RETIRED HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHER

[beres8011]

I am currently working for three tutoring companies and can tutor about twelve students in one week. I would like ideas as to how to develop this side hustle into a passive income business model. I am especially interested in the role the artificial intelligence could play in the new venture.

 

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[basuragone]

I am currently working for three tutoring companies and can tutor about twelve students in one week. I would like ideas as to how to develop this side hustle into a passive income business model. I am especially interested in the role the artificial intelligence could play in the new venture.

Hello beres8011,

I'm new here, too. Perhaps you need to find ways to "divorce time from your income" so that you could generate revenue while you're sleeping and not actively teaching. Grow your own "money seedling" rather than helping the owner of other tutor companies grow theirs.

Think...how can you leverage your teaching mojo to establish your own online tutoring company rather than working for one? You must have fairly good ideas on how to vet out good vs bad teachers. Perhaps you could leverage that experience to hire English-speaking tutors from abroad on the cheap (e.g., $8/hour), and market their service to customers that could pay a lot more (e.g., $50/hr) than what you're paying your tutors. Might you know ESL teachers in your community who know agencies with kids that need help with English, for instance? Maybe form a partnership with those agencies/non profits to build up a customer base/testimonials at the beginning.

In other words, be a business owner of tutors rather than a tutor yourself. Once it is set up, while you're sleeping, your tutor from say, the Philippines could be helping a kid in Japan with her English lesson. When you wake up, the profit generated would go into your pocket. It's not an earthshaking idea, and really along the lines of one of many things that MJ mentioned in the Fastlane book. Hope this helps you churn some ideas.

RE: your specific question on the use of AI, perhaps you could sign up for ChatGPT, and use it for ideation. A few questions I could come up with would be:

A. What are the top five non profits in (insert country name) that help ESL students learn English. You could use this info to source prospective collaborators.
B. What are the top five private tutor companies in (insert subject matter). You could use the answer to gauge/vet our your prospective competitors.
C. What are the biggest hurdles that students face with online learning? This could help you develop value proposition that differentiate your biz from others, thereby allowing you to charge premium rates and be best-in-class.
D. What are the biggest challenges that parents report re: their children's online tutors? This could help you come out with pain points to solve for your own Better Tutoring company.
E. What is the current landscape for online tutoring service that caters to homeschooled children and their parents? Perhaps you could help give the homeschool parents a break by setting up weekly or monthly "check in" live chat session (for a premium rate), or self publish books/brochures on that topic that could be sold on your own website.

I have high respect for educators in general and have benefited greatly from a few outstanding teachers in the public middle school and high school I have attended.

 

[FierceRacoon]

Start your own tutoring company.

 

[beres8011]

Hello beres8011,

I'm new here, too. Perhaps you need to find ways to "divorce time from your income" so that you could generate revenue while you're sleeping and not actively teaching. Grow your own "money seedling" rather than helping the owner of other tutor companies grow theirs.

Think...how can you leverage your teaching mojo to establish your own online tutoring company rather than working for one? You must have fairly good ideas on how to vet out good vs bad teachers. Perhaps you could leverage that experience to hire English-speaking tutors from abroad on the cheap (e.g., $8/hour), and market their service to customers that could pay a lot more (e.g., $50/hr) than what you're paying your tutors. Might you know ESL teachers in your community who know agencies with kids that need help with English, for instance? Maybe form a partnership with those agencies/non profits to build up a customer base/testimonials at the beginning.

In other words, be a business owner of tutors rather than a tutor yourself. Once it is set up, while you're sleeping, your tutor from say, the Philippines could be helping a kid in Japan with her English lesson. When you wake up, the profit generated would go into your pocket. It's not an earthshaking idea, and really along the lines of one of many things that MJ mentioned in the Fastlane book. Hope this helps you churn some ideas.

RE: your specific question on the use of AI, perhaps you could sign up for ChatGPT, and use it for ideation. A few questions I could come up with would be:

A. What are the top five non profits in (insert country name) that help ESL students learn English. You could use this info to source prospective collaborators.
B. What are the top five private tutor companies in (insert subject matter). You could use the answer to gauge/vet our your prospective competitors.
C. What are the biggest hurdles that students face with online learning? This could help you develop value proposition that differentiate your biz from others, thereby allowing you to charge premium rates and be best-in-class.
D. What are the biggest challenges that parents report re: their children's online tutors? This could help you come out with pain points to solve for your own Better Tutoring company.
E. What is the current landscape for online tutoring service that caters to homeschooled children and their parents? Perhaps you could help give the homeschool parents a break by setting up weekly or monthly "check in" live chat session (for a premium rate), or self publish books/brochures on that topic that could be sold on your own website.

I have high respect for educators in general and have benefited greatly from a few outstanding teachers in the public middle school and high school I have attended.

 

[beres8011]

Hello beres8011,

I'm new here, too. Perhaps you need to find ways to "divorce time from your income" so that you could generate revenue while you're sleeping and not actively teaching. Grow your own "money seedling" rather than helping the owner of other tutor companies grow theirs.

