Online Tutor:

Online tutors provide learning support to students of all levels, typically via a web-based video conferencing system. There is a fine line between online teaching andonline tutoring. The main difference is that tutoring involves providing help with a subject that the student is being taught elsewhere. However, some online tutors can provide extensive teaching while others simply help with homework.

Online Tutor Duties & Responsibilities:

The job generally requires the ability to perform the following duties:

• Acquire tutoring students through marketing and partnerships
• Provide learning support to students in certain subject areas where they need improvement
• Help students develop independent study skills
• Monitor and evaluate students' progress in order to see where improvements can be made
• Communicate with parents, teachers, or tutoring programs about student progress and concerns
• Complete reports and paperwork as needed

Online tutoring duties can vary greatly depending on the level and whether you work for an employer or yourself. For example, those employed by companies that contract with school districts are more likely to have to do some form of assessment of students, while homework help tutors wouldn't be required to do so.Companies specializing in online tutoring may offer services directly to parents and students or may be contracted by school systems to provide tutoring to students. Tutors can also connect with students using platforms made available by online tutoring companies and then share the revenue.

Education Requirements & Qualifications:

Typically, the minimum education requirement for online tutoring is a bachelor's degree. However, a few places will hire college students. For those starting an online tutoring business, there is no official minimum education requirement. However, attracting students in this competitive business may be difficult if you don't have a college education.

• Education: Though the minimum requirements are usually a four-year college degree, many employers require more a master's or doctorate degree. Many K-12 online tutoring companies look for a teaching certificate and a master's degree.
• Experience: Many companies hiring online tutors may require teaching experience either in the classroom or online. Schools and companies are also looking for people with experience and knowledge in the specific subject being tutored.
• Technology: Online tutors need to be familiar with online teaching tools and a Internet-connected computer with either an external or built-in camera.

How To Become an Online Tutor?

A tutor also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assistance or tutelage to one or more people on certain subject areas or skills. The tutor spends a few hours on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to transfer their expertise on the topic or skill to the student. Tutoring can take place in different settings, such as a classroom, a formal tutoring center, or the home of the tutor/learner. As a teaching-learning method, tutoring is characterized by how it differs from formal teaching methods on the basis of the (in)formality of the setting as well as the flexibility in pedagogical methods in terms of duration, pace of teaching, evaluation and tutor-tutee rapport.

Online Tutor Skills & Competencies:

To be successful in this role, you’ll generally need the following skills and qualities:

• Interpersonal skills: Online tutors need to be able to connect with the students they are helping.
• Communication skills: They must be able to effectively relay information to students both verbally and in writing.
• Tech skills: Since the job is mostly done online, candidates must be comfortable with using computers and digital tools.

Job Outlook:

The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics doesn't break out data on online tutors specifically. However, it projects that employment in the broader education, training, and library occupations category will grow 9 percent through 2026, which is slightly faster than the overall employment growth of 7 percent for all occupations in the country.

Work Environment:

Many online tutors work from their own homes, and the majority of the work is done via computer.

Work Schedule:

Many online tutors work part time, but some work full time, as well. Hours vary and depend on when students are available—which often means working on evenings and weekends.

Online Tutor Profile:

Once you have decided that tutoring is for you, and researched the relevant curriculum areas, you will need to find new students. For many, this is actually the most difficult part of being a tutor, so we have created this chapter to help you attract new students for private tuition.There are various ways to get started. Obviously, tutors look to get the word out to friends and family, which a great way of building your experience.

You may wish to offer free sessions to those closest to you if you are new to the role, as this will allow you to build your experience. From there, some tutors choose to advertise locally, but this is incredibly time-consuming and can be pretty expensive.We unsurprisingly, therefore, recommend signing up as a tutor on Tutorful. We help you to find new students, by allowing you to have a free profile, which beautifully sets out your experience and expertise. Students will then be able to message you to organise lessons. We’ll help you through it all and process all of their payments, which we’ll discuss later, as this is another difficult role to undertake.

Profile Photo:

This is probably the first thing students look at, so it is vital to create a good first impression. Use a high quality photo, in which you appear friendly and professional. Here are some examples we like:Make sure that you don’t use a group photo or one containing children.

Keep the shot tight, include the top of your shoulders, this should have priority to that funky new hairstyle you have, (which can change in a few weeks). You don't want to look like a floating head, you also don't want your face to be around 10% of the image, crop the shot right in so we see every little detail of that gorgeous face of yours.

Make sure you are well lit, try to keep it even and avoid strong shadows and do not use coloured lights as this will look strange.

• Keep the shot tight, include the top of your shoulders, this should have priority to that funky new hairstyle you have, (which can change in a few weeks). You don't want to look like a floating head, you also don't want your face to be around 10% of the image, crop the shot right in so we see every little detail of that gorgeous face of yours.
• Make sure you are well lit, try to keep it even and avoid strong shadows and do not use coloured lights as this will look strange.
• Keep your eye line above the centre line, and don't be looking up, down or away from the camera, position the camera so it lines up with your mouth, this will make your eyes more engaging to the viewer. 

Tag Line:

The tag line should be a short, snappy summary to promote yourself. This is the title of your page and the first thing parents will read on the search results pages, so make sure it states:

• The main subject(s) you teach
• Your location
• Something to separate you

Bio:

Your profile is in effect your sales pitch. It is not only your opportunity to demonstrate what differentiates you from other tutors, it is also your chance to showcase some of your softer skills. Students want a tutor who has the necessary qualifications as well as an engaging teaching style. 
If your profile is long-winded and repetitive you will repel students who think your teaching style will be the same. If you have a succinct profile, that is packed with active verbs and flows well then potential clients are more likely to read on. 
You will come across as energetic and competent. To produce this information packed profile, try making a list of your key soft and hard skills first then write your profile. Rigorously edit out any repetitions and condense any long-winded phrases. You will be left with an attractive persuasive profile that will attract customers." 

