11 Best Online Tutoring Jobs For College Students (2024 Guide!)

As a college student, money can be pretty tight sometimes.

However, the great news is that with the right side hustle or online job, you can make extra cash on the side while you complete your studies to help make ends meet.

And, tutoring jobs for college students are the perfect type of jobs.

You can usually earn $15 to $20+ per hour, work from home, and set your own hours to suit your class schedule.

So today, I'm covering some of the best online tutoring jobs for college students you can use to make some extra cash.

Let's get to it!

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The Best Online Tutoring Jobs For College Students

Plenty of my friends have made money in college with tutoring over the years. And in the past, one way I made money was by selling text banks and study notes.

There are so many ways to make money by helping other students learn. So, if you're ready to earn money online and want to help your fellow students succeed, you're in luck.

The following tutoring companies are the perfect way to start a new college side hustle.

1. BookNook

One of the best online tutoring jobs college students can apply to is BookNook, a tutoring platform that specializes in tutoring for K-8 schools and organizations.

The company specializes in tutoring kids in reading and math skills. It's currently available in 35 states and is growing quickly, so it's actively looking for new tutors right now.

Here are BookNook's virtual tutor requirements:

Have 3+ years of teaching or tutoring experience OR
Have 1 year of teaching or tutoring experience and a minimum of a bachelor's degree OR
Have 1 year of teaching or tutoring experience and current enrollment in a teaching credential program

I really like that BookNook is so flexible with tutor requirements, and it's a great tutoring job for college students with a master's degree or ones who are in teacher's college.

You tutor up to four students at one time, and all the lesson plans are done for you as well.

There's a short interview as part of the application process, but when you hear about the potential hourly pay, the effort is well worth it! You can read our BookNook review for all the information.

Pay: BookNook pays tutors $15 to $22 per hour, and your rate depends on your experience and qualifications. You get paid biweekly through direct deposit.

Apply to BookNook today!

2. Tutor.com

Tutor.com is an online, international tutoring service that offers tutoring services for over 40 subjects.

To become a Tutor.com tutor, you need to be a US resident who is at least a sophomore pursuing a 4-year degree at an accredited university or college.

Additionally, Tutor.com requires tutoring for at least 5 hours per week. You work with students of all ages and can pick different classes to tutor in.

The topics you teach will be based on your personal expertise and school experience.

Popular subjects you can tutor include:

Algebra
Biology
Chemistry
Elementary math
Excel
Programming
Sociology
Statistics

Basically any subject is available, making Tutor.com one of the most versatile online tutoring jobs for college kids.

Managing a busy schedule as a student can be hard. Luckily, Tutor.com offers a flexible 24/7 service, meaning you can create a schedule that is tailored to you.

You have the option to create your own schedule, log on and pick up sessions at your leisure, or set your availability for scheduled sessions.

Pay: Tutor.com pays at an hourly rate depending on the subject you tutor. According to Indeed, the average Tutor.com salary is $12.53 per hour.

3. Studypool

Studypool is an online tutoring platform that specializes in paid homework help and study note guides.

You can also make money selling notes on Studypool or as a personal tutor for different homework questions students have.

The platform connects students with various tools, including a note bank where students can buy study materials like sample quizzes, study guides, and various other documents.

Students also post questions on Studypool’s website, and as a tutor, you browse through posted questions for ones you think you can answer.

When you find a question you want to help with, you set a bid price for the job.

If you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to bid on questions with smaller budgets (around $5) to develop your track record and receive recognition.

If the student accepts your bid, Studypool holds your funds until you answer the question. Once the student approves your answer, you get paid.

Pay: The amount of money you make on Studypool is ultimately based on how many bids you win and the price you’ve set for them. Studypool also takes a 20-32.5% commission on what you make.

According to its website, some Studypool tutors make as much as $7000 a month. However, expect a few hundred dollars at most per month if you answer enough questions.

