How to Be an Online Tutor Philippines

Have you recently been thinking about how to become an online tutor in the Philippines? Tutoring can be a very lucrative and enjoyable business, but how do you begin?

Towards the end of today’s article, we will also be including some additional tutoring tips for the Philippines to help you on your new journey, so let us explore tutoring in more detail.

Table of Contents

How to Be an Online Tutor In The Philippines

1. Decide How (and when) You Want to Work

Aspiring online tutors need to figure out if they want to work for themselves or others. Many online tutoring platforms are available. However, it is also an option to put up your tutoring service. Working for an online tutoring company can be helpful if you have not tried online tutoring. From there, you can decide to work on your own or for a reliable tutoring company.

2. Determine If You Are Qualified to Be an Online Tutor

Tutoring a subject or field that you have expertise and background in is an important step on how to become a tutor in the Philippines. This is because aspiring tutors need to explain basic and complex concepts in their subject matter easily and clearly

For those who plan to apply to a company, there are specific requirements. For instance, this corporation is hiring a candidate who has a bachelor’s degree. Though not required, some candidates hold a related degree or have experience in the industry.

In addition, a list of qualifications such as active listening, communication, or problem-solving skills is a must for possible clients.

It may not be a good idea to apply to tutor a subject or field without any relevant background or credentials since potential clients may think this is a misrepresentation of the service offered.

3. Decide on Your Tutoring Rate

Unfortunately, there is no single range for a reasonable online tutor rate. This depends on the person’s qualifications and the tutoring subject.

For example, those with a college degree can demand a higher professional fee than those who do not have the same credentials. The average rate is Php 120 per hour. However, a documented range can be Php 76 to Php 320.

Another thing to consider on how to be an online tutor in the Philippines is how you want to charge your client. Online tutors either charge per session or offer a package of 5, 10, or 15 sessions a month.

As a tutor in the Philippines, you can also offer subscription-based payment models, and remember, you could even cross and upsell! For example, maybe you have workbooks or materials that can be sold to increase your income per client.

Surprising clients with extra charges are not advisable. For example, if you need your client to buy materials and supplies (as mentioned above), these should be outlined from the start. If they are essential, there is no problem including these in the price or selling as a upsell but being open about prices is often recommended for new tutors in the Philippines.

4. Create a Tutor Curriculum or Training Plan

The easiest way to do this step on how to become a tutor in the Philippines is to utilize a spreadsheet or word processing program. In addition, software programs such as Canva can help make mind maps and charts easy. These can assist you once you start tutoring online.

Another important thing to consider when creating a curriculum is how to deal with the common issues in the subject or field you want to teach. For instance, if one is considering being an English teacher, they need to prepare lessons about grammar basics, such as constructing sentences.

Training plans will also help you gauge your students by observing their performance in your class. This may be a great added extra for parents to see, and it’s also a great way to stand out of the crowd if you are looking to be an English teacher. However, there are similar plans that can be applied to other niches outside of teaching.

You may also wish to create a script. This does not mean that aspiring online tutors need to follow this script throughout their lectures. Instead, they can take some ideas down and memorize them to know the flow and not miss anything important when the class is conducted.

5. Prepare All the Required Materials

People interested in online tutoring likely need a video or audio clips, photos, links, and articles as their teaching resources. These materials can also act as marketing and could help you find clients when becoming an online tutor in the Philippines

Fast-forward before conducting lessons; tutors will need to ensure that they know the material they will present. That is because the session can slow down if the tutor cannot understand how to make a website or program work.

It is highly recommended to have a list of all these materials. Then, you can place and organize them in a free Google Doc file. This makes it easier to access them in your lessons.

6. Obtain a Stable Internet Service Provider and Equipment

One crucial step on how to be an online tutor Philippines is having dependable and fast internet. Aside from that, a good computer to manage memory-intensive software such as virtual classrooms is a must. You can check these computers out to get a better idea of what computer to consider.

