I get this question daily in my DMs, PMs, and emails. It is not a one size fits all answer. I make over 10K a month teaching online, both on Outschool and on my personal site.
My highest earning month was in March.
Pre-COVID I was making three times less, but I was also working less. I typically teach 10-15 live hours. Live hours means the classes are held over Zoom. I also provide FLEX courses that are pre-recorded. They are exactly like my live classes but the students are able to watch the recording at a time that is convenient to them.
Outschool advertises small class sizes but those sizes are dependent on the ages of the learners. Teachers also need to factor in the type of class being offered (lecture, discussion-based, roleplaying, interactive, etc). The average, or suggested price for courses is $12/hour. However, certain subjects are going to exceed that cost. In a physical classroom, one won’t likely find private tutoring, language immersion, science, and/or high-level math offered at $12/hour. This is one of the reasons I am able to make over $10k/month.
When I first started offering my courses on Outschool, I was offering courses a little above $12/hour for a four-week course that met for 40 minutes. However, I teach writing courses and I had to factor in the amount of work I do outside of class (fielding messages, answering questions in regards to assignments, providing feedback, completing assessments, etc). As my class demand increased, so did my costs.
Prior to Outschool implementing small class sizes, a limit was not set. While I preferred 15 learners, which was a class size that worked for my lecture-based classes, I ended up with 18-21 learners in my classes which I decided wasn’t the greatest for classroom management and student interactions. Keeping my class size as 15 is my “sweet spot” for some of my classes. Some of the more interactive classes I limit to 6-9 learners. I have to plan class size, class time, and the activities and interaction.
Math for Earning More on Outschool
Let’s say you’re teaching a class for 6 to 8-year-olds with a maximum of 6 students and charging $12/hr.
6 (Students) x $12 = $72/hour
If you were to teach this class six times/day that would average $432. Now, let’s say you are teaching this class six times/day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you are making $1296/week. A little more math, this would be $5184/mo working 18 hours/week.
You could even offer this same class as a FLEX version class. Of course, you are spending time developing the material but once it has been completed, you’re teaching the same class every time with adjustments and improvements as needed.
For my particular classes, well, my most popular course, I charge $18/forty minute session. This brings in a little less than $200/session. I offer this course as a FLEX class as well. Keep in mind, Outschool takes 30% (and then there are taxes that need to be put aside).
In my writing course, I have 15 learners maximum. The class meets four times/week for 40 minutes. I charge $72 for the entire session.
$72 (cost) x .30 (Outschool payment) = 21.6
$72 (cost) – $21.60 (Outschool’s payment) = $50.4 (my take)
$50.4 x 15 (students) = $756
$756/4 (number of meetings) = $189
If I offer this course ten times/month (seven live and seven FLEX), I’m able to earn $10,584. I’d only teach about 5 hours live. This doesn’t account for the hours I spend working on feedback.
I have other courses that meet for 30 minutes and I only charge $6 and my class maximum is six learners. When I offer this class I am making $25.20/session.
How to Earn Thousands on Outschool
- Teach what you’re passionate about
- Provide multiple class days and times
- Offer classes around breakfast, lunch, and dinnertime
- Remember, Outschool has students all over the world, consider early and late times
- Practice your classes
- Make changes to your classes as needed
- Take criticism and feedback to improve your classes
- Be original
- Price your classes to match your worth
- You do not have to undervalue your product (which is the skill you are teaching)
- Don’t over-schedule
- You don’t want to burn out
- Teach a variety of classes
- See what sticks
- Ask for feedback from parents and students
- They may have some great ideas
- Offer a variety of class types
- One time, multi-way, camps, on-going, and flex
Be Patient
Even if you only have one student, teach the class. You’ll get to practice.
While there is concern about the need for virtual classes once schools open back up, I started earning $10K/month by January 2018, way before COVID!
It is possible to earn a living wage. If you’re only doing this for the money, you may not be successful, but it doesn’t mean you need to sell yourself short by undercharging for your services.
If you’re still unsure, get a mentor or an accountability buddy.
Don’t be scared to ask questions.