Platform work · starts at $0 – $3,000,000

Teach Kids Online

You run live online classes or tutoring sessions for K-12 kids on a marketplace that handles the payments, video and parent traffic, and keeps a cut of every enrollment.

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The numbers

Each one links to its source and the day it was checked.

Startup cost

$0 – $3,000,000

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Time to first dollar

4-7 weeks typical — a few days for the application reply, then background check and listing approval, 2-3 weeks to launch a first class with 7-14 days of booking lead time, then 7-10 days after the class start date for the payout to land

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Earnings

Low

Under $400/month — the level Outschool's own handbook writes guidance for, and the default outcome when sections do not fill

Typical

$22-$30 per hour of class actually taught; roughly $28,000-$63,500/year for the middle 80% of Outschool teachers who work at it steadily

High

$60-$118 per hour of class taught for educators with consistently full sections or premium 1-on-1 tutoring, with a small number reporting about $10,000/month

Source: ziprecruiter.com · checked 2026-10-23
Corroborated by glassdoor.com

What it is

Marketplaces like Outschool, Wyzant and Preply let an individual list classes or tutoring slots for children and sell seats directly to parents. You write the class, set the price, and teach over video; the platform supplies the Zoom licence, payment processing, background check and the audience, then takes 20-30% of what the parent pays. Most people start on one platform in a subject they already know and add more as their calendar fills.

How it works

Pick the subject you can already teach

Platforms sell on specificity, not credentials. Outschool does not require a teaching degree, but it does require you to pass a background check and complete its professional-learning modules on class content, safety and privacy before you start.
Apply and clear the background check

Outschool says it replies to applications within a few days, then invites you to complete a background check and identity verification. Outschool pays all the associated fees. Applicants can submit up to 3 times if declined.
Build and list one class, then get the listing approved

The listing is reviewed separately from your application. Outschool's benchmark for group classes is $18-21 per learner per hour; 1-on-1 math and English tutoring has a $30/hour price floor.
Schedule with real lead time

Outschool's educator handbook suggests 7-14 days of lead time so families can find and book your section. Same-week sections rarely fill for a brand-new educator.
Teach the section and wait for payout

You are paid 70% of the class price multiplied by the number of enrolled learners. Fixed-duration classes pay out 7-10 days after the class start date.
Add sections and raise price once a class fills

Earnings scale with enrollments per section, not with hours taught, so a class that fills 10 seats pays five times one that fills 2 for the same hour of your time.
Diversify onto a second platform

Wyzant and Preply let you set your own hourly rate for 1-on-1 work, which smooths out the enrollment lottery of group classes. Each has its own fee and its own referral program.

What you need

A computer that can run Zoom, with a working camera and microphone
A reliable internet connection of 3 Mbps or faster, upload and download
Ability to pass a criminal background check and photo-ID verification (not available to applicants residing in Puerto Rico, Guam or other US territories)
A quiet, presentable room you can teach from on a fixed schedule
Genuine subject knowledge plus the ability to hold a group of children's attention over video
Willingness to treat unpaid prep, listing-writing and marketing as part of the job
A plan for self-employment tax — you are an independent contractor, not an employee

The gear

External USB webcam

Outschool's educator handbook notes webcams provide better video quality than almost any built-in laptop webcam. A built-in camera meets the minimum, but video quality visibly affects whether parents book a new educator from a class listing.

USB microphone or headset

The handbook states headphones or an external microphone will produce better quality sound than your computer's built-in microphone. Audio clarity matters more than video when a child is following instructions.

Document camera or second external webcam

Outschool publishes a guide specifically on using a second camera, for showing close-up work — handwriting out a maths problem, a science demo, a craft step — that a single face-on camera cannot.

Tripod or camera mount

Outschool's second-camera guide notes that if you choose an external webcam you'll likely want a tripod to stabilise it.

Ring light or softbox lighting

Outschool runs an educator session on dynamic media and lighting; even lighting on your face is the cheapest single upgrade to how professional a class listing video looks.

Drawing tablet with stylus

For annotating worksheets, diagrams and maths working live on a shared screen, which is awkward with a mouse.

Printed props, whiteboard or subject manipulatives

Holding young children's attention over video leans heavily on physical things to show, especially for under-10 age brackets.

