Part of finding your spot in the world might require you to find ways to earn some income. Moving to a new country for example where you don´t know the language straight away might pose some challenges.
So in this article, I want to talk about one way of supplementing your income while you settle in or if you simply want to be more financially stable while transitioning into that dream spot.
One great way of getting little income is online teaching. Teaching online can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging.
Teaching online is great for freelancers, digital nomads and/or simply as a great side income. In this article, we’re going to outline some tips on how to find your spot as an online teacher.
How to become an online teacher
First of all, make sure you have a passion for the subject matter you’re teaching. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, your students will sense it soon enough.
Secondly, make sure you have a strong online presence. Creating a website and posting engaging content is key in establishing yourself as an authority on your topic.
Youtube is of course one place to post educational short videos (Youtube and TikTok can be a great places to promote your content), but ideally, you´ll want long form courses and if possible, subscriptions to support your career as an online teacher.
One way of achieving all of this is by building a website. Websites will give you the tools to do incredible things, not to mention the freedom to do whatever you want for your community.
But don´t worry, if you´re not up for building a website, I´ll also talk about learning platforms that have taken out all of the guess work and I´ll dive into platforms that give you the chance to teach live as a freelancer/full time teacher.
So, lets dive into the article and see what is needed to become an awesome online teacher.
What should I teach?
You can teach just about anything, your imagination is the limit. Even if it sounds silly, there is always someone who likes the subject and wants to learn more. I´ll give you some examples of what you could teach;
Dungeons and Dragons 5e (yes, I´m a nerd and proud of it)
- Sub niches could be; how to create the perfect barbarian.
Brewing beer/cider/mead
- sub niches could be; how to make a perfect NEIPA.
Barbecuing
- Sub niche could be; how to BBQ salmon.
Point being, nothing is silly in this world. There is always someone who wants to learn what you have to offer and sometimes, it´s even good to be in the sub niches, dive deep into something as teaching something in general often doesn´t give you the opportunity to to get into the nitty-gritty.
So, what equipment do I need?
It is important you have the right equipment, so before we go into all the ways to publish your courses, lets talk about some groundwork you´ll have to do before all of that.
But first, before we dive into the equipment, I would recommend you Udemy to find classes for what ever software/euqipment you want to master here below.
If you´re starting from scratch, this can cost a bit. My advice is to not buy equipment that you´ll have to upgrade in a year or two. Buying low grade equipment/software can hurt you in the long run.
Here below, I´ve listed the main items you´ll need to make this happen. I´ve also linked to some product suggestions to make this easier for you.
1. Computer with a high-speed Internet connection, especially if you plan on live online teaching and please remember to stay safe if you plan on creating and/or teaching online in public places like coffee houses, please use VPN and most of all, backup your work.
2. Cameras or camera recorders are of course what you would want for this, but to begin with, you can start with webcam and a microphone. You can also use your smartphone for video recording, if you do, make sure you have a smartphone stand.
3. Lighting is also very important, so consider investing in light rings or some sort of lighting.
3. You’ll also need software that can help you create and deliver your lessons. Some popular programs include Adobe Connect, Adobe Premier and Canva. Sharing your screen can also be important, Filmora Screen is one of the best solutions.
4. Stock image/videos to spice up your courses, Pixabay and Pexels are a great places to get all of that free copyright free content for your courses.
You’ll also need to get familiar with online tools that are specific to your online course. For example, Google Docs and Dropbox for students to share their work. You might have other needs, such as whiteboard access or a video conferencing system if you plan on teaching live or have live events.
Tools for video conference would be;
1. Discord (though this might be a bit rough around the edges, it´s free and a fantastic platform).
3. Teams
4. Zoom
It goes without saying, but make sure you choose a good place to create your videos. Try and have the environment calm and cozy.
This might be a bit of cheating, it´s still a great tool to help you get over bad writers block. This awesome tool is called Wordhero, it´s an AI with over 60 tools that can help you come up with titles for your courses, suggestions for new courses, write content and much more. This tool is absolutely amazing and is getting better every day.
And last but not least, technically you don´t even have to talk yourself in the videos. We live in an age where AI is getting so good that you can have it read the text for you. A really good service which I use myself is Play Ht. It comes with loads of voices, men, children or women. You can even choose if the voices are cheerful, angry or what ever you want. Here below you can listen to an example;
Create a Course Plan
In order to create an online class that is effective and polished, it’s important to set time aside for both the initial creation process and the editing process.
Most important of this all is to do your research, do your do diligent and take time to craft the best content out there, backed up by solid facts and/or whatever is called for to create a 5 star content. Believe me, it´ll be worth it when you start seeing all those 5 star ratings flowing in, not to mention people buying your courses more due to the hard work you put into it.
Dedicating specific blocks of time for each task will help ensure that the class is well put together and meets all standards. Additionally, taking breaks between tasks can help refresh the mind, preventing burnout.
Great tools to help out with the planing would be, Airtable and Mindmaster.
Now we can move on to the many ways you can get your courses out into the world for your students to enjoy.
Creating a website for a learning platform
To focus this a bit and make this simple as there is allot more to talk about in this arena, I am going to talk about one specific platform, or WordPress, don´t worry, NO need for coding, it´s all visual.
WordPress is free and open source software released under the GPL (General Public License) used by millions of people around the globe, including many large organizations, such as The Guardian, Forbes, and The New York Times. It is also used by small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individual bloggers.
