Online education is a booming field, with students from all over the world hungry for help with standardized test prep, learning English as a second language (ESL), and virtually every other academic subject.
In the developing world, millions of people gain access to the internet every year. For them, online tutoring platforms provide invaluable access to high-quality educational resources that are either unavailable or unaffordable in their area.
In more developed places like the United States, students are increasingly turning to online tutoring sessions rather than seeking out local, in-person teachers.
This soaring demand has made online tutoring jobs a lucrative and increasingly popular work from home opportunity. Companies are eager to hire talented instructors (often regardless of whether they have prior teaching experience) and are willing to pay solid rates for their services.
That makes online teaching one of the best legit online jobs you can find, as well as one of the best side hustles for teachers. From the flexible hours to the above-average pay to the fact that you’re making a real difference in the lives of your students, it’s hard to find a better overall gig.
So whether you’re looking to make a little extra money with a part-time job that you can work on your own schedule, or a full-time teaching job that doesn’t require you to spend all day in a classroom, online tutoring is worth considering.
In this article, we’ve ranked the top online tutoring companies.
For each, you’ll learn a few basic details including:
- The qualifications needed to become a teacher.
- The average hourly wage according to teacher feedback.
- The company’s rating from actual employees and teachers on Glassdoor, the largest employer feedback site.
The Best Online Tutoring Job Websites
#1. TutorMe
Summary: TutorMe looks for online tutors hailing from well-regarded universities. They offer online teaching in more than 300 subjects at all grade levels. With TutorMe, you post your profile on the site and prospective students reach out to you. The better your credentials, the more demand you’ll have.
- Qualifications: You must be at least 18 years old to work for TutorMe, and you must be enrolled in an accredited university (or already have a bachelor’s degree). Finally, you must have experience as a tutor or a teacher.
- Average hourly wage: $18.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.4 — 89% would recommend TutorMe to a friend.
#2. Preply
Summary: Preply offers tutoring opportunities in a wide range of subjects to all ages of students.
What’s unique about Preply is there are no strict qualifications for their tutoring jobs. Instead, each online tutor is approved on a case-by-cases basis. They look at a candidate’s overall skill and background during the application process, so this is a good opportunity for those who don’t qualify for sites with strict standards or that require prior tutoring experience.
They’re one of the few platforms to offer tutor jobs in creative subjects like art, though English tutoring and foreign languages (such as Spanish, German and French) are their primary niches.
What’s also unique is that you’re not given clients to work with immediately upon approval. Instead, your profile appears among other tutors, and clients choose you. That means your goal is to build up positive ratings and feedback over time to attract more students.
- Qualifications: Case-by-case approval.
- Average hourly wage: You set your own hourly rate. English language tutors typically charge $15 to $25 per hour. Most tutors start with a lower rate and increase it over time as their ratings improve.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.4 — 81% would recommend Preply to a friend.
#3. BookNook
Summary: BookNook offers remote tutoring in reading and math to U.S.-based children in grades K-8. As a BookNook tutor, you’ll often teach a small group of students (usually no more than four at a time), rather than teaching one-on-one.
BookNook works directly with school districts and nonprofits in many underserved areas. As a result — and unlike other platforms on this list — you don’t need to find students yourself or market your services.
Keep in mind that students are on BookNook because their school has identified them as needing additional support.
- Qualifications: Meet one of the three following qualifications: (1) have three or more years of teaching or tutoring experience; (2) have one year of teaching and tutoring experience, plus a bachelor’s degree; (3) have one year of teaching or tutoring experience and be enrolled in a teaching credential program
- Average hourly wage: $18 per hour plus potential bonuses.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.2 — 74% would recommend BookNook to a friend.
#4. Elevate K-12 Tutors
Summary: Elevate provides students with online instruction while they’re in school rather than before or after class.
That means your work hours will be during the day teaching an entire classroom, which may be attractive for some tutors.
Elevate has more than 650 instructors in the United States who work with public, private and charter schools. It offers a wide variety of subject matter instruction, including STEM classes. That can be a boon for certain people as not all companies hire science and math tutors.
