Maybe you have been thinking about tutoring online for a while but you're not sure how to get started. Nobody could fault you for that. Online tutoring has been around for quite a while. But everything from technology to digital learning resources has changed. Or should we say 'has gotten exponentially better'?
Students are different from learners even ten years ago, when online tutoring was exciting and new. They are more familiar with technology. They may even feel more comfortable meeting their tutor online than in person. Your lesson preparation strategies and instruction delivery methods have to conform to your students' needs and expectations.
Make no mistake, we're not saying that technology suddenly makes it harder to find students for your tutoring sessions. Students of all ages are still looking for tutoring in all subjects, just as they always have. They've just moved into cyberspace to do it.
Until now, you may have provided the best academic support and skills development as an in-person tutor. It's now time to step up your game. Even in the classroom, digital technology - education technology (EdTech) is the standard. You have to update your pedagogy, too.
And if you're new to tutoring? Superprof wants to help you get started as an independent tutor online. This guide aims to help you make the most of the online learning boom. Whether you want to earn extra income from home or intend to establish your own tutoring business, we are here to support you.
Equipment Needed to Become an Online Tutor
The equipment you need to tutor online depends on the subject(s) you tutor. For most academic subjects, a laptop computer, with its built-in webcam, will probably be enough to get started. However, if you want to tutor yoga, give cooking classes or conduct personal training sessions online, you'll need a more expansive setup.
So, to keep things simple, let's outline a basic equipment list. You'll need a sufficiently powerful computer with an internet connection and a decent webcam. And you must have a quiet space where you can conduct lessons undisturbed. That's it for the absolute must-haves, equipment-wise.
Is Your Internet Connection Reliable? There is no point in having the latest and greatest equipment if your internet connection is slow or glitchy. If you want to retain those online jobs and deliver effective one-on-one tutoring, both you and your student need a quick and reliable connection.
Have a chat with people who know what they're doing. If that's you, you know how to check your connection speed. If you find trouble, get your connection sorted before you start teaching. Also, before you and your student begin in earnest, talk your student through how to test their connection. That is if they don't already know how.
Now, for the should-haves. You should have a headset with a telescoping microphone. Relying on your computer's internal speakers and microphone could lead to misunderstandings for both parties. It would be best to make sure you can hear and be heard clearly.
You should have access to online utilities such as interactive whiteboards, mind maps and file-sharing platforms. Many such utilities are free for use, if only up to a certain degree. An account is all you need for free access; you may buy more functionality if needed. If you're setting yourself up in business, don't forget that you can write off such purchases as a business expense.
While you're splashing the cash around, don't forget to pick up a stock of file folders and, perhaps a storage box or two. You'll want to keep hardcopy files for each of your students. You should create a new file when you do a complete intake for each new student. You should also develop a learning plan; keep it in the file, too. As the learning goes on, you'll note their challenges and progress, adjusting the learning plan as needed.
By now, you surely have the idea that the right equipment is essential if you want to be an independent tutor online. If your equipment is not up to standard, your online tutoring initiative will quickly turn into a disaster. If your organisational skills aren't up to par, you'll soon lose credibility.
How to Tutor Online Using Digital Resources
Apart from quality hardware (equipment), you need to make a decision about the platforms and programs you'll incorporate into your lessons. Above, we mentioned interactive whiteboards, filesharing utilities and mind maps. Those sites are the bare minimum you should have bookmarked. They will make your lessons more engaging but you could add so much more!
Take YouTube, for instance. Sure, it's full of cat videos and other fun ways to while away time. But there are plenty of educational channels, too. Before you land your first client, you should comb through all that this platform has to offer. Search for channels posting content for every subject you plan to tutor. Don't forget to subscribe to the suitable one for quicker access!
Have you ever heard of the Khan Academy? It's a US-based educational website organised as a digital school. You'll find a series of lessons organised by grade level and subject. Each lesson comes complete with an explanatory video, exercises and worksheets. Note that it's built to cater to the American school systems. You may have to fish around for the right lessons for your needs.
Before you're due to meet your student online, consult your lesson plan to see what's on the books for the day's study session. If you can enhance the lesson with a short video, search for it and cue it up. Do the same with any other online resource you may avail yourself of during the learning session.
Keep in mind that your session may not go as planned. Maybe, as soon as you log in, your student tells you they're worried about an upcoming exam. Or they have a particularly thorny physics concept or maths problem they just can't seem to grasp. Organising your tutoring sessions is of the utmost importance but so is flexibility. Be prepared to ditch all of your preparations in favour of addressing this new issue.
How to Connect Online
We've already covered a lot of ground but we haven't yet talked about how you and your pupils might connect. You have a lot of choices; one of them was made famous during pandemic lockdown learning. Zoom is a user-friendly video chat platform that comes with lots of built-in features.
