Do you want to teach online from the comfort of your home in 2025? Outschool is a fantastic platform that allows you to work from home and teach what you are passionate about to children between 3 and 18.
In this post, I’ll share my tips for the written application, video mock class, and setting up your teaching business for success on Outschool in 2025!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may receive a commission when you make a purchase using my link or sign up to be a teacher with my referral link – at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business!
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What is Outschool?
To begin, Outschool is an online marketplace for teachers. Unlike other online teaching companies, you create your own curriculum and can teach whatever you are passionate about. I have been teaching imaginative dance classes for ages 4-8 on Outschool since January 2021. Teach anything from math and science to cooking and crafts to financial literacy or how to play Minecraft.
You decide how long your class will be, how much you will charge per learner, and how many learners you will teach in each class.
The average Outschool teacher earns around $50USD per hour, with some teachers earning over $100USD an hour! I currently make around $90USD an hour and I’ve been teaching since January 2021.
While most students are from the US, the number of international students is growing! I teach a variety of timezones from my home in Australia.
Here are some current stats about earning out Outschool (March 2025)
Class Types on Outschool
There are several different types of class formats that you can teach on Outschool. Your first class must be a one-time class, but after you teach it, you can teach any of the other formats.
Live classes taught on Zoom
- One-time classes – these classes only meet once. This is a great way for parents to try out a class with you to see if they like your teaching style. These classes are also great for gaining a following on OS. I started with one-time classes and now teach mostly ongoing classes.
- Short courses – these classes meet 1+ times per week for 2-7 weeks. If you want to teach something with a few sub-topics, short courses are a great option.
- Camp courses – these classes meet 2+ times in the same week. Camp courses are great for school holiday breaks.
- Semester courses – these classes meet 1+ times per week for 8+ weeks. Semester courses are great for teaching subjects like math, English, history, science, and more. They allow you to really get to know learners and watch them progress.
- Clubs & Enrichment – these classes meet every week without a specific end date. Parents are charged each week for a “subscription” to the class. Weekly classes are great for clubs and social meetings. I teach two different club and enrichment classes each week with multiple sections which means I can reuse my lesson plans in multiple classes!
- Self-Paced – you can create and sell pre-recorded classes on Outschool. If you’re looking for a way to earn semi-passive income, I recommend turning your most popular live classes into self-paced classes.
Who can apply to teach online with Outschool?
- Full-time residents of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Spain, Mexico, or South Korea. If you are planning on teaching while traveling, you must be in one of the above countries for at least 6 months per year. Since this isn’t an ESL platform, you don’t need to be a “native speaker.”
- 18+ years old
- Pass a background check and verify your identity as part of the application process
- Have reliable internet with over 3Mbps upload and download speed
- Have a passion for what you are teaching – you don’t need a degree!
Teaching for an Organization on Outschool
If you are a regular teacher on Outschool, you are responsible for creating your own lessons. If you don’t want to create your own materials, another option is to teach with an organization on Outschool. Organizations hire teachers and pay them an hourly wage, usually to teach already created materials.
Teach Online with Outschool – Application Process
Step One – Sign up to Teach on Outschool
Click here to sign up to teach on Outschool and begin your application. The application is MUCH shorter than when I applied in 2020 (which is great news for you!)
Step Two – Fill Out Your Application
Note: Although the current application (March 2025) states that you must be living inthe US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, or Wales, you can ALSO be living in Spain, Mexico, South Korea, or other parts of the UK. Not sure why this hasn’t been updated!
Also, a passport from one of these countries or being a native English speaker isn’t a requirement – instead you are required to be living in these countries due to the background check. You’ll need to pass an official background check paid for by Outschool before you can teach your first class.
Public Teacher Name
I personally include a keyword and my degree in my Public Teacher name:
Jamie Gajewski – Ballet Dance – MEd.
This is because when parents search for “ballet” or “dance,” it helps my name appear higher in the search results. Also, sharing my Master’s in Education helps give me more credibility.
TIP: I recommend just using your regular name or “teacher name” in this slot for the application but then changing it to be key word rich after you are hired.
Legal Name
This name must match your passport, driver’s license, etc. This will be used to verify you for the background check.
This is the email you used to sign up to teach on Outschool
Phone Number
I have never been contacted by Outschool by phone, but it is a requirement for the application.
Location
Make sure you are based in one of the approved countries.
How did you hear about Outschool?
You can select “Recommendation from an Outschool learner, education, or employee” since they don’t have an option for non-Outschool official websites/blogs
What topics are you passionate about teaching?
TIP: Select the topics you are seriously considering teaching and make sure they match your experience and qualifications.
Which ages of learners do you want to work with?
TIP: Again, choose ages you have previous experience with. You can always expand once hired, but it’s best if this matches well with your application.
What experience or expertise do you have in these subject areas?
Select all that apply.
How many years of experience do you have teaching or working with youth?