4. TutorMe

TutorMe is another online tutoring job for college students that connects students to live tutors 24/7 in over 300 subjects.

You have to be 18 or older to work for TutorMe. Additionally, you must be enrolled or have graduated from an accredited university.

TutorMe also wants prior experience in teaching and tutoring, so it has more requirements than most online tutoring jobs for college students.

However, TutorMe accepts tutors from around the world, so it's not just available in North America.

The application process is pretty simple, and once approved, you can connect with students in your chosen subjects to make money tutoring.

TutorMe has a matching system to pair students with appropriate tutors however students also have the ability to reach out to you directly.

And, TutorMe creates all of the lesson plans, so you don't have to spend extra time making slides or PowerPoint presentations.

And, the online education platform also has tools for enhancing your lessons like a virtual whiteboard and a text editor.

Pay: TutorMe pays $16 per hour for all tutors and you get paid weekly with PayPal cash.

5. Fiverr

While Fiverr isn't solely an online tutoring job for college students, this online freelancing platform is one of the best ways to sell your skills online.

Once you create a Fiverr freelancer profile, you list the gigs you offer and what your prices are.

Tutoring is a very popular category on Fiverr, and many sellers offer to share their expertise for subjects like:

Accounting
English tutoring
Graphic design
Life coaching
Math
Other language tutoring
Science

The downside to selling on Fiverr is that it's a very competitive marketplace, and this is still true for tutoring gigs.

However, as you get sales, you gradually build your seller rating and get more reviews on your profile, which helps you land more future gigs.

Fiverr also has some very niche tutoring options like specific programming languages or advanced subjects like data analysis.

It’s a good idea to take a look at other sellers on Fiverr who are offering similar services to you to learn how other sellers are pricing their services.

Pay: As mentioned your pay on Fiverr will depend on the price and success of your gigs. But many tutoring gigs on Fiverr charge $15 to $20+ per hour long session.

Just note that Fiverr takes a 20% cut from your earnings which is one downside of this platform.

6. Cambly

Another leading online tutoring gig for college students is to work as a Cambly tutor.

Cambly is an English teaching system that provides access to virtual English tutors.

As a Cambly tutor, you get paid to have conversations with students and to instruct from pre-made Cambly lesson plans.

And, one of the best parts about Cambly is that the company doesn't require a bachelor’s degree or any prior teaching experience. This makes it an excellent choice if you just started your degree but want to make extra money as a tutor.

Plus, Cambly doesn't have minimum or maximum hours, making this a good option if you only have a couple of hours a week to dedicate to tutoring.

Their service is also 24/7 allowing for a flexible schedule.

Becoming a Cambly tutor is also quite simple and takes three steps:

Sign Up: Fill out a sign-up form so Cambly starts its screening process with a connection test. This test assesses your video streaming capacity by accessing your computer’s microphone, webcam, and connection speed.
Intro Video: Record a short video introducing yourself and sharing your interests and tutoring experience if you have any. Keep this casual and friendly since Cambly is looking for tutors who can converse naturally. This can be re-recorded as many times as you’d like.
Wait For Approval: Cambly usually gets back to applicants within 48 hours of applying, but it can also take weeks or months depending on how busy Cambly is with new tutor applications.

Pay: Cambly pays $0.17/min ($10.20/hour) on Cambly and $0.20/min ($12.00/hour) on Cambly Kids. You receive weekly payments on Mondays as long as you’ve made at least $20, and Cambly pays you through PayPal.

7. VIPKid

Teaching English online is another popular category of tutoring gigs, and if you're a native speaker, this is one of the best tutoring gigs out there.

And, out of all the ESL tutoring jobs, VIPKid is probably one of the most popular and highest paying.

As a VIPKid tutor, you earn around $20 per hour for instructing small classes of students who want to learn English.

VIPKid handles all of the lesson plans, and lessons are 30 minutes long and usually have four students. Typically, students are in elementary school and are from China.

The downside is that you need a degree to teach for VIPKid, so it's only viable for Master's students and students going for another degree or their PHD.

