Become a Tutor South Africa

Have you ever just wanted to pack your bags and leave for somewhere you've never been before?

But unfortunately, you haven't had the opportunity to follow your dreams and set sail.

Today, this article will help you discover a way you can travel the world while making money and live the life you have always dreamed about.

Top 5 Reasons to Become a Tutor

Did you know there is a career path you can follow that allows you to work for yourself, get paid and work wherever you are?

One of the best ways to work and get paid while you travel is by tutoring.

Tutoring is a form of academic support for students and adults that can be given in-person or online.

Let's get into more detail about tutoring and why this might be the perfect opportunity for you to pursue your ambitions.

If you are a private tutor you have the opportunity to work independently. Being self-employed hosts a variety of benefits including:

1. You are able to determine your own schedule. This means you will have more freedom and your time will be flexible and you are able to choose when you work and when you are able to do leisure activities. This is especially ideal if you would like to travel. Finding the perfect work-life balance is 100% achievable when you are a tutor.
2. Determine your own income. Control the amount of money you generate by choosing your hourly rate given your experience and how much you need to cover all your expenses.
3. Helps you develop certain qualities. When you are a tutor it will help you gain and reinforce certain qualities, like leadership for example. Being a tutor requires a person to have certain skills in order to give their student the best experience possible. Some of these skills include: patience, communication, organisational skills, empathy and motivation. If you are worried that you lack some of these qualities, don't worry, you will most definitely have the opportunity to develop them.
4. Do what you love every day. When teaching about one or more subjects that you love it will radiate motivation and enthusiasm to your students. Besides that, it will be fulfilling for you too and make you happy.
5. You can give all or most of your lessons online. If you would like to travel the world you will need a job that allows you as much flexibility as possible, that means having a job online and which you can do anywhere in the world. With tutoring you can give all your classes online or if you are based somewhere for a an extended period you can also give some lessons in-person. Giving classes in-person will allow you to have a more personal experience and learn more about the culture of the people of the place you are staying.

Did you know there are around 35 million digital nomads around the world?

What is a digital nomad you might ask? We'll get into that subject a little later in this article so keep on reading if you would like to know more.

Can I Become a Tutor With No Experience?

Do you have a lot of knowledge, experience or qualification in a certain subject?

You will be delighted to discover that you can become a tutor without any tutoring or teaching experience.

Here are a few things that are required of you to become a tutor online:

Have Deep Knowledge About The Subject You Would Like to Teach

Showcasing your expertise is a key element to being a successful tutor. Whether you have a degree or not, if you have deep understanding of a certain topic you will be able to tutor.

Here is an example: Let's say your first language is English but you have no qualification or experience in that subject. Being a native speaker is already a winning element in order for you to provide value to a student who speaks little to no English.

Relevant Experience Counts

The more experience you have in the topic you would like to teach the more likely you will beat your competitors. Any teaching experience you have built up even if it wasn't in the subject you are going to teach can also count in your favour.

Keeping students' attention is key as well as showing that you can explain ideas effectively and clearly. So any experience that show you can carry over information and keep your students engaged is valuable to add to your list of experiences.

Why Get a Qualification?

Any certification, diploma or degree can go a long way in proving your knowledge about a subject. There are many resources that offer free or affordable online courses like Udemy. Although most of these courses are unaccredited the fact that you have a certification will still show students that you have the knowledge to teach that subject.

Although having a qualification isn't essential for becoming a tutor, it does have an impact on how much money you could make tutoring while you see the world. In the next section to follow we look at how much money you can make when you are a tutor.

How Much Can You Charge For Tutoring?

The average salary paid to an online tutor is around R300 - R350 an hour. The amount you can charge per hour typically depends on your level of expertise as well as how much experience you have.

Some online tutoring jobs can pay as low as R100 per hour whereas others can pay as high as R500. The subject that you will be teaching also has a big impact on your earning range.

Here are three factors that influence how much you can earn:

• The time you spend tutoring
• Where you find new students
• The subjects you teach.

When you work 40 - 50 hours monthly the average salary you can expect to earn is around R25 000.

Another thing that will help you beat your competitors is ease of payment. If your students can easily pay you from any country in whichever currency they would rather select you than someone else not giving that option. Some great platforms to consider for this are Wise (previously called TransferWise) and PayPal.

Wise and PayPal both allow for international payments and money transfers, however both have associated fees, so be sure to do your research.

It is also important to note that the only bank in South Africa that can be connected to the Paypal platform is First National Bank.

Before you jump on the plane remember to set up your profile on your platform of choice, so that you don't have to worry about these types of administration tasks and you can just teach and enjoy your travels.

As mentioned before, the best way to increase your hourly rate is by gaining experience. Motivate your existing students to share their experience with you by writing reviews on a relevant platform for others to see. Reviews are a great way for you to get new students because it shows them what you are capable of helping them with.

The Digital Nomad Life

A digital nomad is someone who travels from one place to another whilst working remotely.

Here are some exciting facts and statistics about the digital nomad journey:

• 70% of digital nomads work 40 hours or less per week while travelling
• The average salary of individuals who travel while they work is around R1 800 000 per year
• They have the freedom to work in any setting: their apartments, in cafés or even in co-working spaces
• There has been a 37% increase in digital nomads since 2022
• 49% of remote workers earn more travelling than being permanently employed

Due to the above statistics, people that are self-employed and travel while they work have a better work-life balance than those that find themselves in a traditional job.

Online tutoring platforms are a great place for you to sign up and start marketing yourself. At Superprof for example, you can sign up for free and determine your own fees and schedule.

Are you ready to put on your travelling pants?

It's time to pack your bags and laptop and see the world!