How to tutor online: A guide for prospective tutors looking for online tutoring jobs

Tutoring online can be a lucrative undertaking; the industry is growing rapidly as increasing numbers of students and parents visit online tutoring websites like Skooli in search of personalized academic support.

In addition to being profitable, life as an online tutor is also fun and rewarding. Educators get to work with students one-to-one to help them achieve their personal learning goals and use online tools designed for learning in the 21st century in their sessions.

Once an educator identifies tutoring online as an option for them, it’s all about finding the right environment to start helping students and of course, earning some money. For prospective tutors, the questions are often “Where do I start?” and “What online tutoring platform is best for me?”

Below you’ll find a guide that provides valuable info on how to tutor online. We also have a For Tutors page that covers how to become an online tutor.

Requirements for becoming a Skooli online tutor

Skooli tutors are professional teachers and subject-area experts. Holding one of the following sets of credentials helps our team identify you as a top tutor:

• Bachelor’s degree + state or provincial teaching certification
• Master’s degree or PhD
• Specialized instructor qualification (e.g., ESL certification)

While these are not rigid requirements, holding one of the above sets of qualifications will certainly help you become a Skooli tutor.

There are special cases in which Skooli will onboard tutors who don’t have any of the above qualifications. These include tutoring initiatives with partner organizations that happen in private networks and don’t require tutors to have the same level of expertise and background as publicly available tutors.

About Skooli students

The majority of Skooli students are middle and high school students who need help in math, sciences, and English/language arts. Some tutoring does happen outside of these grade levels and subject areas as well – Skooli is available for K-12 and college students in any academic subject.

How to become an online tutor with Skooli and start tutoring

• Apply as a Skooli tutor
  Let us know you’d like to tutor on Skooli. Have your teaching certifications, proof of education, and ID ready.
• Get approved and verified
  If you’re a good fit for Skooli, you’ll be approved and visible to students. Add a criminal record check for full Skooli verification.
• Get familiar with Skooli
  Find some time with a Skooli team member to get introduced to the system and classroom. We’ll make sure you’re ready for your first session.
• Set your schedule, sharpen your profile
  Make sure you receive the right session requests for you. Set your availability, double check your bio and profile picture, and ensure your teachable subjects are listed on your profile.
• Start tutoring
  Get online to accept instant help requests and start earning money tutoring one-on-one in the Skooli Online Classroom.

How to tutor online with the Skooli classroom

The Skooli Online Classroom has all of the tools you need to host better-than-in-person tutoring sessions:

• Live one-to-one audio
• Speak to each other with high-quality voice
• Write, type, and draw on the digital whiteboard
• Chat via instant messaging
• Upload and share files like essays, diagrams, and tests
• Accessible from any device
• Collaborate on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

The best way to learn how to use the classroom is to try it. Our classroom demo will walk you through the tools and features in a guided tour!

How to get more students

Once you’re approved, verified, and have your first handful of sessions under your belt, it will be time to find more students to teach online.   

Here are our top tips for attracting more students and booking more sessions:

• Have a complete profile, including a cover image and video message, and as many subjects/topics as possible.
• Collect ratings and reviews (but this comes with time). If you are looking to improve your profile quickly, you could ask your students to kindly rate you after the session. The highest rated tutors appear first in the list, so you’ll climb the ranks if you have several positive reviews.
• Keep your availability flexible. If your available times don’t match with your potential students’, they won’t book you. Keep your timezone in mind as you select your time slots — Skooli is 24/7 and its students are all over the globe.
• If you have some time, set yourself as available now which opens you up to immediate booking and live chat from students. When a student requests an immediate lesson, Skooli will render a pop-up where you can click to either start or decline the session.
• Respond quickly and be helpful when an inquiring student sends you a direct message.

Hopefully this quick guide is helpful for any prospective tutors. Heck, it could even be useful for current Skooli tutors looking to maximize their experience with us.

If you need more info about how to tutor online, here are some extra resources:

Skooli’s For Tutors page
Skooli Tutor Help Center
support@skooli.com