Online tutoring has exploded in popularity over the past few years, creating excellent side hustle opportunities for South Africans to earn daily income working from home.
Whether you want to make an extra R1,000 per week or turn tutoring into a full-time career, teaching online is flexible and lucrative.
What is Online Tutoring?
Online tutoring involves teaching students remotely via video chat or file sharing platforms. As an online tutor, you work with students one-on-one or in small groups to help improve their skills and knowledge in a subject area.
Common subjects that online tutors teach include:
- Math (all levels)
- Science (Physical Science, Chemistry, Biology, etc.)
- English and Writing
- Business and Economics
- Languages (English, Afrikaans, French, etc.)
- Computer skills (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
- Test prep (MAT, GMAT, SATs, etc.)
Online tutoring allows you to teach students anywhere in the world without having to commute or sit in a physical classroom.
Key Benefits of Online Tutoring as a Side Hustle
There are several compelling advantages to online tutoring that make it a top side hustle choice:
- Flexible schedule – Tutor at any time of day based on your availability. Nights and weekends tend to be most popular.
- Location independent – Tutor students across South Africa or worldwide. Only need an internet connection.
- Earn daily – Many platforms allow you to cash out your earnings instantly whenever you want.
- Growth potential – Can start small and expand your tutoring business over time by raising rates and acquiring more students.
- Low overhead – No physical location or equipment needed outside of a computer and internet connection.
- Transferable skill – Teaching skills remain in demand and can be applied online or in traditional schools.
- Intrinsic rewards – Opportunity to positively impact students’ education and make a difference.
With those advantages, it’s easy to see why online tutoring has become so popular as a way for educators to earn meaningful income outside of schools.
Read also: Online Side Hustles for Students in South Africa: 5 Ideas
How Much Do Online Tutors Earn in South Africa?
As an online tutor, you can realistically expect to earn R100 – R300 per hour in South Africa based on your experience level and subject matter. STEM subjects tend to have the highest earning potential.
According to job sites like CareerJunction and PayScale, these are typical hourly rates for online tutors:
- Entry-level: R100 – R150 per hour
- Mid-level: R150 – R200 per hour
- Experienced: R200 – R300+ per hour
Working just 5 hours per day at an average rate of R200 per hour equals R1,000 in daily earnings. This provides incredible income potential as a side hustle on top of your regular job.
Assuming you tutor 25 hours per week at R200 per hour, you could earn around R20,000 per month as a full-time online tutor.
Setting Your Rates
When determining your hourly rates, consider factors like:
- Your tutoring experience and subject expertise
- The demand and competition in your subject area
- Your credentials and teaching qualifications
- The platform or company you tutor through
- Where you are located and student demographics
- The grade levels and difficulty of content you teach
Review the going rates on tutoring sites, but don’t be afraid to set prices based on your skills and the value you provide. You can raise rates over time as you gain experience and student reviews.
7 Top Online Tutoring Companies to Find Daily Earning Opportunities
Here are leading tutoring platforms to find students and start earning:
- Varsity Tutors – Large US-based tutoring platform paying over $1M per month to tutors. Active in SA.
- Tutor.com – Get hired to tutor K-12 and college students in hundreds of subjects.
- Chegg Tutors – Popular tutoring site among US college students paying up to $20 per hour.
- Skooli – Match with students globally across academic and creative subjects.
- TutaPoint – SA-based platform connecting tutors and learners locally.
- EduConnect – Lists online tutor jobs in SA across high school and university subjects.
- Superprof – Tutoring marketplace to find local and online students.
The key is signing up on multiple sites to maximize your reach and income potential across different demographics.
Getting Started as a Successful Online Tutor
Follow these steps to launch your online tutoring side business:
- Pick your subjects – Choose 1-3 related subjects to tutor in based on your experience.
- Create a tutor profile – Build a profile highlighting your skills, education, experience and credentials. Include an intro video.
- Set your rates – Research the competition and demand to set competitive but profitable hourly rates. You can increase these over time.
- Apply to tutoring jobs – Actively apply to open tutoring positions on Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com, etc. leveraging your profile.
- Schedule students – Once hired, set availability and start actively getting booked by students.
- Deliver 5-star tutoring – Prepare detailed lesson plans to provide value. Be engaging and get positive reviews.
- Market your services – Create social media accounts and run ads to find more South African students.
- Expand offerings – Add new subjects, grade levels and services like exam prep as you gain experience.
- Track income goals – Monitor earnings and hours taught to optimize your schedule and hit financial targets.
- Provide exceptional service – Reply promptly, address concerns and be reliable to retain and grow your student base.
With consistency and dedication to student success, you can build a thriving and lucrative online tutoring business over the coming months.
Key Takeaways
- Online tutoring allows educators to earn R100 – R300 per hour teaching from home.
- Flexible schedules and low overhead make it an ideal side hustle able to pay out income daily.
- Top tutoring platforms include Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com, Chegg and local providers.
- Setting competitive rates and specializing in high demand subjects boosts income potential.
- Delivering 5-star tutoring drives referrals and helps grow your tutoring practice over time.
Conclusion
Online tutoring presents an excellent opportunity for South African educators to earn meaningful income outside of schools on a schedule that fits their lifestyle.
By specializing in popular subjects and actively marketing your services, you can get hired by platforms seeking qualified tutors globally and locally.
Start part-time and provide amazing tutoring to scale up your online teaching business.