- Qualifications: Most of the instructors who work for Elevate are certified teachers who prefer to work at home as opposed to in a classroom. Since the company provides resources in physical schools, there are local, state and federal regulations in effect. If you want to work for Elevate, you’ll generally need a teaching degree with an active certification.
- Average hourly wage: $12.50.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.1 — 76% would recommend Elevate to a friend.
#5. Wyzant
Summary: Rather than being a company that hires tutors and assigns them to students, Wyzant helps connect freelance tutors with potential clients. Think of it like Upwork or Fiverr, but for tutoring opportunities.
Of course, that setup has pros and cons. On one hand, you have even more control over your schedule than usual. Plus, you can set your own rate — which means you’ll probably end up making more money on a per-hour basis.
However, the flip side is that you don’t have a built-in clientele that’s constantly being replenished by your employer.
- Qualifications: You must be at least 18 years old, based in the United States, and have a valid Social Security number. You are not required to have any teaching experience or certifications.
- Average hourly wage: It varies because you set your own rates. One important note about Wyzant is that you’re actually paying them a commission rather than the other way around. That commission is 25% of your per-hour fee, so keep that in mind when deciding how much to charge.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.6 — 96% would recommend Wyzant to a friend.
#6. Chegg Tutors
Summary: Chegg is a California-based education technology company that was founded in 2005. It used to focus on textbook rentals (which it still offers), but now also offers a wide range of on-demand educational resources, including tutoring and homework help.
Chegg is tailored primarily to high school and college students, and is especially popular among the latter group.
- Qualifications: To score a tutoring job with Chegg, you’ll need to provide two forms of educational verification — such as a picture of your diploma and a scanned copy of your transcript — that show you’re either enrolled in as a student at four-year university or that you graduated from one (with a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent). Depending on what you want to teach, you may also have to take a subject test to demonstrate mastery of the topic.
- Average hourly wage: $20.
- Glassdoor rating: 3.9 — 79% would recommend to a friend.
#7. Club Z
Summary: Club Z hires tutors who work one-on-one with students whose ages range all the way from preschool to college — including adults who are going back to school (or attending college in a non-traditional manner).
Unlike many other language-based tutoring sites, which focus on teaching ESL to students abroad (primarily in China), Club Z offers tutoring in the U.S. and Canada. As such, the hours tend to be much more reasonable for tutors in these respective time zones.
- Qualifications: Club Z is looking for educational enthusiasts. They’ll ask if you have an undergraduate degree, a graduate degree, and a teaching degree. But don’t let the lack of a teaching degree stop you from applying, as you don’t necessarily need one to land a tutor job with the company.
- Average hourly wage: $20.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.2 — 73% would recommend Club Z to a friend.
Note: Club Z hires both in-home and online tutors.
#8. Studypool
Summary: Studypool offers on-demand tutoring services to students of all ages across dozens of subjects, including accounting, computer science, zoology and everything in between. Students who need help post their questions, budget and timeframe, and are then provided a list of recommended tutors to choose from.
- Qualifications: Studypool seeks tutors who are passionate about teaching and helping others. No college degree is required, but you must be at least 18 years old to get an online teaching job with the company.
- Average hourly wage: Because students set their own budgets and tutors bid on a project-by-project basis, your average pay rate will vary depending on a number of factors, including your availability and the demand in your areas of expertise. Studypool says its tutors can earn up to $7,500 per month and provides a number of examples of tutors who have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars on the platform.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.2 — 83% would recommend Studypool to a friend.
#9. QKids
Summary: Founded in 2015, QKids is a relatively new tutoring service. With this company, you’ll be teaching English to children ranging in age from 4 to 12 years old. One noteworthy perk of an online teaching job with QKids is that you don’t have to create lesson plans, as they’re provided for you.
- Qualifications: You must live in the United States or Canada and have a bachelor’s degree or higher. QKids tutors must also be able to teach at least six hours per week, and prior teaching or tutoring experience is required.
- Average hourly wage: $16.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.6 — 76% would recommend QKids to a friend.
#10. Varsity Tutors
Summary: Varsity Tutors has one of the largest tutor networks in the United States. They offer tutoring in over 350 different subjects. Instruction is all online, in either a one-on-one or group setting.
