Online Tutoring in the UK

 Tutoring is one of the many things that has been turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since in most cases giving sessions in person has become problematic, many private tutors have turned to online lessons. This has been a necessity, but it also offers ongoing possibilities. A tutor who offers an online option, for example, can widen their potential studentbase to the whole country, instead of being restricted to one local area. But how do you get yourself set up?

What Equipment Do You Need to Offer Online Tutoring?

 Before you even start thinking about how to run your classes, you'll need to make sure you have all the necessary equipment and facilities. An up-to-date desktop computer is essential, whether you're going with a PC or a Mac, and it needs a high-quality webcam, either integrated or plugged in, as well as a set of headphones incorporating a microphone. The worst thing that could happen would be for your connection to keep dropping out during lessons. To prevent this, make sure you have high-speed internet with a strong broadband connection.

Which Platform Should You Use?

 If you're going to offer lessons online, you'll need to do so by means of a videoconferencing platform. There are several available, and all have advantages. The choice is really about what works best for you.

• Zoom has been the big success of 2020 and is widely used. Besides the video options, sharing material and text communication are easy to do.
• Skype was the original mass-market videoconferencing platform, and it still has advantages, including a dynamic chatbox.
• Google Hangouts is part of the Google suite and integrates with other Google apps. Besides screen sharing and messaging, it can be broadcast on Google Plus or YouTube.
• Microsoft Teams is much used by schools and colleges, but in general is better for larger classes than one-to-one lessons.

How Do You Find Students?

 It's all very well to be set up as an online tutor, but students aren't going to just miraculously turn up. There are various traditional outlets for getting noticed, from advertising in local papers to putting up a card in a shop, but they're rather hit or miss. In any case, these methods would only get you noticed locally, which would waste one of the primary advantages of being online.

 If you're going to teach online, it makes sense to advertise yourself online, too. You could use Google AdWords, for example, which allows you to target your ads as specifically or generally as you like. Alternatively, you could use classified sites like Gumtree or Freeads.

 Even better, you could find your students through TutorExtra. This will allow your profile to be fully searchable by students or parents, as well as providing a ready-made channel to communicate with them. And the best thing is that we take no commission on the fees you're paid — you get 100%. So register with TutorExtra and find out how that can help you get students for online tutoring.