How to Start Online Tutoring Business | 4-step Beginner Guide

Thinking about turning your expertise into a successful online tutoring business but not sure where to start? If you have been wondering things like, "Where do I begin?" "How do I get my first students?" or "How much should I charge?" you’re in the right place.

In this guide, we have laid out actionable strategies and helpful tips from successful tutors and creators. By the end, you will have a clear roadmap with best practices and a few common pitfalls to avoid based on the experience of seasoned tutors who now run their businesses successfully. 

Choose your approach as a tutor 

The very first step in starting your online tutoring business is deciding on the model you want to work with. To give you an idea, the main approaches you can take include starting on your own, starting on various apps, and juggling with multiple tools. 

Your business tools help to save your time as a tutor and deliver the best learning experience for your students. As an online tutor and creator, Lisa Tran mentions: 

“Leveraging the best software for your tutoring business is incredibly crucial because the more you can automate your process and systems, the easier it will be for you to grow your business and spend your time focusing on what really matters.” 

Lisa Tran

Tutor, founder of Tutorboss

Each model has its own benefits and challenges. Let’s discuss what each of them implies and which approach suits you better as we get into the pros and cons. 

Using a tutor management software

Most tutors choose to start on apps and platforms that are specifically designed for online tutoring. Why? Because these marketplaces handle much of the heavy lifting. They are in charge of marketing, processing payments, and even helping you with finding students. 

What you need to do is set up your profile here, in some cases undergo a review process, and you are in. 

Pros of starting on tutoring apps and platforms 

• You have access to students who are already looking for tutoring services, so you do not have to actively promote them.
• You can get tutoring resources, training, and a community of other tutors to help you.
• You do less administrative work.

Cons of starting on tutoring apps and platforms

• You pay commissions from your sales (which is mostly 10%-40%)
• Less control over how much you charge, or how you structure your lessons
• High competition
• Your success depends on the platform’s policies.

Here are a few platforms and apps you can start on

1. Preply. If you teach languages, this platform is for you. It allows you to set your own rates, but takes a commission of 33% on initial lessons. 
2. Chegg. Here you get paid $20 an hour. And to attract students, you need to set up your tutor profile and description. 
3. Wyzant. Allows you to set your own hourly rates and choose which students to work with, taking a commission from each session booked through the platform.
4. Italki is also for language tutors. You set your own prices, schedule, and teaching materials, while it takes a percentage from each lesson. 

Starting your own tutoring business 

The next popular option is starting your own website. In this case, there are not hundreds of tutors competing for attention on the same platform. Instead, you create a space where students come to learn directly from you.  

Pros of starting your own tutoring website

• You have no restrictions to follow
• You build a brand, and it is easier to establish yourself as an expert
• You can offer additional services as your business grows
• You communicate with the students directly

Cons of starting your own tutoring website 

• There is no ready audience, so you have to find your own students
• You need to invest more time in building your own tutoring school 

To start your tutoring school, you can use platforms like Uteach to make things easier. It simplifies and automates many of the day-to-day tasks involved in running your tutoring business.

For example, you can build your branded tutoring website by choosing any of the ready-made templates, automating student enrollments, payment processes, live sessions, communicating with your students, and much more. 

Let’s take a look at how Michael Lang, who is a tutor and offers IELTS training, runs his school. With the help of Uteach, he built his professional tutoring site, where students can schedule appointments based on the availability Michael set. His students can take a pre-assessment test, participate in live lessons, submit quizzes, and get rewarded with certificates. 

Related: Online Course Platforms: Marketplaces vs. Self-Hosted LMS

Using various tools 

And lastly, you can choose to use multiple tools for various tasks. For example, you can use Calendly for booking sessions, PayPal for handling payments, Google Drive for sharing resources, Zoom for live lessons, and email for student communication. 

Pros of juggling with different tools 

• You can find lots of tools for teachers that are free
• You develop your own tutoring system

Cons of juggling with different tools 

• Not convenient for your learners, as there is no single system to handle most of the processes
• You lose time and efficiency by having to manage multiple tools
• Subscribing to different tools is more expensive

Look at tutoring from a business perspective 

Being an independent tutor is not only about being the best professional in your field.

This does not necessarily guarantee you will have lots of students. Because you still have to let the potential students know why you are the best. That is why we need to look at the matter from a business perspective. Here is how.  

Find your unique value proposition 

If you look at it from your students’ perspective, you can see that they are not just looking for a tutor. They are searching for the right tutor, someone who meets their needs. And if you do not show them what makes you unique, how will they know you are not just another face?

This is why you need your unique proposition. It is what sets you apart from the rest. For example, let’s say you are an English writing tutor. What can be unique about you is that perhaps you tutor high students to write better colleague application essays. 

This way, you solve a more specific problem. 

Establish online presence 

Another most commonly asked question is, “How do you find students as a tutor?”. And you probably would not be surprised if we say the answer is your social media and website. 

• Design your tutoring website.

Your tutoring website gives you a more professional landing for your students to learn more about you, your tutoring services, your philosophy, and your unique proposition. There is no need to start a website from scratch, as you can use a website builder and get things done much faster. 