Qualified tutors work as independent contractors and are provided clients by Varsity Tutors. Tutors are not able to set their own rates and typically start at around $15 per hour. Reviewing what other tutors have said about Varsity Tutors, their low rates seem to be the reason that only 70% would recommend the company to friends.
- Qualifications: U.S. or Canadian resident. Bachelor’s degree and previous teaching/tutoring experience.
- Average hourly wage: Glassdoor users report that rates range from $15 to $27 an hour.
- Glassdoor rating: 3.7 — 70% would recommend Varsity Tutors to a friend.
#11. Education First
Summary: Education First was founded in Sweden in 1965 and now operates in 117 countries. It’s a large organization, with 46,500 staff members and teachers throughout the world. EF instructors provide English tutoring to kids and adults.
Depending on your experience, you can earn as much as $20 per hour to start. And in many cases, you can be teaching classes in as little as two weeks after applying. Plus, you can earn cash bonuses by reaching certain milestones (such as teaching your first 100 sessions).
No teaching degree or prior teaching experience is required, as the company looks at your entire profile and professional background during the application process.
- Qualifications: You must be a native English speaker who loves teaching. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, but it can be in any field. You’ll also need a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certificate before you start working, though you do not need that certificate before you apply.
- Average hourly wage: $20.
- Glassdoor rating: 3.8 — 68% would recommend Education First to a friend.
#12. Course Hero
Summary: Course Hero is one of the most flexible tutoring platforms that exists, as instead of one-on-one tutoring sessions, you’re being paid to respond in detail to students’ questions. The platform’s clientele consists primarily of college students, which is why tutors with advanced-level expertise in college material do well on the platform.
On average, you’ll earn $3 per question that you answer satisfactorily. Since the first person to answer often gets rewarded, speed is a factor when it comes to making money.
- Qualifications: No formal qualifications are required. However, Course Hero requires sharing proof of credentials or expertise in a given subject.
- Average hourly wage: $12 to $20 per hour. Course Hero claims their top-tier tutors earn an average or $1,500 per month.
- Glassdoor rating: 4.0 — 82% would recommend Course Hero to a friend.
#13. Tutor.com
Summary: Tutor.com launched in 1998, and since then it has facilitated more than 14 million one-on-one sessions. You’ll be able to set a schedule every week, set availability for appointments, or just log on whenever you’re free so you can pick up sessions on-demand.
If you want to speed up how quickly your application is reviewed, you can take a competency exam in one of the most in-demand subjects. Some of the more sought-after subjects include foreign languages, math, literature, accounting and nursing.
- Qualifications: To work with Tutor.com, you have to live in the United States or Canada and meet the technology requirements. You must be available for at least five hours per week and be an expert in your subject. You must also be at least a college sophomore or have a degree from an accredited university.
- Average hourly wage: $11.
- Glassdoor rating: 3.6 — 62% would recommend Tutor.com to a friend.
#14. Brainfuse
Summary: Brainfuse is an online tutoring company that has developed specialized online learning software designed to fit the needs of students in rural and low-income urban areas, where the availability of technology and broadband internet access may be limited.
The company works with a wide range of students and institutions including colleges, libraries and veterans’ education programs.
- Qualifications: You must be 18 years old, have at least a four-year college degree, and have prior teaching experience. You must also be willing to provide references and be able to pass a background check.
- Average hourly wage: Brainfuse does not disclose its pay rates on its website, but Glassdoor users have reported earning $12 to $13 on average for tutoring services.
- Glassdoor rating: 3.2 — 56% would recommend Brainfuse to a friend.
#15. Skooli
Summary: Skooli tutors work with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. While some other sites accept college students and uncertified teachers as tutors, Skooli is stricter. Keep this in mind before applying if you don’t have an education degree or teaching experience.
Of course, this stricter requirement is why Skooli pays its tutors more than some other companies.
- Qualifications: Must have one of the following: a bachelor’s degree and teaching certification; a master’s degree or PhD; or an ESL teaching certificate.
- Average hourly wage: Not available on Glassdoor, but Skooli claims its online tutor jobs pay $25 per hour.
- Glassdoor rating: 2.7 — 38% would recommend Skooli to a friend. Note that there are only a handful of reviews.