Think...how can you leverage your teaching mojo to establish your own online tutoring company rather than working for one? You must have fairly good ideas on how to vet out good vs bad teachers. Perhaps you could leverage that experience to hire English-speaking tutors from abroad on the cheap (e.g., $8/hour), and market their service to customers that could pay a lot more (e.g., $50/hr) than what you're paying your tutors. Might you know ESL teachers in your community who know agencies with kids that need help with English, for instance? Maybe form a partnership with those agencies/non profits to build up a customer base/testimonials at the beginning.

In other words, be a business owner of tutors rather than a tutor yourself. Once it is set up, while you're sleeping, your tutor from say, the Philippines could be helping a kid in Japan with her English lesson. When you wake up, the profit generated would go into your pocket. It's not an earthshaking idea, and really along the lines of one of many things that MJ mentioned in the Fastlane book. Hope this helps you churn some ideas.

RE: your specific question on the use of AI, perhaps you could sign up for ChatGPT, and use it for ideation. A few questions I could come up with would be:

A. What are the top five non profits in (insert country name) that help ESL students learn English. You could use this info to source prospective collaborators.
B. What are the top five private tutor companies in (insert subject matter). You could use the answer to gauge/vet our your prospective competitors.
C. What are the biggest hurdles that students face with online learning? This could help you develop value proposition that differentiate your biz from others, thereby allowing you to charge premium rates and be best-in-class.
D. What are the biggest challenges that parents report re: their children's online tutors? This could help you come out with pain points to solve for your own Better Tutoring company.
E. What is the current landscape for online tutoring service that caters to homeschooled children and their parents? Perhaps you could help give the homeschool parents a break by setting up weekly or monthly "check in" live chat session (for a premium rate), or self publish books/brochures on that topic that could be sold on your own website.

I have high respect for educators in general and have benefited greatly from a few outstanding teachers in the public middle school and high school I have attended.

Good Morning Thanks for the long reply. Let me consider your points and get back to you.

 

[pickeringmt]

If you see repetition in your tutoring you could create recorded lessons and sell video courses. Save your clients money and your time

 

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[Runum]

If you see repetition in your tutoring you could create recorded lessons and sell video courses. Save your clients money and your time

I am retired a retired science and math teacher also, but 5th grade level. I am not sure how many years you taught before retiring but if you had more than one or two you will see the student's deficits and questions as soon as they start working in math. In science it was more about correcting misconceptions and linking different disciplines together.

Recording you lessons would be arduous on the first cycle but could ultimately pay off. However, you would have to recreate the recordings if the state standards change. Good luck.

 

[Private Witt]

Former teacher who ended up working in international schools in Latin America and Asia. I have a few friends who left well paying teacher jobs in Taiwan and started tutoring businesses in that country as so lucrative and so many students to land. There could be a market to create products to support those types of teachers abroad.

I can't remember the name but there is a poster with a thread who was scaling tutoring services abroad, probably could find it through a search.

As a retired teacher you have an advantage with a pension, time and a safety net, good luck with your journey!

 

[beres8011]

Good Morning Thanks for the long reply. Let me consider your points and get back to you.

I have considered this business model. The model is viable but I would like to focus on a specific part of it before proceeding.
When I tutor a student, I interface with them by asking them to complete practice tests. We both make a list of topics on the practice test that are not clear and I send selected videos and written materials , a recording of our session and open a class for them which contains flashcards. Can this interface between student and teacher(tutor) be improved by using current technology? If I can integrate the technology and improved method into my routine, I can then start to wean myself away from the "trading my time for money model" I will own the improved method and proceed from that point.

I am trying not to ramble. I am just trying to wrap my head around this goal and trying to lay out a pathway to achieve it.

 

[basuragone]

I have considered this business model. The model is viable but I would like to focus on a specific part of it before proceeding.
When I tutor a student, I interface with them by asking them to complete practice tests. We both make a list of topics on the practice test that are not clear and I send selected videos and written materials , a recording of our session and open a class for them which contains flashcards. Can this interface between student and teacher(tutor) be improved by using current technology? If I can integrate the technology and improved method into my routine, I can then start to wean myself away from the "trading my time for money model" I will own the improved method and proceed from that point.

I am trying not to ramble. I am just trying to wrap my head around this goal and trying to lay out a pathway to achieve it.

Hi Beres,

My first question is what specifically about the way you've been interfacing with students that you want to optimize w/ technology. Is it too slow/cumbersome/distracting to toggle between one screen (camera on you) to student to white board to external references (e.g., URL) that you direct them to as aids? Or is there some aspect of the exchange that you wish to automate? Perhaps more importantly, what have your students told you were difficult/annoying/confusing re: the way things have been run? Are there common themes to the challenges they've reported? Pain points represent business opportunities, and prospective value proposition that differentiates your biz from others.

I'm unsure of how the direct interaction you have w/ the kids could be automated (and scaled) since that involves your direct commitment and time (unless you record and catalog the recorded sessions and create a separate channel for revenue (maybe for kids/families who can't afford to hire you/your tutors for a live session).