You may use their whiteboard utility to write chemical formulas or demonstrate how to solve maths problems. Unfortunately, it is not interactive; only one person at a time can use this function. To display the board, you will have to share your screen. That's another handy Zoom feature. Zoom sessions are now limited to 40 minutes unless you pay for the Pro version. Sigh! Another business expense!
Nothing says you have to use Zoom, though. If you and your students are more comfortable with FaceTime, that's the platform for you. Or you could go for the classics, Skype or Hangouts. They do not include a whiteboard feature but you can share your screen and use a Writer document, a spreadsheet or even a Paint utility, instead.
How to Become an Online Tutor: the Finer Points
Used to be that a student would only see their tutor once a week, with no other contact until the following lesson. That meant tutors had no way of knowing if their students retained anything until their next session together. Technology changed that. Today, you can connect instantly via text or chat app. You may also review assignments they post in your Dropbox or email.
Keeping in contact with your students is the best way to make sure they're learning. It also means you can save time during your lessons. The contact only needs to be a quick email, maybe to answer a question or provide feedback on an assignment they turned in. You could also share relevant websites and videos, with the recommendation that they watch/read them ahead of your next lesson.
Make sure your student knows they can communicate with you between tutoring sessions. Encourage them to tell you ahead of time if they want to cover different content, or revise old content. This will help make your preparation time more productive.
School Assignment and Homework Help
Lots of people hire tutors strictly for academic support. If your learners say they're looking for academic coaching during your intake interview, be sure to offer homework assistance via webcam, as well. For them, it's a matter of greater service rendered. For you, it will be a whole other level of preparation. If your student shows you their homework or assignment, you can target your lessons to address any specific questions about these.
Test Prep Tutoring Online
There's a nasty rumour going around that, more and more, schools focus their teaching to exams. In other words, classroom instruction covers only the information that students will see on their school-leaving exams. Teaching to the test, as it is called, doesn't help students ace exams. The best tutors help their students prepare for exams by providing targeted questions and exercises. They share exam strategies, too.
No matter which subjects your students will test over, the mentoring technique is the same. First, expose them to the widest possible array of information, but in digestible bites. You might first draw on their classroom study materials, their notes and curriculum-related online resources. Once you're sure they have a solid grasp of that knowledge, introduce questions from past exam papers.
The more ways your students can use the knowledge they have, the greater their chance of success on exams. So, presenting the same word problems, formulated differently each time, helps them train their minds to spot exam questions' intent. As you likely well know, discerning intent matters more than spitting out a technically correct answer.
Be patient with your students. Take the time to ensure they understand every aspect of the lesson and the materials reviewed. If you do this right from the beginning, your students will be better placed to make progress and pass their courses.
Listen to your Students
Online tutors, in-person tutors; maths or science tutors... It doesn't matter whether you tutor university-level students or those still in elementary school. You have to listen to your students.
Being a good listener is widely considered to be a teacher or tutor's greatest asset. In a larger class setting, not every student gets heard. But when you're working as a private tutor online or in person, your students expect you to listen to them. Listening lets you know your student better. Knowing your student well allows you to plan for their needs. Planning for their needs leads to student success.
How to Tutor Online: Takeaways
Despite having to lay out some cash to set up your tutoring business, you'll find that you'll save money by tutoring online. Once you have all the equipment and online services subscriptions you need, online tutoring jobs are super cheap. You'll have no petrol or transport costs, meaning you get to keep more of your earnings. Just don't forget to put some aside to pay the tax man. Otherwise, you could end up in serious trouble.
Your students benefit, too. Online tutors' rates are generally lower than for face-to-face tutoring. If you're particularly adept at using online learning tools and communicating remotely, you'll have no trouble attracting clients. Maybe even small-group video learning sessions! They're easy to organise and cheaper for the students. But they mean extra money for you and positive testimonials, too.
Online tutoring gives you access to students all over the world. In-person tutors are limited by geography. But if you don't mind adjusting your schedule for students in other time zones, your reach is unlimited.
Limiting yourself to face-to-face tutoring limits your student numbers. Not just because of geography but because you have to factor in the time to get to each one. It also means you could earn less while still having to pay for transportation costs. By contrast, when you offer tutoring via webcam, those factors are irrelevant.
With all that technology can do today, offering private tutorials via webcam is a no-brainer. It's easy and students love it. It doesn't matter where you are, you can work and earn extra cash. Tutor from another country, or in different lands, if you'd like. It doesn't matter as long as you have the equipment and the internet.
Easy access and communication allow you to focus on your student's needs and provide them with a better service. Scheduling a mutually convenient time is also easier. By not having to travel to meet your student, you can fit more tutoring into your schedule. You will also save time because everything you need is literally at your fingertips.
Make use of our modern technology. Become a tutor online and you won't look back.
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