Online Tutoring FAQ
Below you’ll find answers to some of the questions people often ask about working as an online tutor. While your experience will vary depending on the tutoring service you work for, the information below is broadly applicable and will help you find the right opportunity.
Because in 2021, China banned for-profit tutoring. Since VIPKid almost exclusively served the Chinese market, it now offers little opportunity for job-seekers and we removed it from this list. The same is true for HAWO/51 Talk.
One of the first things you should do is determine your hours of availability. This can help narrow the list of websites you’re considering. For example, if you’re tutoring students who live in China, you’d have to adjust to a schedule that’s 15 hours different than Eastern Standard Time. If that doesn’t work, rule out those options.
Additionally, save yourself time by only applying where your qualifications match up with the site’s stated requirements. Inexplicably, many people ignore this tip and are disappointed when they don’t get hired.
We’ve ordered this list in terms of user ratings, average hourly rates, and reviewing tutors’ feedback. As such, a good place to start is to work your way down the list, seeing what you qualify for and what fits your schedule.
You won’t sign up to be an online teacher and start teaching that day, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to make money quickly. The company will need time to review your application and evaluate your credentials, and there may be an examination and/or interview process.
In general, here’s the hiring process you can expect with the majority of these sites.
1. You’ll fill out an online form and upload key documents, like a cover letter and a digital copy of your college transcript.
2. Then you’ll record a quick video or do a live interview.
You’ll often have to teach a sample class for company evaluators.
3. Finally, if you do well in the sample class and are hired, you can start teaching actual students and earning money.
While it won’t happen in one day, it can happen quickly. For example, with Education First you can be up-and-running as an online teacher in about two weeks.
Interviewing for online tutor jobs is remarkably similar to walking into any job site and doing an in-person interview. The basics are all the same.
You’ll want to:
1. Be friendly, be polite and smile — remember, you’ll usually be teaching children and you can help shape their lives by being an approachable and positive influence. Plus, their parents will want and expect a friendly face on the screen.
2. Look clean and presentable. You should dress like you’re going into the office to interview.
3. Be prepared to demonstrate your subject-area expertise.
4. Show that you’ve done your homework to learn about the company you hope to work for. One tip is to search YouTube for sample interviews. For example, search for “Education First” interview and you’ll find a number of videos that can help you prepare.
Despite the similarities noted above, there are also some important differences to keep in mind.
– You’ll need working equipment (computer, webcam, headset, etc.) and a stable high-speed internet connection.
– You should have good lighting, as you don’t want to look like you’re teaching from a dungeon!
– The room you’re teaching from should be clean and free of clutter, and should not contain anything that might distract students’ attention.
In-person jobs don’t require you to have a clean house, but online teaching jobs are different; students won’t just be seeing you, they’ll also be getting a glimpse into your surroundings.
While most of the companies on this list provide English language tutoring services to kids around the world, Education First is one of the few companies that specialize in it.
Unfortunately, all of the platforms on this list require tutors to be at least 18 years of age.
SameSpeak is a language coaching company that hires 16 year olds, but they often have more coaches than students and thus are not always accepting applications.
A few other websites have reported that Preply hires high school students, but their terms of service state that tutors must be 18.
Here’s a list of some of the best online jobs for teens.
The Best Online Tutoring Jobs: Final Thoughts
Online tutoring positions are a solid part-time job to earn extra money online, and can be one of the best ways to make money from home. Depending on your skills, experience, education and schedule, it’s even possible to use a mix of sites to cobble together a full-time career.
Keep in mind that you’ll need some degree of technical proficiency to do this job. You’ll need to be able to use Skype or the company’s own online platform, and you’ll need to be able to troubleshoot basic tech problems (like internet connection issues) so that your classes can start on time and proceed as expected.
Also keep in mind that while you can earn good money, your hourly rate will depend on all the normal factors. If you have a master’s degree, you’ll make more than if you only have a bachelor’s. Likewise, if you can provide math tutoring, you’ll probably make more than if you’re an English tutor.
Still, with all of that said, it’s tough to find a better at-home job if you have the qualifications and love helping students reach their full potential.
Read next: The best jobs for retired teachers.
Financial Tips and Deals Every Friday
Join over 10,000 subscribers and stay ahead with personal finance insights, the best deals, and the best money-making opportunities every Friday.
