I’m sure you’ve seen ads everywhere for people teaching English online, to the point of almost reporting each one of them because, seriously, they’re everywhere.
But, at the same time, don’t they make you think about why so many people are teaching English? Especially if you’re either trying to find a new job or maybe make some extra money?
The truth is that teaching this language online is quite popular because of how needed it is to this date, and online classes just received a boost during the pandemic and lockdowns. Therefore, yes, many pay for them.
However, the real question is if this side hustle is profitable. Is it worth your time and effort? Or will it, at least, help you make some money?
Here, we will discuss everything from side hustling as a teacher of English online and what the process looks like all the way down to if it’s profitable or not. Let’s get started!
How & Why Teach English Online?
First, the concept and idea are obvious: you only need to take the classes you’ll usually handle face-to-face to Zoom, Skype, or other platforms.
However, keep in mind that teaching online is both convenient and challenging at the same time.
Therefore, it can bring many challenges along with the benefits you obtain from choosing this side hustle. But would we still recommend doing it? Absolutely.
With this settled, this is what we can tell you, getting started isn’t too tricky.
We highly recommend this option to make extra cash because it doesn’t require you to leave your home or any other place you’re in.
If you need some reasons to choose it or want us to go over a few pros before telling you how you can do it, here are a few:
- You don’t have to leave your personal space (as previously mentioned). This gives you the freedom to teach from anywhere.
- More flexible. You don’t have to adjust to a schedule most of the time.
- Communication is less formal and more interactive.
- You can share content, examples, and information right away.
- Several platforms are available to connect with students.
- YOU set your tariff and worth.
Now, how can you start to give classes? Is it going to be a challenge from here on? Not quite.
When we say it is pretty simple, we mean it, so you don’t need to worry about this aspect, in particular.
So, here’s what you’ll need:
- Make sure you’re fluent: it seems logical, but many people test themselves in this field when they know they don’t have enough knowledge and fluency to teach the language. Be honest and authentic to yourself! If your knowledge isn’t that good, don’t do it.
- Certification isn’t always needed, but a big plus: if you are one of those that learned English from movies, songs, and improved alone, that’s great, but some people might not think the same. Being certified helps a lot to find students and is super crucial if you want to take the side hustle further.
- Equipment is vital: you don’t need much, but what you need must be perfect. A computer, webcam, headset with microphone, and stable or solid Internet connection aren’t negotiable and have to be good.
- Focus on one app or platform: Zoom? Discord? Google Meets? Skype? There are many options in the market, and we recommend you research them and choose the one you will be comfortable with the most (and keep it unless you face some difficulties).
- Online profile in specific platforms: if you never heard about LinkedIn, Upwork, or similar employment platforms, you have to research this and create your own profile to offer your services.
Will You Spend Too Much Money to Start?
Following the previous steps, we would actually say no.
It isn’t necessary to go over each tiny detail or even the previous steps we mentioned. However, you do have to make sure that the longer you last in this side hustle, the more you’ll have to invest at some point.
What does this mean?
If you have a computer (which you do), a set of small headphones, and a microphone, you can start with that. Just make sure they work properly and won’t bring any troubles when teaching English.
Most regular computers can run programs like Zoom, Skype, and Discord (to name a few), so you shouldn’t have to buy a specific one to start working on this.
As for other expenses, you can delay them and the rest overall.
Simple equipment is allowed, but you have to improve it or, at least, consider and do it right away if possible.
Therefore, you won’t spend too much, and even if you end up investing right away, the truth is that you can find reasonable offers.
A headset with a microphone costs $40 on average, while a good and stable Internet connection is something you should have even without having this side hustle in mind.
Platforms are entirely free, and signing up on some employment websites is as well.
To conclude, you see? You won’t spend too much money. However, if you need an average on how much you could spend, we would say between $50 to $100.
Of course, this can go higher depending on the equipment you buy or materials you will offer to your students in the class (the structure you give), but it isn’t necessary to go this far for extra cash.
But what we DO have to mention is: it requires some talent for English in terms of knowing grammar, pronunciation, and having specific knowledge (which we already mentioned).
So, instead of worrying about the money, think about this part.
Is Teaching English Online A Great Side Hustle?
Absolutely. Teaching English online is a great side hustle because it’s an easy way to make money.
If we go back to the pros, you will get back on track to what we mean. However, overall, it is also thanks to the opportunity of putting a price yourself.
Paid per hour, session, module, or time. You choose how you want to be paid, and this helps a lot to earn more or less money based on how much you can offer to the students and how good you’re at it.
Besides, it can be more profitable as long as you are willing to work hard, put in the hours, and earn some experience teaching the language and with the online option.
You won’t earn a fortune and, sometimes, the money you get will be less than 50% of a regular salary. But isn’t this about making extra cash?
Overall, it depends on your qualifications. If you can offer a lot, it is easy to charge between $15 to $25 per hour, and you can have more than one student (obviously).
However, for those that can’t bet for this rate per hour because of inexperience and qualifications aren’t that good, $5 to $10 per hour is what most people ask for.
If we take this to hours per week, you can invest 10-15 hours and easily earn $100-150 with the lowest rates in a week.
This is an average, and you mind find yourself earning more or maybe less. But we wanted to give you a good idea and example of what you can make with this option.
Are There Many People Teaching English Online?
Quite a lot.
We can go over several examples if we just visit websites like Upwork.
In there, you only type a specific job like this, and you will find thousands of people offering their services for this. Some find their way in the side hustle, while others are a bit slow but getting there.
Therefore, it is easy to find many people doing this, and if you’re worried about competitors and being able to have your own space, don’t overthink it. You can.
It’s a matter of creating a good profile, and you’ll be able to find clients quite fast.
For beginners, it’s essential to know that it doesn’t take much time at all to get started with this. You can start right now if you want, so don’t worry about the investment or anything like that, as we previously mentioned.
If you have some experience but haven’t taken the idea to the online version, just go over the details of platforms and other needs slowly but surely. In this way, you will have a clear picture of how you want to do this and start making money.
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