Our guide to online tutoring
Online tutoring offers students and tutors the freedom that teaching in person doesn’t provide. In this post we will discuss all the important questions you may have before you start tutoring online.
What is a LMS- LEARNING PLATFORM?
A learning management systems (LMS) is a software application that reports, tracks and tests learners so that learners can progress through online courses. The learning management system emerged from e-Learning.
What is the best platform for tutoring?
Elearnus is aware that the world is becoming more and more digitised, this is why we know it’s so important for tutors to possess outstanding online education services in place for their students, this is why you should choose us.
Our custom LMS has a range of excellent tools available for tutors like creating announcements, course modules, class recording, email notifications, setting homework, student interface, badges for your students and online quizzes.
How does online tutoring work?
Online tutoring is all done remotely, tutors deliver their teaching online rather than face-to-face which was traditionally the norm. Tutors deliver their teaching through their laptop or similar electrical device through Learning Management Systems.
Parents or the learner themselves no longer have to drive themselves or their child to a specific location, instead they can study at home with their tutor at their convenience. Parents and learners also no longer have to factor in travelling to their tutor into their busy schedules, they can be rest assured that they are receiving the personalised support that they need.
This also means that tutors can teach students from anywhere in the world. Students can learn with tutors that match their needs rather than tutors that live in the same area as they do. The only thing the student and tutor needs is a device like a tablet or computer and a strong and reliable internet connection which most people in the west already have.
How do I start an online tutoring platform?
To start your own online tutoring platform you can use LMS software like elearnus because we offer our customers the best educational tools so that they can succeed in offering the best online teaching. Elearnus is a fully-managed eLearning solution, including a student interface, course modules for students, zoom classes and email notifications. Elearnus provides a dynamic and customisable platform to meet specific educational needs for our customers.
Elearnus allows tutors to manage their online education and virtual classrooms. Elearnus can be used on any screen and is built to provide the same experience on any screen size, whether that be on a mobile, tablet or PC screen. Tutors can create quizzes for students, and they can build these smart quizzes for exams that can be autocorrected and graded with feedback.
We have a number of unique tools on our service like:
A stunning custom homepage design, where you can present your profile and company information to customers in a professional way. Our LMS is also fully integrated with zoom so you can deliver your online teaching efficiently. There is no time limit and allows for unlimited attendees. You can also share notes and share YouTube videos during the session.
A reservations dashboard that allows tutors to keep track of all their students and can export students information into excel.
Management of new and current bookings. Tutors can approve or decline new bookings and contact their customers via email or phone. The booking system allows you to know the paid amount and if they used a discount code or not. You can also control and monitor classes and groups.
Sharing tools, our LMS allows for customers to share your services on social media applications such as WhatsApp with their friends and family in order to create brand awareness.
Finally, technical support, we offer all our customers technical support if they need help using our software.
How do I build my own teaching platform?
You should firstly choose which Learning Management System will suit your learning needs. Elearnus is a great choice because we are experts in education, we currently have 35,000 users so when you choose us, you’ll benefit from experts in education. We also pay attention to details and to current education trends and we are creative while keeping a close eye on your budget. Finally, we allow you to reach the right audience, you will benefit from a complete marketplace of education services that will allow you to keep your education content fresh with recent photos and videos.
Secondly, you should set up your payment gateway so that customers can pay for your services. We have an integrated payment system that allows tutors the option to provide customers with a variety of payment methods. Customers have the option to pay with the elearnus wallet and they will receive an automated payment receipt and confirmation email with your logo and name.
With elearnus software you will receive specialised financial reports. For new bookings you can approve or decline and contact your customers via email or phone. You will be made aware of the paid amount and the voucher used.
For current bookings you can control and monitor your classes through zoom. You can chat and contact your current students privately through Elearnus and monitor their attendance and if they have finished the course.
You can even set up an automatic alert to remind your customers to renew their subscription before.
Once you have completed these steps and filled out all important information, then you can start delivering online teaching at your convenience from the comfort of your home.
How do I get certified as a tutor?
There are no specific qualifications you will need to become a tutor in the UK, but the more qualified you are, the more likely people will want to use your services.
If you are considering tutoring online its important to consider what subject you have your highest qualification in, which should probably be the subject you tutor in. For example, if you completed your Undergraduate Degree in Modern Languages then you could tutor in one or all of those languages.
