In 2020, online tutoring became more necessary than ever, and the COVID-19 pandemic means that teachers were forced to deliver classes online. As an added bonus, many started realizing the appeal and flexibility of online tutoring to establish a profitable career.
With the magic of modern technology, it’s now possible to pursue higher education online. Online tutoring is here to stay, so online tutors must adapt to the new norm to not be left behind.
Different types of tutoring you can offer
Online tutoring lets you set a home-based teaching environment where you can experiment with your offerings. Unlike traditional classes, where the number of students is a constraint, online tutoring offers the flexibility to accommodate many learners at once.
Group classes
Group classes allow you to deliver online classes to many learners simultaneously. The key benefit of learning in a group is the social interaction between students, which promotes active learning. Group classes also contribute to creativity and will bring a diversity of ideas.
Students learn to work as a team, support each other, and discover leadership qualities in themselves. You can either choose to live stream your group classes or record sessions so that they can be added to the on-demand video library for future usage.
One-to-one sessions
One-to-one live sessions work just like normal home tutoring classes where it is just the tutor and the student. You offer a custom learning program for your student created by them in a private session. The key here is to make sure that your students have access to your tutoring platform, essential equipment, and the Wi-Fi connection, along with good lighting and a calm space to attend classes.
Online courses
The ability to learn something new like information or a skill whenever you want is great, and that’s exactly the advantage of online choruses. You can sell online courses on your online tutoring platform to encourage your students to adopt self-paced learning. Put together online courses and sell them individually or as a bundle so that you can charge higher based on the value the course offers.
Building your online tutoring platform
If you want to build a successful and profitable home tutoring, the business needs a dedicated online tutoring site to host your live classes, sell online courses, manage your learners, allow them to book your classes, and accept payment for your student’s spread across different locations.
To maximize the revenue and expand your tutoring business, you can consider building an online tutoring marketplace to invite other tutors to host their classes. The best approach to creating a professional tutoring website for your home tutoring business is to use tutoring software.
For example, Pinlearn is one of the best online tutoring software, which comes with all essential functionalities to help you to create and manage your tutoring marketplace. It is a turnkey script that leverages modern technology to host interactive live classes and self-paced courses for virtual tutoring.
Pricing your online classes
Finalizing how much you should charge your customers for your online tutoring takes trial and error. To get a clear picture regarding the general pricing in your industry, look at the website of online tutors who match your niche. You can conduct a poll among your target audience to ask people what they would pay for a one-to-one session online.
In addition, when you are running an online tutoring business, conduct market research to understand your target client’s budget. Are they younger learners, people right out of college, or professionals who have a steady income? A simple way to start would be to consider your normal offline class rates and discount them by 10-15%, as students expect a bit less for online classes. However, you need not lower your costs just because you are moving online.
If you are a tutor specializing in test preparations and coaching, you can charge high accordingly. For example, you can set a flat fee, whether it’s for an hourly tutoring session or a couple of sessions. Recurring fees or subscriptions are another type of pricing plan you can adopt where you can provide your services high as you can add more services to enhance the value of your offerings.
Tips for branding your online tutoring business
If you want to become a successful online tutor and establish yourself in the industry, you must take branding seriously. When you run a tutoring business, you would want to make sure your branding is clear both inside and outside. Similarly, you also need to do this when you take your services online. Here are some steps you can adopt to brand your online tutoring business.
Know your target clients
When running an online tutoring business, a good starting point to establish your branding is understanding your target clients. Think about the type of clients you are trying to attract to your online tutoring business. Get specific about who you want to help. For example, what are their age group, gender, and the challenges they experience? The more knowledge you have about your target learners and their needs, it will be easier to tailor services that appeal to them. It will also help you create marketing materials that appeal to your target market.
Lean on your existing community
When you are starting your own online home tutoring business, lean on your existing community, as they would be eager to support you for your new venture. Spread the word among your existing community, who can turn as your biggest advocates to make your online tutoring impactful.
Craft your marketing plan
When you are trying to market your online tutoring business, make sure all your marketing materials are of the highest quality. Every marketing material you present ought to feature your branding. Leverage social media to reach out to your clients and promote your services.
Be consistent
When you are starting an online tutoring business from home, remember to be consistent with your offerings and your marketing materials. Whether you are trying to sell general services or niche services, make sure the look and feel of your brand are the same across all materials and platforms.
Keep in mind that it takes repeated branded exposure for your target audience to start recognizing your business. The more consistent you are with your activities, the easier it will be for them to distinguish your online tutoring brand from your competitors in the industry.
Conclusion
The coronavirus outbreak has radically transformed the way of our life and every industry, including the education industry. If you are an experienced tutor who is already teaching students, online tutoring opens up new opportunities for you to broaden your reach to students across the globe. It’s important to set a clear communication strategy to facilitate a great relationship with your students.
If you are new to taking your tutoring sessions online, start slow and expand as you grow. The transition can be an exclusive one, or you can combine it along with your in-person classes.
I hope this blog gives you valuable insights into shifting your tutoring business from offline to online.
