Online Tutoring- a Great Job for Stay-At-Home Moms

Online tutoring is a wonderful source of income for a stay-at-home mom. Many mothers dream of finding a way to make money at home so they don’t have to put their children in daycare. Legitimate work-at-home positions are few and far between because of all the competition. Sure, there are plenty of phone jobs out there, but with noisy kids running around the house, it won’t sound very professional and most companies will not allow noise in the background. Luckily, there is a growing demand for online tutors and it is strictly an computer business; no phone required.

Most online tutoring companies require their applicants to have at least a Bachelor’s degree, although some require a teaching certificate as well. For women who have put their careers on hold in order to rear children, tutoring is a great way to supplement their husband’s income while maintaining activity on one’s resume. A background in tutoring is a plus, but not required, as it is easy enough to be trained for the position.

Typically, an online tutor will teach via an electronic whiteboard and chat session. With the whiteboard, both tutor and student are able to see each other’s work and are free to draw math problems, load lesson plans and homework, etc. The chat portion of the screen is, of course, a way to speak to each other. The fact that student and tutor are not physically in the same room does pose an additional challenge to the lesson.

Some online tutoring businesses have been funded through the No Child Left Behind Act. Because of this government funding, tutoring has been made available to many at-risk, inner city children. Again, this poses another challenge, as the tutor may encounter troubled kids that don’t want to be tutored at all. Tutors are instructed to be friendly and personable, but not to address any crass or rude remarks made by the students.

Online tutoring will not make anyone rich. It does, however, provide a respectable part-time income, with most companies starting at $10/hr. Certain businesses allow tutors to bid for jobs and claim their own hourly rate, with some successful tutors making as much as $50/hr. That is, however, rare. Although a stay-at-home mom may not be able to make full-time income from one tutoring company, scheduling with several different companies may be a viable option and a way to increase earnings. Either way, it can be a blessing for those wishing to stay at home and it certainly beats telemarketing.