Most academic tutoring is for GCSE, A-Level, and sometimes business level. With elearnus, you can tutor in a whole array of areas and are not limited to academic tutoring.
Although it is not a legal requirement it would definitely be beneficial to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate. Even though you are tutoring online it is still important, especially if you are tutoring children under the age of 18.
Can I tutor online?
You have information in your head that can benefit both you and students and luckily with all the tutoring software available it has never been easier.
Anyone can become an online tutor, however you may need a University degree if you are teaching a specialist subject. For example, a degree in English Language will be required if you want to teach A level English Language. You may also need a qualified teacher status (QTS) if you plan on teaching academic qualifications.
What are the benefits of tutoring online?
Despite there being the perception by many that online tutoring is inferior to face-to-face tutoring, with today’s IT driven and fast-paced learning environment, online tutoring is extremely effective. Online tutoring is becoming more and more popular due to a number of factors like technological advances and the pandemic. Both tutors and students can benefit from online learning experiences and students can really reach their potential from the comfort of their home.
Online tutoring is more convenient
Parents no longer have to drive their children to a specific location, instead they can study at home with their tutor at their convenience. This also means that tutors can teach students from anywhere in the world.
Online tutoring with our LMS doesn’t feel like school for students.
Many students find it easier to learn and retain more information in the relaxed environment of being at home than they would in the classroom.
Students have the undivided attention of you, the online tutor.
Students can benefit from a study session with the undivided attention of their tutor rather than being in a virtual class full of students.
More introverted students are more likely to ask questions online
Some children are too shy to ask the teacher questions in front of a class full of students. Online learning provides students with a more open environment to ask questions about topics they don’t understand.
No risk of contracting illnesses
This is extremely important in the age of covid and with the need for social distancing, learning from the comfort of a student’s home means that there is no risk of the student or tutor transmitting illnesses to each other.
Students can work with you at their own pace.
Teachers in the classroom are required to keep to a curriculum and all students must work at the same pace no matter their academic ability, their learning style, or how fast they learn. The great thing about using elearnus is that students can work at their own pace. This means that you can return to topics that the child finds difficult. The student will move onto the next topic only when they are ready.
What tools do tutors need to deliver online tutoring?
Online Presentations
Tutors can present important areas of the what they are teaching through online presentations; these are particularly effective for students who learn more effectively through listening to their tutor explain concepts.
Student Messaging
It is important that tutors can keep in contact with their students in order for them to keep track on how they are finding the course, if they are struggling with anything and how they can help if they are.
Online Classrooms
Online classes are created with the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) which allows both students and tutors to connect and allows live interaction between the tutor and the learner.
Online Quizzes, Surveys and Polls
These all enhance student engagement and learning. Some students find it difficult to retain information using traditional methods alone, this is where online quizzes, surveys and polls can be beneficial as they suit every learning type. For example, Quizlet, which is a free website that provides learning tools for students, like flashcards and game mode. Another example is Mentimer which uses polls, questions and answers and open responses to enable students to contribute using their smartphones This promotes creativity and discovery; this can be especially beneficial for students with learning disabilities like dyslexia and ADHD.
Virtual Certificates
This is a great way to award students who are working hard. Students require recognition when they are trying their best which helps boost their confidence.
How much does an online tutor earn?
How much you will earn as an online tutor will depend on a number of factors, the most important factor is how much you will charge for your tutoring services. If this is your first time being a tutor online, it may be a good idea to research what other tutors are charging for similar services through Google for example.
The second important factor is how many lessons you conduct per week. If you are using elearnus’ services, you and your customers can share your services through social media which means you can advertise and create brand awareness, this will in turn create more business.
Online lessons are generally cheaper for customers than in-person tutoring, so for example, if an in-person tutor charges £30 for face-to-face tutoring, you should charge around £20.
Overall, there are lots of questions that you may have before you decide whether online tutoring is right for you. We hope that we have answered some of the important questions that you may have had before you decide to take the leap. However, with social distancing being a necessity tutors can really need take advantage of all the excellent online tools at their disposal for teaching online.
If you are considering tutoring online then look no further than our online tutor platform (LMS) to help you deliver the best online tutoring there is to offer.