
Online tutoring can be done comfortably from your home, on your own schedule. All you need is a computer with a good internet connection, good webcam, and right microphones. With these, you will get paid without having to move out of your house.
Today we'll take you through the 8 steps to starts up your online tutoring business. With this strategy and some tools (like a virtual classroom ) you'll be all ready to start!
1.Selecting Who to work for
For online tutoring, you have to first choose if you want to work for yourself or for another company. A company will have requirements, limitations, and more bureaucracy. However, they (hopefully) will take care of the marketing and sales, so you have a full roster of students! It is advisable if you have never tutored again you start by working for a company to gain enough experience before setting up your platform. If you are well experienced, you can get your platform.
2. Selecting a subject to tutor
After you have decided on who you want to work for (yourself or another company) the next step is deciding on what you want to tutor. You must have good knowledge of what you choose. It might be what you did in college or university or in your area of work. Remember, people want to learn all kinds of subject. Heck, one of the most popular course is just learning English! So, rack your brain and look up what skills people are looking for.
3. Choosing your rates
You cannot go into tutoring without knowing how much you will charge per lesson or session. You have to be well prepared so as you can charge a reasonable amount. Research how much is charged for similar classes.
Bonus: you can give a free or half-price trial class to see if it fits the student before asking for a larger price.
4. Preparing for your classes
If you want to be successful in anything you have to prepare yourself. On this matter, you have to prepare a curriculum or simply plan on what you will be covering on the chosen subject. After knowing on the things, you will be covering you have to make notes that will guide you through the tutorial. Also, make sure that you have enough materials for your students. If it is the notes make sure you have them in the form of a pdf or Google doc, ensure all the audios are audible, the pictures and diagrams are clear, and all are readily available. Not having these materials ready can delay the sessions.
5. Choose the best platform for delivery
After you have all the things set choose the platform that you think will work best for the subject you will be teaching. You can use Skype, Hangouts, Scribblar, WebX or, best, TutorRoom's Virtual Classroom. If you're looking for an educational classroom with video, messaging, whiteboard, scheduling and more, there's no reason not to use this fantastic system!
6. Set up payment services
Decide on the mode of payment and has some payment agreement written down. The most used method of payment is PayPal for it allows you to receive payments from all over the world. It is advisable for you to get paid before starting the sessions. The payment agreement is to avoid misunderstandings after the services.
7. Practice
After you have everything set, it is good to run some practice lesson with a friend and most preferable one with no knowledge on the subject you will be tutoring. This will help you know if you are adequately explaining to the students. If there is anything that you will need to add to the materials, do so before you go live with real students.
8. Attracting clients
The last step will be to get clients. You need to advertise your job on different social media platforms. Explain your skills and what you are offering. Ensure you give your contacts to be easily reached. You can also create accounts on different freelancing platforms. When you get a student it is good you be prepared to answer their questions. Make sure you provide them with a schedule and maintain frequent contact with them.
In Conclusion
Being an online tutor can be a good source of income if you do things right. If you miss anything, it might end up being a nightmare to you. If you do not market yourself well, you might never get a client. Marketing is an essential step in the whole process. I hope you start you tutoring with great success.
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