The catch

You are not paid for your time, you are paid per enrolled learner — so an hour you prepped, listed and showed up for pays nothing if nobody books it, and the platform's 30% comes off the top of whatever does sell. The $22-30/hour figures above are per hour of class actually taught; they ignore the unpaid curriculum writing, listing copy, parent messages and self-marketing that make up most of the real workweek, so pay per hour genuinely worked is materially lower. Outschool's own educator handbook writes guidance for teachers earning under $400 a month, which tells you how common the empty-section outcome is, and the enrollments that do arrive follow the school calendar — summer and holiday troughs are real.

Where the work is

Outschool

Wyzant

Preply

italki

Varsity Tutors (Nerdy)

Every number on this page

20 facts, each with its source and the day it was checked.

Cost to an educator for Outschool's required background check and ID verification

$0 — Outschool pays all associated fees, regardless of region; checks renew yearly

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Time from a fixed-duration class's start date to the teacher's payout on Outschool

7-10 days after the class start date

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Estimated average pay for an Outschool teacher in the US

$22.40/hour, $46,590/year average; middle 80% between $28,000 and $63,500/year (page dated May 2026)

confidence: medium

Source: ziprecruiter.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's revenue split and the formula for a teacher's payout

Teacher keeps 70% of the class price; Outschool's take rate is 30%. Each section pays 0.7 x (class price x number of enrolled learners)

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's recommended price benchmark for group classes

$18-21 per learner, per hour spent in class

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool 1-on-1 tutoring price floor and the band where most enrollments happen

$30/hour minimum for math and English tutoring; a 2023 internal study found most enrollments at $45-$70/hour

confidence: medium

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

The earnings level Outschool's own educator handbook treats as a warning sign

Earning less than $400 per month signals untapped opportunities to grow — i.e. common enough to warrant guidance

confidence: medium

Source: outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Equipment and connection Outschool says a prospective educator needs

A working internet connection of 3 Mbps or faster and a computer that can run Zoom video conferencing

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

What Outschool's 30% fee covers, so the teacher does not pay for it

Zoom licensing, credit card fees, paid marketing of your classes and support

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's stated response time to a teacher application

You can expect to hear back within a few days; up to 3 submissions allowed if declined

confidence: high

Source: support.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Wyzant's platform fee and the tutor's share

Tutor retains 75% of their posted hourly rate; Wyzant retains a 25% platform fee. A separate 9% service fee is charged to the student on top

confidence: high

Source: support.wyzant.com · checked 2026-10-23

Reported pay for a Varsity Tutors tutor

Around $15/hour in most cases; most tutors report $15-$20/hour

confidence: low

Source: sidehusl.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's OUTreach referral reward for educators

$75 USD per qualifying new buyer; new buyer must complete a first live class within 30 days of registering

confidence: medium

Source: info.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's public affiliate commission on the Awin network

Up to 20% commission on all sales

confidence: medium

Source: ui.awin.com · checked 2026-10-23

italki's affiliate commission per referred student

At least $10 USD for every new student who makes a first purchase in italki Credits from your affiliate link; paid monthly via PayPal or Payoneer

confidence: high

Source: support.italki.com · checked 2026-10-23

Preply's referral reward for tutors

$25 per successful referral, paid into the tutor's Preply wallet 30 days after the invited person completes all required steps

confidence: medium

Source: help.preply.com · checked 2026-10-23

Preply's publisher affiliate payout on the Awin network (UK offer)

£15 for each new paying customer, 30-day cookie window

confidence: medium

Source: affiliateprogramsguru.com · checked 2026-10-23

Wyzant's published affiliate commission rate

8% of lessons completed; first-purchase structure, 30-day cookie, online leads excluded

confidence: medium

Source: flexoffers.com · checked 2026-10-23

Varsity Tutors' published affiliate commission rate

16% (memberships, default)

confidence: low

Source: flexoffers.com · checked 2026-10-23

Outschool's educator handbook estimate for time from approval to teaching a first class

2-3 weeks moving deliberately, with 7-14 days of scheduling lead time recommended so families can book

confidence: medium

Source: webflow.outschool.com · checked 2026-10-23

Researched 2026-10-23. Back to every hustle