From the Email Bag -- Online Teachers and Tutors Still in Demand

Christine Durst and Michael Haaren
Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I've been a public school teacher for five years, and just got laid off. I'm expecting our first child soon, and I'd like to work from home now if I can. Are there any online jobs for teachers or tutors? —Jenny in Portland, Ore.

Dear Jenny: You may not have been lucky when they laid you off, but your timing is good where online education is concerned. We're seeing more and more online teaching and tutoring jobs, led in part by higher education's growing shift toward MOOCs — massive open online courses.

Among the employers of online teachers, Connections Academy often hires home-based K-12 teachers and occasionally tutors, too. As we write, they seek a music adjunct teacher in Oregon, for example, and a part-time English tutor, with no state restriction.
Updated: Mon Jan 26, 2015

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I've been a public school teacher for five years, and just got laid off. I'm expecting our first child soon, and I'd like to work from home now if I can. Are there any online jobs for teachers or tutors? —Jenny in Portland, Ore.

Dear Jenny: You may not have been lucky when they laid you off, but your timing is good where online education is concerned. We're seeing more and more online teaching and tutoring jobs, led in part by higher education's growing shift toward MOOCs — massive open online courses.

Among the employers of online teachers, Connections Academy often hires home-based K-12 teachers and occasionally tutors, too. As we write, they seek a music adjunct teacher in Oregon, for example, and a part-time English tutor, with no state restriction.

To give you a sense of what they're after, here's an excerpt from their tutor job description: "Working out of their home, the LiveTutor will 'virtually' manage a synchronous virtual classroom accessed by pre-screened students from Connections Education schools across the country. The virtual Live Tutor 'classroom' will operate every evening through 6:00 pm eastern time and will cater to students seeking assistance in English and Literature courses in grades 6-12."

If you're interested in the tutor post, however, don't tarry. It begins the first week of February, and the job will probably fill quickly. For details on this and other Connections Academy slots, go to http://www.connectionsacademy.com/careers/home.aspx.

Elsewhere, Middlebury Interactive Languages recently advertised for online teachers of Spanish, French, German, Latin and Chinese. For more, go to http://www.middleburyinteractive.com and click on "Careers" at the bottom of the page.

Tutor.com also hires home-based tutors in the U.S. and Canada. Per their site, you must "possess strong content knowledge in English, math, science, or social studies at the level you wish to tutor — our service covers elementary grade through first year college." For more, go to http://www.tutor.com/apply.

Dear Rat Race Rebellion: I often see home-based customer service jobs on your site, but it seems like they often don't hire in my state, California. Why is that? —Todd in Sacramento, Cal.

Dear Todd: Companies sometimes exclude applicants from certain states due to tax reasons or the location of their training facilities or company offices. Other times, the preferences or needs of the company's clients may dictate applicant locations.

But don't let it get you down. We've identified over 85 companies that hire home-based customer service agents often with no state restriction. Thousands of virtual jobs and freelance projects in other career categories also have no state limitation.

Just job-hunt diligently, use reliable sources, and don't forget to keep your scam radar on.