In recent years, online tutoring has emerged as a lucrative means for teachers in Kenya to earn extra income. One such success story is that of Daniel Otieno, an experienced online tutor who generously shares the intricacies of his journey in this article.
Among the plethora of online tutoring platforms available, Daniel has found his niche on Italki.com. According to him, he prefers the platform due to its minimal enrolment requirements and subject diversity.
The 24-year-old Maseno University graduate teaches English, Swahili, and Dholuo. Between June 2021 and October 2022, Daniel made over $ 1700 (Ksh230,000) over 179 lessons on the platform.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Eligibility
Italki offers two pathways for aspiring tutors. One can be a community tutor or a professional teacher. As a community tutor, you don’t need any certification to teach as long as you are a native of the language you are teaching or have at least level C competency in that language.
However, as a professional teacher, you’ll need proof of certification showing that you are competent to teach that language. Professional teachers can charge higher rates, with some making over $80 per lesson. Italki has more than 150 languages that you can teach.
According to Daniel, Italki gives one the freedom to set up and schedule their classes depending on one’s availability. The client will pick you if they are comfortable with your subject and schedules.
You also have the autonomy to create your own curriculum and determine how much you want to get paid.
How to register
The first step to becoming an Italki tutor is to log into Italki.com. Once there, you’ll be required to upload an introductory video. This is a video recording of yourself stating the languages you teach, your teaching methods, and why students should hire you.
Your next step will be to create your own curriculum, based on the language you are teaching and the students’ needs. This is because you’ll not be teaching groups of students. Rather, you’ll be teaching one student at a time.
You can expect different types of students, such as University students, or those who just want conversational practice.
Finally, you’ll need to set up your profile, which includes your name, ID, and a clear selfie of yourself.
Once you submit your application, Italki will go through it, and then if they’re satisfied with you, they will invite you to become a teacher. However, new tutors are required to undergo some training on how the platform Works.
Once approved, you can customize your name and set up a bio that explains everything about yourself that will attract students to you.
You can talk about the languages you teach, your hobbies, and pricing. You can also include other professional qualifications you may have. For instance, if you are an accountant, you can mention that.
Time differences
As an online tutor, you’ll need to be cognizant of the time differences between your time zones and that of your students. So, if you’re in Kenya, and your students are in Germany, you might have to avail yourself very early in the morning or late at night when most students are likely to be available.
On Italki, you can teach as much as you want depending on your schedule. However, tutors with higher availability typically get more students.
You can teach from anywhere, anytime, as long as you have a computer/smartphone, a headset, and an internet connection.
Payment
Regarding payment, Italki conveniently offers payment through PayPal, from which Kenyan tutors can receive payments via Mpesa.
Daniel says his target this year is to teach five to ten classes a week. He says the platform offers Kenyan tutors an excellent opportunity to teach various languages beyond just English, making it ideal for tutors who may lack formal teaching qualifications.
Apart from Italki, platforms like Talker.com, Preply, Tutor ABC, and cooley.com present unique opportunities to expand one’s teaching portfolio and cater to a diverse range of subjects and interests.
