Discover How to Start an Online Tutoring Business from Home and Work on Your Terms

Have you ever dreamed of turning your passion for teaching into a six-figure income, all while working from the comfort of your own home?

Discover how to start an online tutoring business from home and work on your terms! Online tutoring could be the answer.

In this post, I’ll share my journey from being a mom with a desire to work from home to building a successful online tutoring business that brings in six figures.

With insights into flexibility, market demand, income potential, skill development, client relationships, and business management, you’ll learn how to create a sustainable and lucrative career as an online tutor.

Flexibility and Convenience

When I got started, I was a mom to three little girls aged 3, 5, and 7. I desperately felt mama guilt going to work and wanted to figure out a way to work from home. When I figured out that online tutoring was the path, it was incredible...

It allowed me to work on my business during nap times and when my youngest went to preschool two days a week. In the evening, when my husband was home, I was able to work with some students. It was the perfect break for me to focus on something that I loved—teaching kids to read.

Two years into my tutoring business, I got some professional photos.  Shown above are my girls from left to right: Katelyn, Mikayla, and Rebecca.

As you think about tutoring online, consider what you want your business to look like. What hours do you want to work? Who would be available to work with during that time? Where do they live in the world? The beautiful thing about online tutoring is that it is no longer based on your zip code; you have access to the entire world.

Market Demand

The pandemic changed everything. More people are open to the idea than when I first started out in 2010. While people can be wary of working with strangers, we have the incredible opportunity to build trust with them over time through the content we create...

Kids will always need help with learning. Additional trends driving the demand include the increasing acceptance of online learning, the convenience it offers, and the ability for personalized education to meet specific needs.

Income Potential

I started off charging $40 an hour and was super scared. I had no idea if parents would pay this. As soon as I got booked solid at this rate, I increased it to $50 an hour for new students...

I was amazed that I had people paying this rate because I had no idea people would pay this much. Today, I charge $125 an hour. Every time I have raised my rate, I was afraid and needed to work on my mindset.

I was raised in poverty, so I never could have charged this right out of the gate. I don't suggest people start here either. As time goes on, you will improve your services, systems, and the results you get with your students.

The quicker you can get results, the more you can charge. People think that the number of years they tutor and the number of degrees they have will be the determining factor. However, the number one thing that parents want are results...

Can you get them?

What results do the parents want?

How quickly can you get them?

Use this information each time you decide to raise your rates.

Today, I am making six figures working half the hours I was working in the classroom. You don't always have to work with more students to do this.

The great thing is it allows you to follow other passions that you have...

For me, it is helping other tutors build their online tutoring businesses.

Skill Development

Networking with other tutors is an incredible way to stay up to date. They are always suggesting new tools and training that are available. I have a free group called the Ultimate Support Group for Online Tutors on Facebook...

If you are looking for where to start, this is a great place. I am constantly reading. In the beginning, I wanted to know everything about teaching reading in general. I read every book I could get my hands on.

Today, my favorite one is Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz. The cool thing is every industry has these books.

I love listening to books on Audible and then purchasing the ones that I cannot live without and want to go back and revisit...

These are the books I write in, take notes, develop my own thoughts, and so forth. There are also new tools that make online teaching even better that are being developed. I started with Skype in 2010, but over time other tutors were talking about this tool called Zoom.

I had told myself that something would have to be substantially better in order for me to switch, and this was definitely substantially better. I was able to give the cursor to my student, and this made a huge difference...

I also had no more dropped calls. With Skype, it was my biggest frustration. Having a smoother experience for me and the student left less frustration about learning and teaching online.

During the pandemic, a company called Koala Go reached out to me. At the time, while it looked cool, I knew that the way I taught would not be conducive with this tool. A year later, more tutors were explaining how they were using it...

I tried it, but again my style of teaching does not require lesson planning, and this tool would require me to do a lot of work that I didn't have to do to get results with my students. Another year later, the developer contacted me again to check it out.

I began using it, and all the changes and problems I had with it had been solved. I loved how this was a company that grew from the knowledge its ideal clients suggested and made the right changes. I began using it, and my students loved that it gamified the process of learning...

I get approached by online teaching platforms monthly, but it takes a lot to get my attention.

Recently, I began diving into Pencil Spaces. If you’re wondering why I would switch to Pencil Spaces over Koala Go, the answer lies in its flexibility and user-centered design.

While Koala Go is fantastic for tutors who thrive on pre-planned lessons with gamification elements, it didn’t fully align with my teaching style, which emphasizes real-time engagement without the need for extensive prep work.

Pencil Spaces offers a streamlined approach with tools that adapt to the tutor’s needs rather than requiring the tutor to adapt to the tool.

Its interactive whiteboard, seamless integration of documents, and real-time collaboration features allow me to focus on teaching instead of navigating complex setups.

Additionally, Pencil Spaces has a more professional interface, making it ideal for working with a wide range of students, from young learners to adults, and it accommodates my focus on personalization and adaptability.

For me, Pencil Spaces bridges the gap between efficiency and engagement, making it the perfect tool for scaling my business and maintaining high-quality sessions.

Client Relationships

Building relationships is simple: show up when you are supposed to, set clear guidelines and principles before you begin working so parents know how to communicate, and explain what happens if they miss a session...

Set up systems that allow them success. You can automate reminders about sessions or just set a schedule that you follow weekly. If they need to reschedule, I let them know that I am flexible up to three times in my onboarding letter, but I am way more flexible than that when emergencies arise...

I do share for them to communicate with me 24 hours in advance. Getting quick results with one skill and then communicating that with the parent ensures client satisfaction, retention, and referrals.

Business Management

Automating the right tasks that do not require my attention as much is super important. For example, automating billing. In the beginning, I had parents who did not pay on time, and I had to chase down my money...

So I began thinking about it like Netflix. They never chase down money. What if I figured out a way to automate this and set it on autopilot? I do this through Stripe, and each month I get paid on time every time unless a credit card needs to be updated...

This also ensures that people don't ghost me, which was happening more in the beginning when I started without this process in place. When I begin working with a family, we decide on a time to work together weekly...

I add this to my calendar and set it up to recur and send them an invite. All of these processes allow you to work more with your students and less on managing your business.

I teach all of these systems in the Jumpstart Your Online Tutoring Business Masterclass so that you can begin to put these systems right out of the gate and focus on getting more students and working with them, allowing you to make more money...

One tutor I worked with, Heather Born, mentioned that she was going to wait three months before starting this course. However, if she had done that, then she would have missed out on $30,000 of income...

Check out her story here.

 To get on the waitlist for the next Jumpstart Your Online Tutoring Business Masterclass, click here.

While this is not typical right out of the gate like Heather, that surely paints an important picture. Why wait when you could begin making more income quickly and skip the line of trying to figure it out all by yourself?

Building a sustainable and lucrative career in online tutoring is possible with the right strategies.

Discover how to start an online tutoring business from home and work on your terms by focusing on flexibility, understanding market demand, maximizing income potential, continuously developing skills, building strong client relationships, and implementing effective business management practices.

Your journey to a six-figure income starts now!

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