Online Tutoring Jobs

Teachers who are looking for part time jobs should definitely consider online tutoring. It is flexible, can be done from home, and relies on your expertise as an educator. All you need to be an online tutor is a computer, a good Internet connection, and the ability to help students with challenging topics. You also will need to hold a teaching degree and, perhaps, a state teaching license.

Each online tutoring website has different requirements for the teachers that they hire. Most of the time, these part time jobs for teachers are geared towards those who can tutor in challenging fields like math, particularly on the higher levels, social studies, science, and English, particularly writing. If you have expertise in these areas, there is definitely a need for you in the online tutoring world.

So how does online tutoring work? Obviously, it is far different than traditional tutoring. You will not meet one on one with your students. Instead, you will chat with students via an instant messaging program to help them with their problems. If you are working math, you can draw on an interactive whiteboard in order to provide practice problems and have the student work them. Students can upload papers to the system for help with proofreading and editing as well. Some online tutoring programs require you to connect via an online telephone connection as well, so you can speak with your students directly.

In most cases, you can set your own hours, which also makes online tutoring a good job for retired teachers. Some websites advertise that you can work 24 hours a day. However, the peak times when students are available to be tutored are in the evening hours across the US time zones. This is when the students are not in school and are needing help with projects, homework, and test prep. Most online tutoring websites have a set number of hours that they require their tutors to work per week, such as five hours a week. Other than this requirement, you can pretty much set your own hours when working as an online tutor.

When you apply to become an online tutor, expect to take a proficiency test in the area you intend to tutor. Also, be prepared to submit to a background check. These two screening methods protect the online tutoring agency from hiring dangerous or unprofessional individuals, which is particularly important since they have not seen you in person when they hire you.