How to Earn by Teaching Online
Research your options., Consider your credentials., Compare opportunities to ensure you're maximizing your earning potential., Consider obtaining an online teaching certificate.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Research your options.
Traditional brick-and-mortar universities, nonprofit online universities, and for-profit institutions all offer online course content.
Determine which institutions offer teaching opportunities relevant to your field of expertise.
Remember that many colleges and universities now offer multiple educational tracks.
Research opportunities in "traditional" subject-area departments, but also remember to look for adult degree completion programs and other special instructional tracks.
Programs geared toward working adults are more likely to involve online course offerings. -
Step 2: Consider your credentials.
Most online college instructors are part-time adjuncts.
Typically, you'll need to hold a master's degree in your field of expertise.
While full-time online teaching positions are uncommon, those that do exist often require applicants to hold a doctorate or have significant experience in high-demand career areas such as healthcare or accounting.
Determine whether you meet basic requirements prior to applying for a position. , The pay range for online courses varies.
While most institutions pay adjunct instructors per course, occasionally you'll find an institution that pays a "per head" fee, or even one that holds instructors accountable for students completing the course.
Instructional terms fluctuate wildly from institution to institution.
Pay careful attention to length of term when comparing your opportunities.
For standard per-course pay, divide total compensation by the number of weeks you'll be teaching so you can better compare pay rates among institutions.
Assess how many students you feel comfortable teaching at one time.
Note the structure and expectations of each course; grading 20 essays is considerably more time-consuming than grading 20 multiple-choice exams.
Note whether instruction will be asynchronous (not dependent upon your presence during a certain time slot) or synchronous (in real time).
Many schools limit the number of courses or credit hours an instructor can teach at any one time.
Consider teaching at more than one school simultaneously if you wish to "override" this limit.
Some online programs use an established curriculum, while others require you to develop your own course content.
If you are required to develop your own course, you should be paid more than if you are asked only to teach.
Understand what rights you're giving to the institution if you do write and develop a course.
Often the institution will then retain rights to the finished course.
Note which online platform the institution uses.
Are you already familiar with the software, or will you require training? Some colleges require you to attend unpaid training sessions if you need to learn new software.
Limiting your teaching load to colleges using the same online platform may save you time and resources., Some schools of education now offer Master Online Teacher (MOT) certificates signifying your expertise in online instruction.
Community colleges and four-year universities offering online instruction often partner with these institutions for MOT training.
An MOT certification may help you establish your credentials as an online educator.Note that MOT certificates may also be useful for high school instructors. -
Step 3: Compare opportunities to ensure you're maximizing your earning potential.
-
Step 4: Consider obtaining an online teaching certificate.
Detailed Guide
Traditional brick-and-mortar universities, nonprofit online universities, and for-profit institutions all offer online course content.
Determine which institutions offer teaching opportunities relevant to your field of expertise.
Remember that many colleges and universities now offer multiple educational tracks.
Research opportunities in "traditional" subject-area departments, but also remember to look for adult degree completion programs and other special instructional tracks.
Programs geared toward working adults are more likely to involve online course offerings.
Most online college instructors are part-time adjuncts.
Typically, you'll need to hold a master's degree in your field of expertise.
While full-time online teaching positions are uncommon, those that do exist often require applicants to hold a doctorate or have significant experience in high-demand career areas such as healthcare or accounting.
Determine whether you meet basic requirements prior to applying for a position. , The pay range for online courses varies.
While most institutions pay adjunct instructors per course, occasionally you'll find an institution that pays a "per head" fee, or even one that holds instructors accountable for students completing the course.
Instructional terms fluctuate wildly from institution to institution.
Pay careful attention to length of term when comparing your opportunities.
For standard per-course pay, divide total compensation by the number of weeks you'll be teaching so you can better compare pay rates among institutions.
Assess how many students you feel comfortable teaching at one time.
Note the structure and expectations of each course; grading 20 essays is considerably more time-consuming than grading 20 multiple-choice exams.
Note whether instruction will be asynchronous (not dependent upon your presence during a certain time slot) or synchronous (in real time).
Many schools limit the number of courses or credit hours an instructor can teach at any one time.
Consider teaching at more than one school simultaneously if you wish to "override" this limit.
Some online programs use an established curriculum, while others require you to develop your own course content.
If you are required to develop your own course, you should be paid more than if you are asked only to teach.
Understand what rights you're giving to the institution if you do write and develop a course.
Often the institution will then retain rights to the finished course.
Note which online platform the institution uses.
Are you already familiar with the software, or will you require training? Some colleges require you to attend unpaid training sessions if you need to learn new software.
Limiting your teaching load to colleges using the same online platform may save you time and resources., Some schools of education now offer Master Online Teacher (MOT) certificates signifying your expertise in online instruction.
Community colleges and four-year universities offering online instruction often partner with these institutions for MOT training.
An MOT certification may help you establish your credentials as an online educator.Note that MOT certificates may also be useful for high school instructors.
About the Author
Catherine Alvarez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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