How To Start Online Tuition At Home

Are you a tutor looking at ways to teach students online? The recent ongoing pandemic has turned things upside-down and living a life indoors and carrying out jobs, including schooling and learning online is the new normal. And online learning is a part of this new normal. 

Frankly, online schooling and tutoring is not a novel concept, and was one of the modes of learning for some time now but it has gained immense popularity in the present times of the pandemic where social distancing and staying indoors is the new normal. 

Tuitions in the country still relied on a one to one and face-to-face interaction. However, now, as a tutor/teacher many face the quandary as to how to start online tuition at home and how to get the students to enroll with them online. This article will help tutors get started on taking their profession online.

Growth Of Tutoring Sector

With this global pandemic in the picture, the search for how to start a business online is also on the rise. This means going forward, starting any business online is not just the new normal but also profitable. If you’re a tutor, this is the perfect time to move online. 

Firstly, let us reflect and understand the growing demand for tutors and the reason behind it. India’s online education market is seeing almost a spiking rise post Covid-19 and analysts believe that it is set to increase by leaps and bounds, approximately being worth $2 billion by next year 2021, which is a sharp rise from $250 million in the year 2016 and the number of users paying and opting for online education is expected to rise to 9.6 million. 

Some of the reasons for the rise in people opting for private tutoring, apart from the global pandemic that has redefined the way students learn and attain knowledge, are discussed here-

• Most schools are to some extent are failing to cope with the needs of the students and also cannot provide the needed attention individually to each of the students
• There is a rising incidences of poor school infrastructure facilities, thus failing to impart the requisite knowledge
• There is a lack of trained and professional teachers who are passionate about teaching students and not looking at teaching as a source of income
• Several parents wish for the children to get the best possible education for which they opt for private or extra tuitions apart from school
• There is an unprecedented competition especially among those vying for coveted seats at prestigious colleges and institutes, and students seek tutors to help prepare for the same

The benefits of online tuitions make it the most viable solution to any of the problems faced by students earlier and more so in times of the current pandemic-

• Online teaching breaks geographical barriers, thus a teacher from India could be teaching students in Europe or a teacher in Pune teaching kids in Uttar Pradesh. Students can therefore get the best qualified teachers from geographically far off locations too.
• It ensures personal and undivided attention of the tutor.
• It provides flexibility of time and space, thus allowing the teacher and the students to conduct or attend the classes at their preferred time and location.
• Online tuitions also allows sharing of various additional information and content, thus providing a diverse teaching experience.
• Teaching online helps the tutor and the student to connect one-to-one, thus ensuring personal attention. In case of queries or difficulties, they can be resolved then and there with the tutor.

These are just some of the benefits of online teaching, both for the students as well as tutors, especially those tutors who are new to this medium of teaching and considering how to start online tuition at home. Additionally, with an expected growth by $14.33 billion from 2020 to 2024, the online education market is the business that tutors and entrepreneurs alike need to embrace. 

How To Start Online Tuition At Home

Now that it’s established that online tuitions is the way forward, whether it is for school students, graduates or postgraduates or even those looking to acquire new skills while working, the next question for tutors is how to start online tuition at home and make it grow. 

Ensure Reliable Hardware And Internet Connectivity

The main factors to consider when starting tuitions online, from one’s home is to ensure a good online connectivity as well as an online presence in order to conduct the classes. For connecting online, the tutors need to invest in a good laptop or computer system with standard configurations. The basic requirements for a good laptop needed to conduct the tuitions are as follows- 

1. Type- PC or Mac
2. Processor –  Intel Core i5 or i7 or AMD equivalent
3. Display – 13” or larger, especially if the subject to be taught involves lots of diagrams and displaying graphical data
4. Memory – 8GB or higher for PC / 16GB or higher for MAC
5. Hard Drive – 256GB SSD or higher
6. I/O ports – Two USB 3.0 ports
7. Video out – HDMI or DisplayPort

 Also with this the tutors need good connectivity too. Ensure a Wi-Fi connection with a 4G speed to allow uninterrupted sessions with the students. Internet speed is of utmost importance and must be reliable too. 

