When I was at university, I had a mate who was studying mathematics. They ran into a bit of a financial pinch so they started giving private maths tutoring in person and online. They were amazed that the subject they were so passionate about could earn them enough to make it through school and leave a bit leftover.
They found that in-person lessons were limited to the people in their immediate area but online, they could reach clear across Australia. Soon, they were tutoring maths students in Hobart, Perth and Darwin, as well as major cities in eastern Australia. They were generous with their knowledge, tutoring maths online to students of all levels.
As their reputation grew, so did their list of pupils. It didn't take long before they were making a decent living as a maths tutor online. Would you like to do the same?
In this article, we're going to show you the advantages and disadvantages of tutoring maths online. We'll advise you on the best ways to provide online tutoring services. as well as the technology that’ll help you create a fantastic academic tutoring service. Are you keen to put your students on the path to academic success? Read on to learn how to get into online maths tutoring online and how you can use interactive resources to teach mathematics effectively.
The Advantages of Online Maths Tutoring
You'll lose no time travelling from client to client. In-person tutors spend a lot of time commuting, or their students must come to them but maths education online involve no travel whatsoever. This opens up plenty of slots in the online tutor’s timetable since their laptop is basically a mobile tutoring centre. This also means that students living in areas where they can't find a tutor can still benefit from private education.
Online tutoring saves everyone money. Travelling to and from lessons doubles the amount of time needed for an hour-long tutorial. With online maths tutor jobs, you can turn that time into money by scheduling more lessons. Online maths tutoring saves your students money too because you won't have to charge them travel costs, only your regular lesson fee.
A maths tutor online is not limited by geography; neither are students. When it comes to quality instruction, geographical location shouldn’t matter; isn't it great that online tutoring makes that so? As long as students have a connected device, they have access to the best tutors. And thanks to videoconferencing, students and teachers can virtually "drop in" to class almost whenever they want. You could even tutor small groups of students.
Maths tutoring online is less stressful, especially for the student. Sometimes, the physical presence of a tutor watching a student during a tutorial can cause stress. Online education give students more breathing room and help them feel more at ease. Tutors' stress is lower, too, because they don't have to rush hither and yon; they can enjoy the comforts of home while earning their money.
The maths tutor online must have stellar communication skills and know how to use educational technology (EdTech). Students learning remotely must also hone their ability to communicate effectively, a skill that will boost their overall academic performance. Tutor and tutee both benefit from digital tools online activity affords them, too. They can record lessons and save their work for later review.
Unlike teaching maths throughout history, tutoring maths online allows scheduling flexibility for both parties. For instance, my mate went on holiday for a couple of weeks but brought their computer with them. All of the students had agreed to switch their lessons to the evening so my mate was able to enjoy their holiday and still cater to their students (and still collect fees).
The Disadvantages for a Maths Tutor Online
Sometimes, online tutors have to deal with bad internet connections and/or synchronisation issues. If the connection is bad or the sound is out of sync, your tutorials' quality will suffer. To avoid this problem, instruct your students to check their internet connection before logging into the lesson. You should check your connection speed, too, of course.
Communication problems sometimes come down to equipment issues; that's why you should have a headset with a boom mike attached. But more often, students have difficulties communicating with a teacher over webcam - even now, after the pandemic-induced virtual schooling experience. Just give it some time; your pupils will get more comfortable with online education after a few sessions.
If a maths tutor online doesn't know how to use even the basics like interactive whiteboards, they could soon find themselves shedding students. But keeping up with all the new EdTech developments would be a full-time job. Don't sacrifice your tutoring business to an underdeveloped pedagogy. Find a few online tools and apps to make your lessons more engaging.
Tools for the Maths Tutor Online
You have so many tools to help you become a maths tutor. Our list barely covers the handful to simplify and improve your remote tutorials. But there's enough here to help you get started, for instance:
- Geometry Programmes: this type of programme is useful to show students complex geometric mathematic problems or trigonometry. I recommend GeoGebra for solving a geometry problem or equation.
- Interactive Whiteboards: as their name suggests, these digital tools allow you and your pupils to work side by side as though you were standing in front of an actual writing board in a classroom. Zoom comes pre-loaded with an interactive board but you may access others for free online.
- Online Programmes: there are plenty of maths programmes online which allow students to draw complex curves and do algebra or calculus. They're great for showing students how to analyse a problem in terms of functions.
- Screen Sharing: with just a click, any maths tutor online can share their screen with their learner. Screen-sharing opens all sorts of possibilities, from the tutor showing a favoured mathematics website to the student demonstrating how they work through maths problems.
Sceptics Are Quickly Sold on Maths Tutoring Online
My mate has run into his share of online instruction doubters, especially those whose experience of pandemic-era remote learning was disastrous. Not coincidentally, parents baulked at having to supervise remote learning once again.
But an hour-long, one-to-one tutoring session is different than sitting in front of a computer screen displaying 30 or more chat participants. That's why so many parents still seek out a private maths tutor, despite their misgivings.
Online education success depends on the student's age. Primary school learners may have a hard time sitting still to learn but older kids may actually prefer remote tutoring. If the numbers are any indication, tutoring maths online opens doors to mathematic mastery. After all, private tutoring isn't booming because of students' persistent failure rates.
Today, a sizable portion of Superprof private tutors offers tutorials online. They've learned that online tutorials are a satisfying solution for students who live in the country or abroad, far away from in-person tutors. Many tutors aver that they focus better during virtual tutorials, especially if they've created a dedicated workspace in their homes and teach while wearing a headset.
Compensation is another reason tutors are pivoting to the online learning environment. In Australia, maths tutor prices per hour average $18 and, with no travel expenses, all that money goes into tutors' pockets - save for taxes, of course.
The most frequently asked questions when it comes to online tutorials are about which payment tools to use. Some tutoring platforms insist that payment be made through their system but Superprof leaves payment arrangements for tutors and their clients to find their preferred solution.
Learning with a maths tutor online is arguably the best and quickest way to get ahead in maths. A private tutor is great for helping students ace their school exams and achieve high Australian Tertiary Assessment results. On the Superprof platform, it’s easy to set your profile to one-to-one maths tutorials online. Then, your clients only need to look at your profile's sidebar to see whether it has the “webcam” icon.
But Superprof makes things easier yet. If students want to only find online tutorials, they just have to select “online” from the drop-down menu when starting their tutor search. The platform will then return only profiles of online maths tutors.
Are you ready to get started as a maths tutor online? If your search for online tutoring jobs Australia has so far yielded no results, Superprof can help you start your own maths tutoring service.
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