Write a professional personal statement, which sets out your experience and teaching style. This is your opportunity to sell yourself to potential clients and to let them know why you would be the perfect tutor for them.

• Why would you make a great tutor?
• How would you plan to help your students and what would you do during sessions?
• What qualifications make you suitable?
• What is your knowledge of the curriculum and exam expectations?
• You’re not the Queen, so be sure to write in the first person, i.e. ‘I’ and ‘my’.

Short Bio:

This will appear on the search results pages - like a mini bio for parents to decide which profiles to view. It’s up to you whether you create a short bio. If you leave it blank, we’ll fill it in with the first part of your full bio. It’s worth filling it in though, as this is another chance to sell yourself! Just summarise the best parts of your longer bio.

Travel Policy:

There is debate about the benefits of tutoring from home versus those of visiting your students. Here at Tutorful, we have found that the vast majority of parents want tutors to come to them.

If you are looking to tutor from home, make sure that:

• You have a comfortable, quiet location where you won’t be disturbed.
• You have a large table and all of the resources required for your subject.
• It does not contravene the terms of your rental agreement, mortgage or insurance.
• You have insurance.

If you are happy to travel to students’ homes:

• You have access to transport: for those without a car, a sensible travel radius is 2-5 miles, whilst those who drive should select 5-10 miles.
• You have factored transport costs and travel time into your hourly rate.
• You plan to minimise travel time between lessons.

Qualifications:

Add any qualifications you have achieved, such as A-levels or Degrees. Be sure to list those which are applicable to the subjects you teach, rather than listing all of your qualifications.

Subjects:

Add the subjects and levels that your are confident to tutor. Make sure that you add ALL of the levels you can teach, not just the highest.

Profile Examples:

Accredited Tutor recommends that your profile should include the following components:

• A brief background about yourself: your interests, passions, and why you provide tutoring services
• Any specific expertise or experience you bring to tutoring
• What you charge for your tutoring services
• Any specific information, or limitations on your services, that prospective students or parents should be aware of.

What you should NOT include:

• The subjects you tutor, as this is already listed on your profile page
• Too much detail about your education as this should be included with the Education Background you have listed
• Any contact details
• Any information that is not accurate

Accredited Tutor reserves the right to edit or delete information that should not be included in the profile.Remember, as per the Rules of Accreditation and code of conduct, you agree not to post information that is not accurate or overstates your education or expertise as a tutor.

What are an online tutor’s responsibilities?

• Connecting online with students of all ages to provide homework help and tutoring in the subjects for which you have demonstrated expertise.
• Guiding students to understand the topics they bring to each tutoring session.
• Encouraging students to engage actively with their topics to build deeper understanding.
• Helping build student confidence in their ability to learn and to understand challenging concepts.
• Using state of the art online tools such as an interactive whiteboard, voice and chat communication, and application sharing.
• Classifying each session according to the scope and sequence of the topics discussed.
• Changing lives, one at a time.

Who are Tutor.com online tutors?

Many types of professionals have found part-time remote work with Tutor.com:

• Teachers and retired teachers
• College and graduate students
• Math professionals/experts
• Science professionals/experts
• Computer science experts

What are the technology requirements?

You're well-equipped to become a tutor – is your computer? Check out Tutor.com’s required specs:

• Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7
• 4.0 GB of system memory (RAM) or greater (we recommend 8 GB)
• Processor (CPU) running at 1.8 GHz or higher (we recommend 2.4 GHz)
• Terrestrial (land-based) Internet service (Cable, DSL, Fiber, etc.) capable of at least 256 kbit/sec in both directions 
  • Satellite internet or 3G/4G/public Wi-Fi hotspot connections cannot be accepted
• Internet connection speed of 15 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up (we recommend: 20 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up)
• Micorsoft Office or equivalent 3rd party software that can view and edit Office files (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)
• A working headset and/or microphone for voice communication
• Desktop or laptop with Display capable of at least 1280 x 720px resolution (we recommend 1920 x 1080px)
  • Netbook-style laptops may not attain the required resolution
• Headset or speakers/microphone for use with our software's Voice feature
• Prefer to work on a Mac? If you’re able to install and run Windows via a multi-boot system (i.e. Boot Camp) or in an emulated environment (i.e. Parallels, VMWare) and you can obtain the required software (i.e. Microsoft Word) for Windows, your application will be considered.

Do I have to tutor certain hours?

Tutor.com allows you to create a flexible schedule that fits your needs. Our service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means you can create a new schedule on a week-to-week basis. There are three ways to tutor:

• Create a schedule each week
• Log on unscheduled and pick up sessions
• Set availability for scheduled appointments

 How much are tutors paid?

You are paid a set hourly rate dictated by the subjects you tutor, and there are incentives available for high-quality tutoring. Unlike private tutoring where you must deal with potential delays from clients, payment comes on a set schedule directly from Tutor.com. More information on our pay structure will be provided once you have successfully completed the initial application and subject exam phase of the process.

How can I become a tutor?

If you meet our prerequisites and you want to become a tutor, check out our Apllication Process. The application process will take 1-3 weeks, depending on how quickly you complete each step.