Create An Online Presence To Reach Out

Once the tutors set-up the required hardware and internet connection for conducting their classes, the next step in how to start online tuition at home is to ensure an online presence. This means that the teachers must create a social media profile on platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc regarding their tuitions, for what subjects, the unique features or USP of their classes and teaching style, and other details, eyc. 

Tutors can get online starter pack which will help establish an online presence for their business with all the requisite information added and ticking all the boxes in terms of how to create a presence and connect with the audience. 

This establishing of an online presence is important in order to make the audience aware of the tutor’s tuitions, their teaching skills and their experience as well as achievements and accolades. It also creates a medium through which interested candidates can approach the teachers.

Prepare For The Online Tuitions

After creating a social presence, the tutors need to keep in mind certain basics in order to prepare for their online tuitions and classes.

While deciding the method of conducting the classes online from home, the following factors will help the tutors to prepare effectively- 

• First and foremost is to ensure that the tutor sits in a position that has ample lighting, with no shadows. The seating should also have a wall or curtain in the background, to prevent distractions and draw the attention only towards the teacher.
• Next, the tutors can consider a face-to-face video conferencing using any of the several meeting platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, JioMeet, etc which provide clarity of video without interruptions. Face-to-face interaction helps create a better rapport and connection with the students. 
• Next, the tutor must make sure that they speak to the students with a high-quality and excellent voice. Dressing up appropriately and having a cheerful disposition is a given while conducting the classes.
• The tutors can even have a whiteboard with them, or if not possible, then they can write, type, erase and draw in distinctive colors on digital advanced whiteboard. Alternatively, teachers can prepare slideshows and share their screens too, in order to teach concepts.
• Additionally, the teachers can also consider text chat via instant messaging where they can send quick summaries or snapshots of the concepts taught. This way the students can also easily approach the teachers in case of queries.
• Another important skill for the teachers/tutors to learn is to upload and share files.
• Even while being online, teachers should touch base with the students during and after the class to check their progress by encouraging them to share their work or by assigning homework, projects, reports, assignments, etc.
• The teachers must all keep in mind that students must be able to access the session from all devices.

In case of smaller kids, the teachers can think of  interactive games and fun activities or crafts that they can conduct to keep the kids engaged, and to retain their attention during the class. 

These vital details will help the teachers immensely while planning how to start online tuition at home and being effective too. 

Manage The Financial Aspects

The next step is to consider the financial aspects of the business. In terms of investment, an online tuition business does not require much, apart from investing in a good laptop and internet connection. The cost for which can go upto Rs. 50,000 but this is a one-time investment. Apart from that, the other expense could be for marketing the business on the right mediums. 

The other financial aspect to consider is the fees to be charged for the tuitions. Most tutors charge on an hourly basis. The fee depends on the subject taught, the credentials and experience of the teacher along with the kind of students being taught. For instance, the course structure and fees for postgraduates will be higher compared to school going children. The average rate is anywhere between $20 to $45 for high school students and gradually increases for graduate and postgraduate students.

Since the teachers will be online, and the teaching will also be online, tutors be paid via online payment mediums too. To keep track of the payments regularly, mostly on a monthly basis, tutors can set payment tracker for business. This will help them concentrate on their job as the tracker will keep tab of the pending payments, thus helping in the accounting process too. 

Advertising About The Tuitions

Once the business is set-up, tutors need to invest in advertising their services when planning how to start online tuition at home successfully. 

They can advertise via-

• Flyers in newspapers
• Through word of mouth via friends and family
• Through their social media pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
• Regularly update their profile on a weekly basis
• Share snippets of interesting information, activities, etc related to the subject being taught to create curiosity and attract clients
• Invest in services like Google AdWords for keywords related to their subjects to be visible to a wider audience

Advertising is also a vital aspect of the business which should not be ignored.

Finally, a few tips that tutors can imbibe when learning how to start online tuition from home and to progress steadily- 

• Be available for the students
• Respond quickly to the students
• Ask for ratings from the students
• Be there on all platforms
• Update profile weekly to stay up-to-date

These steps will definitely help tutors start online tuition from home successfully and get the students too. For any other queries on their journey to be Atmanirbhar and establish their tutoring services, they can always connect with deAsra for guidance and support.