The educators who want to start tutoring online face the challenge of not knowing where to start. And that’s what we are going to look into in this blog for educators who are planning to start teaching online. To teach online, tutors need a platform where they can host their classes and run online courses. There are two options- Join an eLearning marketplace or build and launch your own online tutoring marketplace.
Teaching on existing tutoring marketplaces
eLearning tutoring marketplaces are websites that connect tutors with a vast learner base to facilitate online tutoring. The platform owner manages tutoring marketplaces, and the examples include Udemy, Coursera, etc. Tutoring marketplaces are great for beginner level online tutors who are just entering the industry as everything they need to teach their learners are already made ready.
Bringing in students, managing marketing activities, revenue management, everything is managed by the tutoring marketplace. These marketplaces come with in-built mobile apps, quizzing tools, and other features to make your online courses appealing and productive.
Advantages of teaching on tutoring marketplaces
Have a huge student base
Online tutoring marketplaces that already exist in the industry have a vast student base. This means millions of potential buyers – half the work is done. As the primary source of income depends on the number of learners on the platform, tutors will have a chance to target thousands of learners searching for a particular course topic.
Marketing and sales are taken care
Well established online tutoring marketplaces like Udemy have their own marketing strategies to attract students and convert them. Tutors just have to sell their online courses or schedule their sessions; the marketplace will handle the marketing part, which is great for beginner level educators.
Strong brand and credibility
If you are a tutor who is brand new to the online tutoring market, building authority for yourself takes a lot of effort and time. Whereas the online marketplaces already have strong branding and credibility, thus selling courses becomes easier than on an unknown tutoring website.
Disadvantages of teaching on tutoring marketplaces
Tutors don’t have access to learners’ contact information
Online tutoring marketplaces don’t offer enough opportunities for tutors and students to connect with each other. This makes it challenging for online tutors to scale their tutoring business outside the marketplace.
Tutors have to adhere to rules and policies
Tutoring marketplaces have their own policies and rules to which tutors must adhere even if they don’t support them. It’s the admin of the marketplace who decides the limit of communication with students, how much tutors can charge for classes, when the payment will be released, and so on.
Lack of growth opportunities
Tutors who run online courses on tutoring marketplaces will never be able to promote their own brand. They might be able to watermark their courses or video lectures, but that’s the maximum they can do for branding. Learners are exposed to the branding (design and logo) of the marketplace, which dilutes the branding of the tutor.
Creating a tutoring website
Creating your own online tutoring website or marketplace might sound like a highly challenging task for a tutor. But creating a full-fledged online tutoring platform need not be an elaborate task.
It gives you the flexibility to select the content type and price your classes freely. You can also communicate with your learners via email, cross-sell live sessions and webinars, and grow your brand the way you want it to be. Nothing and no one would impose any restrictions because it’s your own tutoring website. You hold the power to run it in your own way. You can use an online tutoring software like Pinlearn, with which you can build your own eLearning platform and sell your expertise.
If you don’t want to share your hard-earned revenue with a third party, creating your own tutoring site would be the best choice. Having a tutoring platform in your branding will allow you to work with things that suit the interest of your audience and your business goals.
Advantages of running a tutoring website
Control and ownership of the platform
When you have your own tutoring website where you can host your online classes, you hold complete control and ownership of the platform. You have control over your students and have access to all their contact information. This helps to build a personal connection with your students and get repeat sales.
Customize the look and feel of the website
If you are hosting online classes on your own tutoring marketplace, you can customize the look and feel of your tutoring website. Tutors can promote their brand, collaborate with other educators, partner with sponsors, manage affiliates and do much more.
Enjoy the freedom to set prices
Teaching on your own tutoring marketplace means you have the freedom to decide the price for your online sessions and get paid immediately. You don’t have to wait for the third-party platform to process your payments.
Disadvantages of running a tutoring website
Tutor manages everything
As you are the boss of your tutoring marketplace, you need to manage everything by yourself. From attracting potential learners to managing the sales funnel, everything is done by the tutor, which is the most challenging part of managing a tutoring business.
Increased maintenance cost
When you launch your own online tutoring website, the maintenance costs might increase as the business grows. Additional costs like hosting fees, tutoring software, marketing costs, and other miscellaneous costs may start accumulating once your business and learner base grow.
It takes time to find success
New tutoring websites lack credibility, and the audience would take time to figure out whether to trust your platform or not. While reviews and testimonials can serve as tools to drive learners to your website, it might take constant efforts from your side to build your audience.
Conclusion
The decision to teach on online tutoring marketplaces like Udemy or your own website entirely depends on tutors’ preferences and business plans. Teaching on platforms like Udemy might sound like an easy option to get the sales done easily. But the advantages of owning an online tutoring marketplace of your own outweighs everything. If you intend to establish your own tutoring brand and build a steady income, launching your own tutoring website is the way to go.
Thomas Jackson is a dynamic and talented content writer at WonderWorldSpace.com, renowned for his engaging and informative articles. Beyond his professional pursuits in writing, Jack is also known for his deep passion for fitness, which not only shapes his lifestyle but also influences his work.