The shift into the digital age has been revolutionary in the education field. The unfortunate truth of the upcoming school year is that there is a teacher shortage nationally in the United States. We as educators know that it’s not a true shortage. Qualified teachers are still out there, they are just leaving the brick-and-mortar classroom exponentially. So what does that mean for the future of educators and the future of the educational system? It means that more and more schools and teachers are learning about teaching online and implementing it as an alternative to in-person instruction, even post pandemic.
Teaching online with Outschool has changed my life and I have learned so much about being an independent contractor. If you want to learn more about why you should be your own boss with Outschool, check out my blog post here. Otherwise, here are my top 10 pros and cons of teaching online!
Pros of Teaching Online
1. Flexibility with class content
As an independent contractor, especially on platforms like Outschool, you get to pick whatever content you want to teach! This includes teaching any curriculum you choose. You are not siloed into teaching within your realm of expertise. You can choose to teach a course on how to bake a cupcake, the life cycle of a garden vegetable, or even run a social video game club. While there might be some required standards of instruction by the specific platform, the rules are laxer and provide you with more autonomy to do what you love and just teach!
2. Ability to work from home
Not only do you have the ability to work from home, but you can travel! The beautiful thing about teaching online is that most places have a decent internet speed, meaning you can be anywhere in the world and call it home. This is great for people who want to travel the world and make an income at the same time.
3. It’s cost-effective
There is no commitment to travel to a brick-and-mortar school, saving you time, money, and sanity. In addition to saving you money on gas and car insurance, you don’t have to spend your own money to decorate a classroom or buy school supplies for students. Most of my online teaching materials are less than a dollar from Teachers Pay Teachers or content that I’ve created using Canva Pro, which starts at just $0 for the first month!
4. You make a bigger global impact
Teaching online means that you are able to connect with students beyond your community. Depending on what topics you decide to teach, you can even teach students from different countries! Having a TEFL certification really opens up the doors for educators to teach online as independent contractors or work for international companies hiring ESL teachers!
5. Ability to make more money
This one is HUGE. Most online teachers are paid per class, per student. As an independent contractor, you set your own prices, meaning you can easily double your hourly rate compared to what you might have been making in the classroom. Not only can you make an hourly rate, but independent contractors often pursue additional ways to make income including starting a Teachers Pay Teachers store, creating a blog, offering courses on your specific expertise, and so much more!
Cons of Teaching Online
1. Student enrollment can be inconsistent
Unlike traditional schooling, teaching online can be inconsistent. Your specific class subject might not be as popular during certain times of the day and year. It’s also really easy for students taking online classes to just not show up to class.
How to combat this? It’s really important to understand your target market for your classes. Take time to research the market, and figure out what classes are popular and when. On Outschool, they do a great job at providing this research already on their insights page. Every two weeks, Outschool measures enrollment trends, topic requests, classes in demand, and more. I’d also recommend ensuring that you have a specific refund policy in place. Meaning if the student does not show up to class, you still get paid!
2. Early class hours
This one doesn’t apply to everyone, but it does apply to my fellow ESL teachers. Teaching international clients means that you’ll have to accommodate your schedule to their availability. Are you wanting to teach English to students in China but only have the availability when it’s 1:00 am Beijing Time? Unfortunately, class enrollment will be close to zero. For early risers, this might not be a con at all, but for night owls like myself, it’s a huge struggle.
How to combat this? One way to avoid the early morning hours is to create asynchronous courses. Asynchronous courses are classes that don’t have required live meetings. Your lecture or class content would be filmed via video, and all activities, notes, and materials would be sent directly to the students to complete on their own time.
3. Issues with technology
Listen, it happens to the best of us. Technology is our best friend and our worst enemy at times. Issues with technology can and will happen if you’re teaching online. Things like a dead computer, bad internet connection, storms, issues with third-party platforms are all typical issues online educators come across.
How to combat this? Ensure that the things you can control, are avoidable if possible! Make sure your laptop is charged, class content is prepared and saved in multiple locations, and hardwire into an internet router if possible. Being prepared and educated on the “what if” situations is extremely helpful. Know the platform you are teaching on like the back of your hand and ask questions to support or fellow teachers before class meeting time.
4. No employer-provided benefits
As an independent contractor, you will not receive a W-2 or W-4 tax form (if you’re in the United States). You are responsible for paying taxes instead of your employer taking them out each paycheck for you. Since you are not employed, you also will not receive any health insurance benefits from an employer.
How to combat this? This can be really scary for a lot of people. Most employers do all the hard work for you and build benefits into your pay scale. It’s not impossible to do these things, but as an employee, you have just never had to do it before! First, I would recommend meeting with a financial planner and tax expert. They can help you set up a budget, tell you exactly how much you need to set aside for taxes, and help you kick-start your online business. For health insurance, the Health Insurance Marketplace offers specific plans for self-employed people and independent contractors.
5. It can be difficult to be inclusive for all students
This is a tough reality, but a lot of teachers struggle with making sure content is accessible for all types of learners, including those who might have IEPs or come from unstable households. Not all students have the access to safe quiet spaces in their homes or might even have to share devices with siblings and parents.
How to combat this? For all students, it is important to take into consideration the Universal Design for Learning when structuring your online classroom. If you don’t know what UDL is, you can check out a great article HERE that dives deeper into UDL, curriculum design, and instructing in the classroom. Another suggestion is to schedule online office hours for students who might need additional assistance, create assignments based on real-world experiences, and ensure your classroom learning tools are accessible for all learners.