VIPKid also requires being eligible to work within the U.S. or Canada, although you can work remotely.

Since students are in China, class times work on Beijing's schedule, which means early mornings for North American tutors.

However, this is ideal for an online tutoring job if you're in college since you can get lessons out of the way before heading to lecture.

Pay: VIPKid pay starts at $7-9 per 25-minute class which ends up being $14-18 per hour. There’s no limit to how many classes you can teach. VIPKid also pays incentives for teaching more classes that can increase this number to $22 per hour.

Note: At this time, most Chinese-based tutoring companies aren't hiring tutors from outside of China, so companies like VIPKid are off the table right now until legislation changes.

8. Magic Ears

Like VIPKid, Magic Ears is an online English learning platform that caters to Chinese students between the ages of 4-12.

In order to teach with Magic Ears, you must have a bachelor's degree or be in the process of getting one. You also need TEFOL or TESOL certification like VIPKid and most other ESL tutoring gigs.

As a Magic Ears teacher, you instruct online classes of four students at a time. Lessons are 30 minutes in length.

Magic Ears provides all the curriculum and lesson plans, so you don't have to worry about coming up with tutoring material on your own.

Pay: Magic Ears has a pretty high pay range at $18-26 per hour and pays tutors through PayPal.

The pay starts at $8-10 per 30 minutes which is based on your experience and credentials.

You can earn an extra dollar for showing up 3 minutes early to the lesson as well as an extra dollar per class if you open more than 60 classes in one month during peak hours. There’s also potential for teachers to earn raises and bonuses upon contract renewal.

9. QKids

One other popular online tutoring gig college students can apply for is to work for Qkids.

Qkids is an online education platform connecting international students between the ages of 4 and 12 to English Teachers in North America.

To work for Qkids you must be eligible to work in the U.S. or Canada and be teaching from there. You also need a bachelor’s degree and an ESL certification.

Overall, Qkids is another leading player in the ESL education space, and it's a great addition to the likes of Magic Ears and VIPKid if you want to get paid to teach English online.

Pay: Teachers at Qkids make between $16-20 per hour, and Qkids pays you through direct deposit.

Unlike most online tutoring platforms, Qkids does have a set schedule with available time slots for teaching, so it's less flexible than other tutoring jobs.

Qkids doesn’t offer enough hours to provide a full-time income, but you can make around $1,000 per month or more if you have enough students to teach.

There’s also an incentive to recruit more teachers, so for every teacher you bring in, you get a $100 bonus.

10. Freelancing Online Tutoring

If you're still wondering how to find an online tutoring job as a college student, you're not out of options!

One way to make money as a tutor in college is to offer your own freelance tutoring services to other students. This is a similar idea to answering questions for money on Fiverr, but you can focus more on your local market and schools, or even find students on your own campus!

There are also many ways you can advertise yourself as a tutor.

A popular one right now is Facebook Marketplace. All you have to do is post a listing advertising yourself as a tutor and people in your area will see it.

Try posting ads in Facebook groups you are a part of as well, especially if your university has Facebook groups for different subjects.

If you want to try an old-school approach, consider posting an ad on a notice board in your university, at a local library, or anywhere else you think students may see it.

Word of mouth is also a great way to get yourself a tutoring gig. Reach out to any parents you know and get the word out that you’re a tutor looking for work.

Pay: It's not unusual for private tutors to make $20 to $30+ per hour, especially if you're tutoring difficult subjects or helping students with test preparation.

11. Upwork

One final way to find online tutoring jobs for college students is to search for tutoring gigs on Upwork.

Like Fiverr, Upwork is a free, global freelancer marketplace where you can sell your skills and bid on jobs. And plenty of Upwork jobs involve tutoring people in different subjects and skills.

Lots of people need help with specific subjects or test preparation, like SAT or legal exams. But you can also find tutoring jobs for programming languages and other specific industries.

