If you like kids and love to teach, Outschool may be the online teaching platform you’ve been looking for. Outschool is a marketplace where over a million kids ages 3 to 18 take live small-group classes on anything imaginable. Coding, creative writing, chess, Minecraft, art history, test prep. You set the topic, price, schedule, and class size. Outschool has the audience so it takes a 30% commission to manage the platform and payments. Experienced teachers can do great, but it all comes down to if you can stand out in the crowd. Let’s take a harder look at this opportunity and if it’s a worthwhile gig in our Outschool review.
Quick Facts
| Platform Name | Outschool |
| Earning Potential | Set your own rate |
| Typical Duration | 50-60 min classes |
| Payment Frequency | Weekly (every Sunday) |
| Required Equipment | Computer with webcam |
What’s Inside
- Is Outschool real and safe?
- How hard is it to sign up?
- Can I do this whenever I want?
- How much money can you really make?
- When and how do you get paid?
- What stuff do you need to start?
- Is the work easy or hard?
- The Pros and Cons of Outschool
- Final Verdict: Is Outschool worth your time?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Is Outschool real and safe?
Outschool has been operating since 2015 and has served over a million learners. The company has a 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot from thousands of parent and teacher reviews alike. All sessions run through Zoom which is recorded for safety and quality review. The students are real and the payments for work happen, making this a legitimate gig to consider if teaching is in your wheelhouse.
How hard is it to sign up?
The application process is involved and takes quite a few steps. Considering you are working with kids, this is to be fully understood and helps cement the legitimacy of the company.
At initial sign up you will provide basic information, agree to a background check, complete Outschool’s teacher certification course (a free online training) and submit your first class listing for review. All classes must be approved before your listing goes live, so the whole process takes one to two weeks.
💡 Insider Tip:
Your class title and listing photo do more work than anything else to drive enrollments on Outschool. Invest time in making yours top-notch.
Can I do this whenever I want?
You list classes at times that work for you and students book in. But if nobody books, you do not teach and you do not earn. This means you always want to schedule your classes at times with the highest likelihood of students being most available, aka late afternoon or early evenings.
Summer is slow for most teachers while school holidays and after-school slots in fall and winter tend to fill fastest.
How much money can you really make?
This really comes down to how good of a teacher you are and what sort of classes you are offering. Remember, this is a marketplace where you are creating your own class and trying to get students to sign up for it. You are not teaching other people’s curriculum.
Outschool’s own data says the average teacher earns $50 per hour once classes fill, factoring in multiple students per session. Experienced teachers who have optimized their listings and built a repeat-student base report $50 to $117 per hour consistently. Filling classes matters more than setting high prices.
While a 30% commission is a substantial tier compared to administrative costs on generic freelancing platforms, it functions as a built-in marketing fee that grants independent contractors immediate exposure to Outschool’s marketplace of over a million learners.
When and how do you get paid?
Payments to teachers are made weekly via PayPal every Sunday. For fixed-duration courses Outschool pays you the full amount the first Sunday 7 to 10 days after the class starts. For ongoing subscription-style classes, there is a two week delay and payment goes out the first Sunday after. Be sure you connect your PayPal email in your teacher profile so payments arrive automatically.
What stuff do you need to start?
The good news is no teaching credentials or formal education background is required as the Outschool philosophy is teach what you know. For the classes themselves, a computer with a working webcam / microphone along with a stable internet connection and a Zoom account. No specialized teaching materials are required unless your subject needs them. A tidy, well-lit background for your video adds professionalism and builds parent confidence in your listing.
Remember, you’re selecting the subject you’re teaching so whatever items you need to achieve success with students, beyond what we’ve listed, is on you
Is the work easy or hard?
If it’s a brand new gig to you and you have zero teaching experience, there’s certainly going to be a big learning curve to adapt to the challenges that come with teaching students. They said if you know your topic well and are passionate about it, teaching becomes a natural way to express your excitement and knowledge.
Building a sustainable student base is the real challenge. It requires responding to parent messages, adjusting classes based on enrolment and staying patient through slow periods like summer. As touched on, parents message with questions before, during and after classes. Their expectations are usually high, so you need to be on top of getting back to them. Remember that with this gig you are running your own small teaching business.
The Pros and Cons of Outschool
| The Pros | The Cons |
|---|---|
| Teach anything: No degree needed, teach what you know. | 30% cut: Higher commission than most. |
| Set your own price: Full control over rates and class size. | Slow start: Months of low income. |
| Weekly PayPal pay: Automatic payments every Sunday. | Enrollment fluctuates: Summers can be slow. |
Final Verdict: Is Outschool worth your time?
If you have genuine knowledge to share, enjoy working with kids and can handle the seasonability of teaching, this gig is worth a second look. Outschool is one of the few online side hustles where the hourly rate at is solid and the work is genuinely rewarding.
The Bottom Line: If you love to teach and have some entrepreneurial spirit, take the time to look at this one. Focus on building repeat students with great classes and you can see compounding success over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Outschool’s core philosophy is teach what you know. You do need to complete their free teacher certification training and pass a background check.
Your listing quality is the biggest variable. A clear photo, specific title, detailed class description, and competitive price all help. Many new teachers also offer a lower introductory price for their first few sessions to build reviews.
Interest-based and niche topics tend to outperform broad academic subjects because competition is lower and parents are looking specifically for them. Things like Minecraft, specific coding languages, anime art, specific genres of creative writing, and niche history topics book well.
Outschool supports 1:1 tutoring sessions in addition to group classes. The same 30% commission applies. Tutoring sessions are scheduled directly with parents and can be more consistent income than group classes since you are not waiting for multiple students to enroll before a session runs.
You are an independent contractor and Outschool pays you the full 70% of enrollment revenue with nothing withheld. You receive a 1099-K if your earnings meet the IRS reporting threshold.
