During the pandemic, young people and adult learners were forced to learn from home. Lockdowns were introduced across the world, stopping people from being able to go to colleges and schools. While the pandemic is now over and everybody has mostly forgotten about COVID, online learning still persists.
It’s much more convenient, in many ways, for schools and colleges to offer distance learning programs, and to allow students to study from home a few days each week.
This post will explore this topic in more detail, telling you some information you need to know about the rise of online education.
Independent Tutoring
You don’t have to work for a school to teach young people anymore. You can find work as an online tutor, teaching whatever interests you. According to an article that offers online education statistics that may surprise you, online education has become widely accepted, and students tend to gravitate more towards it than they do in-person education. As long as you are a licensed teacher (and have expertise in the subject you plan on teaching) then you can start advertising your services and finding work tutoring online.
Acquiring Materials
Another advantage of the internet in relation to education is that it’s easier to get hold of learning materials and textbooks. In the past, teachers had to spend hours painstakingly gathering course material. Now, all that teachers have to do is access online directories and libraries, download course material, or order textbooks from e-commerce giants like eBay or Amazon. If you want to get started as an independent tutor, then you are going to need textbooks and course material, so you can offer students an immersive and high-quality experience.
Holding Classes
Holding classes online is easier than ever. As mentioned earlier, most students actually prefer online education nowadays. If you are a teacher (or somebody who’s planning on setting up as an independent tutor) then you need to download video calling software, like Skype, MS Teams, or Zoom. This kind of software will make it easier for you to hold classes. You also need to make sure that you have a good microphone and camera. If you do not, then you will not be able to clearly communicate with students. Other than a good camera, microphone, and video call software, there is not much other equipment that you need.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is essential if you plan on starting out as a tutor, otherwise, you won’t be able to bring exposure to your service. One thing you should know about online education is that it is no different from any other type of business. You need to advertise yourself, otherwise, people won’t have the opportunity to learn about you. One thing that is worth mentioning is that SEO, search engine optimization, is the most effective type of marketing tutors can use. It will help them to make their site more discoverable, and ensure they appear at the top of the search listings when searches relative to their educational niche are made.
Offering Convenience
Online education is much more convenient than in-person education. The reason for this is quite simple, really: Students don’t have to leave their homes. One of the most expensive parts of university or college is having to move away from home and stay on a university campus. By offering online, distance learning classes, colleges are able to save their students a fortune. Many people say that living on campus is a big part of the experience, and while that is definitely true, it is also the most expensive part and gets people into a lot of student loan debt.
Finding Work
Finding work online, if you want to be a teacher or a tutor, is not difficult. If you want to become a teacher, then all you have to do is to reach out to a college or university that’s offering distance learning programs and advertise your services. If you want to become a tutor, then again, you need to market yourself. Because so many educational institutions are offering distance learning today, finding work should not be challenging (provided you are experienced as a teacher and have good references).
Setting Rates
One of the best things about starting out as an independent tutor is that you can set your own rates. In other words, you decide how much you earn. If you have no idea how much is an acceptable amount to charge per hour, do some research online and check out how many other tutors are teaching. Try to undercut them if you can, so that you can take clients away from them, build your reputation, and attract people who’re on tight budgets (which many young people are).
Intensive Studies
Just because online learning is convenient, that does not for a second mean it is any less intense. In fact, it is arguably more intense than in-person learning. It takes a lot of motivation and dedication for a person to be able to succeed in an online learning program because it’s easy to get distracted or lose interest. If you plan on becoming a tutor or online teacher, then you need to make sure your courses are designed so that they are engaging and interesting. If they are not, you could lose your student’s interest.
Exam Preparation
A lot of young people hire tutors to help their children to get through exams. If you want to make a little bit of money on the side and are an experienced educator, then you could begin working with young people whose exams are coming up. Exam preparation courses are easy, simple to lead, and can be very lucrative. You do need to have some expertise in the subject that you are lecturing in, though, despite how easy it is to pretend to and just read from textbooks. If you do not, then the children you teach won’t have the best chances of success.
Becoming a tutor or online educator can be a great way of making money. If it’s something that you are considering, then bear the points made here in mind. You do need to know that online tutoring is a very competitive field, so you will need some experience and good reviews if you want to make it there.