Ultimately, Upwork is a great option for starting just about any online side hustle, including making money as a tutor.

Extra Reading – How To Make Money Online As A Beginner.

What Do You Need To Become A College Student Tutor?

The obvious requirement for becoming a tutor is being knowledgeable enough about a specific topic to teach it.

Additionally, some online tutoring gigs for college students require having additional certification, or in some cases, a minimum of an undergraduate degree.

For example, many English as a secondary language (ESL) tutoring jobs require tutors to have TESOL or TEFOL certification.

Other skills you need to find success as an online college tutor include:

A Computer: You need a decent computer and reliable internet for video calls. Some jobs also require using a headset with a microphone for quality audio.
Spare Time: Most online tutoring platforms have pretty flexible hours for you to work. But take a look at your schedule and see where you can squeeze in time for your new job.
A Friendly Personality: You want to be a charismatic tutor for your students. Bringing an enthusiastic energy to your lessons will go a long way.

With these skills and requirements in mind, let's dive into some of the best online tutoring gigs for college students!

Benefits Of Online Tutoring Jobs For College Students

Now that you know some of the best online tutoring jobs for college students, here are a few of the perks that make this line of work so appealing for students.

Hourly Pay: Online tutors typically earn $15 to $25+ per hour, which is more than many campus jobs pay.
Improves Your Resume: Having teaching experience on your resume is useful if you want to get into teaching or a similar role for your career.
Flexible Hours: Many tutoring gigs for college students let you set your own hours, so you can work around your own busy class schedule.

Ultimately, online tutoring jobs are a great fit if you want to make money while in school.

If you're still looking for ideas after reading this post, you can also watch my YouTube video on some of the best online jobs for students.

There are so many ways to work online and make money while in college.

I did it with freelance writing, but there are plenty of job opportunities out there if you know where to look!

Extra Reading – How To Make $400 Dollars A Day.

Tips For Landing Your First Tutoring Job

To wrap up this post, here are a few tips you should keep in mind when trying to land your first online tutoring gig while in college.

Update Your Resume: If you have prior teaching experience, add this to your resume when applying for jobs. You can even add prior work experience like coaching or childcare since this overlaps.
Practice Interview Questions: There are lots of practice tutoring interview questions online, especially for ESL tutoring jobs. Watch videos on what makes a good online tutor as well to improve your skills.
Apply To Multiple Tutoring Jobs: Applying to numerous jobs increase the number of students you can potentially land and, ultimately, how much money you make.

You can also watch this video from YouTuber Prep With Jen about her home tutoring setup for tips on how you can create the perfect tutoring space.

Jen covers topics like which webcam and microphone you should use and how to create a welcoming space to instruct your students from.

Extra Reading – Ways To Make $150 Dollars Fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can A College Student Be An Online Tutor?

College students can become online tutors and make money. Just note that some tutoring companies require having a degree or prior teaching experience, or even certain certifications, depending on the subjects you tutor.

How Much Do College Tutors Make?

Many tutoring gigs for college students pay $15 to $20 per hour. If you get enough steady students, you can realistically make a few hundred dollars in extra income a month, or even $1,000 or more if you teach enough classes.

BookNook is one of our favorite options, but plenty of companies pay tutors a high hourly wage for their time.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this list of the best online tutoring jobs for college students helps you make some extra cash while you complete your studies.

There are so many tutoring jobs out there, so don't be afraid to experiment with several companies to find the right fit for you.

Additionally, there are so many other ways to make quick money if you're in a financial pinch.

I mean, gig apps like driving for DoorDash or making money with Instacart are two examples of easy ways to make some extra cash on the side.

And, you can always try other online ideas as well, like starting your own blog, freelancing online, or even more creative ideas like selling POD products on Etsy.

The world is full of opportunities, so hopefully one of them helps you make extra money while you're finishing your degree!

Looking for more money-making ideas? Checkout:

11 Best Online Tutoring Jobs For College Students (2024 Guide!)