WordPress comes with tons of guides, so you won´t have any problems learning how to use it.
Now, as we´ve chosen the CMS, you have to find that elusive domain for your website. This can be a bit challenging, but the rule is, no more than 15 letters in the name, otherwise it gets too complicated and people are more likely to avoid your website. Keep it as short, simple and too the point.
WordPress hosting
There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind here. First, you’ll need to make sure the host supports WordPress. Second, you’ll want to make sure the host has good customer support. If you have any problems with your website, you’ll want to be able to get help from the hosting company quickly. Lastly, you’ll want to make sure the host has reliable performance.
Bluehost is a web hosting company that was founded in 2003. It is one of the largest web hosting companies in the world, and it is headquartered in Utah. Bluehost specializes in WordPress hosting. They offer a one-click installation of WordPress, making it easy for anyone to get started. Bluehost also offers a wide variety of themes and plugins to choose from, making it easy to customize your website. They are also one of the only hosts that offer a free domain name when you sign up for their service.
Inmotion hosting is a web hosting company that was founded in 2001. They are one of the most popular web hosts and have received numerous awards, including the best web host award from HostingAdvice. Inmotion offers a wide variety of services, including WordPress hosting.
Inmotion offers two WordPress hosting plans: Launch and Pro. The Launch plan is perfect for small businesses or bloggers who are just starting out. It includes unlimited storage space and bandwidth, a free domain name registration, and a free SSL certificate.
PersonalWP is a new hosting service, created in 2019 specifically for WordPress hosting. All the hosting is in Britain and though PersonalWP might be new, it´s built on true and tested foundations with allot of expertise behind it, dating all the way to 1996. PersonalWP offers some great hosting plans that rival the big hosting companies in cost and quality, including built in separated email service that comes with your hosting without any extra fee.
Now you should have some idea of hosting that´s right for you, I want to recommend a theme for your website that I use personally to build all my projects. The theme is called Divi and it´s simply amazing! It comes with loads of pre-built templates that makes building your website incredible easy!
For additional tools for your website, I highly recommend Envato Market (has loads of themes, plugins, video, audio, graphics and more) and Appsumo (Appsumo does though offer allot of great tools for so much more than just WordPress).
Online learning platforms
Now, if building your own website seems too daunting, then I highly recommend you take a look at these learning platforms. They all make it super easy for you to build your courses. You´ll have access to training material on how to get going, so get your material together and have a look at these websites.
Teachable is an online learning platform that allows anyone to create and sell online courses. The platform has been used by over 250,000 instructors to create and sell more than 10 million courses. The teachers can charge an enrollment fee (which is refundable if the course does not meet the minimum number of enrollments) which they use to cover their expenses.
Mightynetworks, founded in 2017, has been designed to help content creators and businesses build online communities through member subscriptions. It utilizes three features, including a website builder, a membership tool, and an online course platform, to create online spaces for members. Members can select from templates to build their websites, then create subscription tiers for access to member content.
Podia is a website that allows users to create and sell online courses, but not only that, you can also sell digital products, and host communities. The site is simple to use and has a variety of features that make it perfect for anyone looking to create an online course. With Podia, users can create custom landing pages, accept payments, and track student progress.
Skillshare is a social networking site that allows users to share their skills with other members of the site. The site has a variety of categories, including art, business, cooking, design, education, and health and fitness. Users can watch videos or read articles on the site to learn new skills, or they can post their own videos or articles to teach others. Skillshare also offers online courses that users can enroll in to learn more in-depth skills.
Udemy is a site that allows anyone to become a teacher. If you have knowledge in a particular topic, you can create a course and offer it to the public. Udemy takes a commission on each sale, so there is an incentive to create high-quality courses. The site has been growing rapidly, and there are now tens of thousands of courses available.
What if I want to teach live and/or tailored for each occasion?
Finally, and this is the 3rd option. If you´re not up for setting up your own website or you don´t want to create courses, there is an alternative.
Fiverr has long since established itself as a huge player in this arena. You can set up a gig (offer a service) where you teach people some trade, help them achieve something or whatever your niche is about.
Now, it is worth mentioning that Fiverr also offers a host of other services that could help you set up your own website and/or help you create your courses. There are people on Fiverr who can help you write scripts for your courses, edit them, create intros and outros, whatever you need to get your course out there.
Upwork is a website that connects freelancers with people who need work done. It’s a great resource for finding people to do specific tasks, or for finding a long-term freelance partner. The website has an extensive database of freelancers, and you can easily search by skills, location, and budget. You can also read reviews from previous clients to get an idea of the quality of work they provide.
Here you can sign up and offer your services to teach and/or you can, like on Fiverr, find help to set up your own website, create courses and so on.
So, becoming an online teacher…
Becoming an online teacher can be challenging work, especially if you are thinking of doing live online teaching as that is the most time-consuming aspect of online teaching.
It can though be most rewarding as you´re bonding with your students, giving them part of your time to help them study and perhaps, opening up new opportunities for your students.
On the other hand, creating courses and automating the process so you can focus more on creating content can also be rewarding once you see those courses flying out, not to mention, generating little bit of passive income as you go.
If you´re lucky enough, you might just catch a glimpse of those rewards through reviews, nothing more heartwarming than your students sharing their success because of your hard work.
So, if you´re a teacher at heart, I whole-hardheartedly recommend this. It´s incredibly rewarding, fun and you´re giving someone a new talent that could be a start of a new career for that person, now isn´t that a beautiful thought.
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