Another important piece of equipment is a headset with a microphone and a webcam. Again, it is best to get one that has a noise-canceling feature and good audio quality for the headset. You can consider the megapixels and FPS or frames per second.

7. Pick the Right Platform to Deliver Online Lessons

The ideal platform to deliver online depends on what you plan to teach. There are various free and paid platforms to hold audio and video lessons. You can opt for Skype or Google Meet for introductory sessions. More extensive platforms are also available for more interactive presentations.

8. Determine Your Mode of Payment

PayPal is one of the most popular ways of getting online payment since you can accept it from people in different countries. Even though you can be charged minimal fees, it provides convenience and dependability.

Aspiring online tutors need to keep in mind that it is often recommended to obtain payment before conducting classes.

In addition, you may wish to draw up a cancellation and late entry fee. Fees are not only for financial gain but can also give your customer a sense of accountability.

9. Find Your New Students

The last step on how to be an online tutor in the Philippines starts with providing your contact details and social media accounts and using the power of social media to your advantage.

It is best to go through your materials before you publish them. Clients may be turned off if the tutor has typos in their posted ads.

When becoming an online tutor in the Philippines (or even an offline tutor), you will need to determine if paid advertising is the right decision for you. Marketing is essential, but prices can be high; thus, you will need to calculate your expected income and expenses then factor in any marketing costs.

If you opt to start on your own, you can build your network and look for tutors who can help you expand your student database. In addition, they can help recommend you to students. You can also try publishing professional posts through a blog.

Another option you have is to sign up for freelancing websites. There are many freelancer websites you can sign-up on, such as Upwork and Course Hero. Those who are interested can make a profile on these sites, highlight their strengths, and advertise their services.

Tutoring Tips Philippines

Attending an Online Lesson

The steps on how to be an online tutor Philippines will be easier if aspiring online tutors understand what a genuine and full online lesson is like.

This will give you great insight from the student’s point of view, and you may pick up many ideas and income opportunities from this method. For example, perhaps you could look at the most popular tutors and ask yourself why do they have so many students and what can I use to increase the probability of success?

Having Additional Material

When you decide to have a tutoring business or a tutoring job, it is helpful to ask your students how to help them when they reach out to you specifically. For example, many clients can have their books and other study materials, which will help to have additional materials on hand. This is to make them engaged and ensure that the session is more productive.

You can also make your materials. You can start by thinking about what made the subject interesting for you and provide fun exercises. Students will like your class better if they have fun with the extra materials.

Making the Classes Interactive and Personal

When planning a class, online tutors need to keep in mind to tailor their classes based on the particular needs of their students. In addition, students have various learning methods, so tutors need to determine their method and develop it.

Nevertheless, keeping the sessions interactive is crucial. This means allowing the students to participate actively in the sessions by allowing them to ask questions. Therefore, it is important that the subjects you tutor are comfortable for you. This is to enable you to answer virtually any questions they have.

Finding and Responding to Students Feedback

Having a presence in a tutoring business or job is a work in progress. However, according to a study conducted in 2019, experts discovered that online tutors succeed when they gather their students’ feedback and use it to understand what is effective or not. This can also help gain tutors’ new clients.

Therefore, aspiring online tutors can improve their presence by letting their students feel that their feedback matters. Here are some of the questions you can ask:

Do you feel comfortable using the technology in the platform?

Have you experienced technical troubles such as poor internet connection or not hearing the tutor?
Are the lessons and homework organized and clear?
Do you feel comfortable voicing out your opinion?

What can be done to improve the sessions?

Starting Small

Starting small is advised when starting your tutoring business in the Philippines so that you have ample time to prepare. Aspiring online tutors should not feel discouraged if they take longer than they thought to prepare. This is because it becomes easier as time passes.

Depending on what services you can provide, starting with lower to medium fees is also recommended. Then, you can ask for higher fees as you grow. Remember that in the Philippines, most big businesses started small.