For example, with Uteach, you can find about thirty ready-made templates to get started. You can pick one for your niche, like education, teaching languages, teaching photography, cooking, etc.    
 

• Set up your social media profiles. 

We are not saying you have to be on all the social media platforms there are. Pick where you need to start with. Think about where you already have connections or a small following. That is your easiest entry point.

Related: Use Social Media to Support Online Teaching

Building an audience takes time. So, you should start working on your social profiles and website even before your final program is ready. 

“I can work on my content and my modules, and I can also work on other pieces like marketing and staying in front of my audience and building that community so that when I have the course ready to go, there are people who are excited, excited, and willing to say yes to working with me.”

Jessica Terzakis,

Former teacher, business consultant 

You can download our free guide to find out more about how you can use social media to establish your brand as an online educator. 

Adapt your teaching approach to online 

If you already have teaching experience, you already have tons of resources you can use for your online tutoring as well. Yet, can you simply transfer your regular curriculum and materials online? Not always, and here is why. 

Refine your program 

One of the mistakes aspiring tutors make is trying to convert the whole offline experience to online. 

“I'm used to teaching in one-hour blocks. In a classroom, that works just fine. When I first launched my online course, I did it the same way: one-hour blocks. And that was a huge mistake. I had big drop-offs. That's one of the biggest things I learned in the very beginning.”

Angel Rodriguez

Founder at Alliance Training and Testing 

That is why you still need to develop a curriculum that specifically works for online tutoring. Here are a few things to consider. 

• Let students know what they will achieve by the end of the session. Clear lesson objectives help maintain focus and give a sense of accomplishment.
• If you run group tutoring sessions, create more opportunities for students to speak or collaborate. Use breakout rooms for group activities or assign quick tasks they can present back to the class.
• You can incorporate tools like Kahoot for quizzes, Padlet for brainstorming, or Zoom polls to make your lessons interactive. 
• Use visuals to make your lessons more engaging and memorable
• Summarize the key points and assign a small task or question for reflection.    
   Learn more: 13 Strategies to Boost Student Engagement in Online Learning

Choose your pricing model 

Almost every teacher trying to start a tutoring business struggles with pricing their services. And if you have no idea what to charge, think about all the things that go into your tutoring. For example, your credentials, your experience, all that time that it takes you to prepare for the session, etc. 

Lauren Lowder, who started her own tutoring business, also helps other tutors do the same. Here is what she advises when it comes to pricing your services as a tutor. 

“Do not sell yourself short when you’re determining what your prices are going to be. People will look at two things that are the same. And if one thing is priced very very low, and another thing is priced higher, they will look at the latter and think, “That’s probably better quality.”

Lauren Lowder,

Founder of Burnt Out Teachers 

Another great thing to consider when it comes to pricing is having different sessions. For example, Lauren has 30-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute sessions. Why? Because people have different budgets and learners have different attention spans. 

This will help you structure your pricing model, and you will be able to meet different students’ needs. 

Establish communication channels 

Good communication is the backbone of a successful tutoring relationship. So, you need to choose which platform is your primary communication channel and how and where you share updates related to the lessons. 

If it is email, it works perfectly for sending updates, assignments, or reminders. Yet, you may prefer using messaging apps for quick questions. Whatever you prefer, make sure your students know how they can contact you. 

Also, set boundaries to manage expectations. You can set your availability so that your students know when to reach you. There are many tools that can help you streamline the communication. For example, with Uteach, you can send automatic emails and reminders based on specific actions.

Diversify your income streams as an online tutor 

Being an online tutor does not always mean you should only offer live sessions. There are so many other opportunities that can help you grow your tutoring business. 

• Pre-recorded courses 

One of the most effective ways to diversify is by creating and selling courses. These are perfect for students who prefer self-paced learning or have tight schedules that make live sessions challenging. Once you create a pre-recorded course, you can sell them for as long as you need. 

 For example, CEDES Institute offers courses alongside live sessions. Students can take the pre-recorded psychology course. At any point, if they need more personal guidance, they can enroll in the live sessions. 

• Digital downloads

Digital products are an excellent way to boost student learning and also your income. They also require fewer resources to create. So, you can sell eBooks, worksheets, or study guides for your learners. 

And since you already created such resources as a tutor, why not sell them to other teachers and make extra? You can sell them on your own platform and also in communities like Teachers Pay Teachers.

For example, Rebecca, who is also a primary school teacher, sells her resources online. She mentions that selling her materials online has allowed her to pay for her trips each year. It has allowed her to have a passive income in addition to the wages. 

Start your online tutoring business with Uteach 

You can successfully start your first tutoring business by following the tips and recommendations above.

And if you are looking to become an independent tutor and create your own platform, you can easily start with Uteach. With the help of Uteach, you can automate most of your administrative tasks, save a great deal of your time, and deliver the learning experience your students deserve.  

You can create and sell live sessions and online courses, offer coaching, bundle up your services, and so much more. To keep your students on track, you can create quizzes and offer them a completion certificate. 

Learn more about Uteach features and start free today.