A quick search in this area yielded a few items that might be of interest to you (for reference/ideation/tool usage/scouting out competition from what already exists):

Google Classroom

Become a successful online educator using the Google Classroom learning management system for Google Apps for Education

www.udemy.com

Whiteboard.fi - Free online whiteboard for teachers and classrooms

Whiteboard.fi is an instant formative assessment tool for your classroom, providing you with live feedback and immediate overview over your students.

whiteboard.fi

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOae5nYA7VqaXzerajD0lg

(Videos from Ali Abdaal (he's a young dude that started out as a med school student, ended up quitting as a doctor to pursue teaching on his YT channel full time (which has over 4 million followers BTW). I suggested him b/c you could try to search what tools he uses for his paid course. Essentially 90% of his offering is free but there's a Part time YT Academy that he runs. Since he has a team of ~20 people supporting his channel, I thought maybe you could see what his team ended up using for his academy.)

Hope some of this helps churn up some ideas. If I come across anything else, I'll send your way. I'd be interested in learning what aspect of your teaching you'd like to refine using AI or other tech. Also, what age group and/or subject matter you intend to target and why.

Ciao for now!

 

[mamamargaux]

Hi @beres8011 ! I can relate to you as I used to be a tutor, I tutored in English and Literature. The comments on setting up your own tutorial company and hire teachers from other countries is a good source of passive income but only after investing in training, software, marketing, etc. In my opinion, you can always group your tutees by grade level and comprehension level so it will be not as repetitive for you in tutoring them. Maybe charge a bit more for those that require one on one sessions. You can also do the Youtube video comments for general topics so it can be more convenient for you. Another idea is a summer enrichment program for students to learn the topics before they start the school year. My mom enrolled me in this before my Junior year and I breezed through Geometry. I think in this profession, your personalized expertise is needed.

 

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[basuragone]

Hi @beres8011 ! I can relate to you as I used to be a tutor, I tutored in English and Literature. The comments on setting up your own tutorial company and hire teachers from other countries is a good source of passive income but only after investing in training, software, marketing, etc. In my opinion, you can always group your tutees by grade level and comprehension level so it will be not as repetitive for you in tutoring them. Maybe charge a bit more for those that require one on one sessions. You can also do the Youtube video comments for general topics so it can be more convenient for you. Another idea is a summer enrichment program for students to learn the topics before they start the school year. My mom enrolled me in this before my Junior year and I breezed through Geometry. I think in this profession, your personalized expertise is needed.

One needs to invest in training, software, marketing, etc for any business venture that provides value and solves a pain point. You might as well invest on something that is scalable (could be automated) from the start. Irrespective of how the students are grouped, so long as your income is tied to the amount of time you have to do the tutoring personally, you're limited b/c you only have 24 hrs a day. If you invest in producing training materials, recorded videos, etc (whose initially production could also be at least partially outsourced overseas), then sell those to tens of thousands of customers around the world, the initial investment of time now reaps financial rewards in ways that no amount of personal live tutoring sessions (with individuals or groups) or summer enrichment program could come close to achieving. Just my two cents. I find this tool useful to vet out whether an idea is a side hustle vs Fastlane business: Grade My Business Idea: Business Ideas and Opportunities Rated Fast

 

[beres8011]

Hi Beres,

My first question is what specifically about the way you've been interfacing with students that you want to optimize w/ technology. Is it too slow/cumbersome/distracting to toggle between one screen (camera on you) to student to white board to external references (e.g., URL) that you direct them to as aids? Or is there some aspect of the exchange that you wish to automate? Perhaps more importantly, what have your students told you were difficult/annoying/confusing re: the way things have been run? Are there common themes to the challenges they've reported? Pain points represent business opportunities, and prospective value proposition that differentiates your biz from others.

I'm unsure of how the direct interaction you have w/ the kids could be automated (and scaled) since that involves your direct commitment and time (unless you record and catalog the recorded sessions and create a separate channel for revenue (maybe for kids/families who can't afford to hire you/your tutors for a live session).

A quick search in this area yielded a few items that might be of interest to you (for reference/ideation/tool usage/scouting out competition from what already exists):

Google Classroom

Become a successful online educator using the Google Classroom learning management system for Google Apps for Education

www.udemy.com

Whiteboard.fi - Free online whiteboard for teachers and classrooms

Whiteboard.fi is an instant formative assessment tool for your classroom, providing you with live feedback and immediate overview over your students.

whiteboard.fi

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOae5nYA7VqaXzerajD0lg

(Videos from Ali Abdaal (he's a young dude that started out as a med school student, ended up quitting as a doctor to pursue teaching on his YT channel full time (which has over 4 million followers BTW). I suggested him b/c you could try to search what tools he uses for his paid course. Essentially 90% of his offering is free but there's a Part time YT Academy that he runs. Since he has a team of ~20 people supporting his channel, I thought maybe you could see what his team ended up using for his academy.)

Hope some of this helps churn up some ideas. If I come across anything else, I'll send your way. I'd be interested in learning what aspect of your teaching you'd like to refine using AI or other tech. Also, what age group and/or subject matter you intend to target and why.

Ciao for now!

Thanks for the reply. Will think about what you have said.