TIP: I don’t recommend signing up to teach if you have no experience working with youth. Try and get at least a few months of experience before applying to Outschool
Relevant Experience and Credentials
Here you need to write 4-5 full, grammatically correct sentences describing how your professional and/or educational background match the subject areas and ages you have chosen to teach on Outschool.
TIP: Click on “sample responses” and model your answer after the examples.
TIP: Run your answer through Grammarly to check for spelling and grammar errors before submitting.
Step 3 – Create Your Education Profile Video
In the past, you had to submit a demo video. Now, it’s much easier! Simply create a 60-90 second Intro Video that will be displayed on your profile if you are hired.
My Advice for the Outschool Application Video
- You MUST stay within the video time limit of 60-90 seconds – if your video is too long or too short you will most likely get rejected automatically.
- Include all the information requested – Introduce yourself briefly, including your educational background, and welcome the learner into your classroom. Describe your teaching style – you can either show clips of your classes as you speak or provide a short demo. Include a Call to Action at the end of the video to invite the learner to try a class with you!
- Make sure you have good lighting and a nice background – Outschool wants to see what your teaching space looks like. I’ve heard of teachers getting rejected just because of lighting, sound, or having a shaky video. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, make sure learners can easily see and hear you. Check out this post for ideas on essentials for virtual classroom setups at any budget.
- Film horizontally, not vertically – you can film on your smartphone, but make sure it’s on a stable surface and HORIZONTAL. If you want to screen share as well as show your face for part of the video, you can film on Zoom and save the file to your computer. If you are not savvy at video editing, hire a freelancer from Fiverr to help make your video more polished.
- Be yourself and know your target audience – let your teaching personality shine! Are you a calm and patient teacher? Are you outgoing and loud? Play to your strengths. Also, keep your target “students” in mind. Teaching a 3-year-old is very different from teaching an 18-year-old!
Need help with your Outschool application? Book a 30-minute Teacher Help Call with me on Zoom by clicking here.
Click here to sign up to teach on Outschool
Waiting for Approval
Once you’ve submitted your application, all you have to do is wait! Some people are approved within a few hours, days, or weeks. If you haven’t heard anything after two weeks, reach out to OS support.
If you aren’t accepted on the first try, just tweak your application and keep trying! You can apply up to three times.
Once approved, you’ll need to complete a background check. The time in takes to process this background check varies by country.
Next, complete the required Outschool training and familiarize yourself with Zoom.
Teach Online with Outschool – Setting Yourself Up for Success
Just like anything new, getting started on OS takes time, patience, and dedication. However, what other job allows you to teach your passion from the comfort of your home? Here are my top tips for getting started.
- Take advantage of all the free training and blog posts offered by Outschool – make sure you know best practices for class creation, using Zoom, and contacting parents through the OS classroom platform.
- It takes about 1-2 months to gain a following – start by opening one-time classes at different times on different days to see what times and days your students like best. This will also help you build up reviews. You can also join unofficial Outschool groups on Facebook which allow you to advertise your classes and offer discounts.
- Teach classes with just 1-2 learners at first to build up reviews – while it might not be lucrative at the start, teaching smaller classes is a great way to get comfortable teaching and build up reviews. Soon, your classes will begin to sell out and you can actually teach fewer hours but make more money.
- Create classes that build on each other – create essentially the same class in different formats: clubs & enrichment, semester, one-time, self-paced, etc. This will cut down on your prep time. Also, create classes that follow each other so students have something else to take with you. It’s easier to retain your current students than continue to get brand new students.
Be Careful with Copyright
You are responsible for contacting the creators of anything you want to use in your lessons. This includes children’s book authors, YouTube video creators, musicians, and even slideshow images and products from Teachers Pay Teachers. Basically, if you didn’t create it, you need permission to use it.
I personally use royalty-free music on Spotify for my dance classes and Canva Pro for creating slide shows and printables. Canva Pro is a subscription and provides access to millions of images and videos for commercial use.
Here is a video on how to create a children’s book on Canva for teaching on Outschool.
Here is a video on how to create worksheets on Canva for teaching on Outschool.
Outschool Payment Tips
Outschool pays its teachers via PayPal. Since it’s a marketplace, OS takes a 30% cut of your earnings which helps pay for advertising your classes and access to the OS online classroom and OS Zoom account.
Disclaimer: I am not a tax accountant. I can only speak from my experience. Please contact a qualified tax accountant for tax advice.
I personally set aside a percentage of my earnings to pay for taxes. You are not an official employee of OS, but a contracted teacher.
When planning your classes, you need to take this 30% cut into consideration. Outschool suggests charging $18-21 per hour per student. However, you can charge whatever you’d like.
Things to Consider When Pricing Your Classes
- Class size – you can charge more for smaller class sizes since there is more interaction. For private tutoring, it’s recommended to charge $1 per minute AFTER the 30% Outschool cut
- Preparation – charge more for classes that require more preparation such as printables, slide shows, research, or technology
- Materials – if you need to purchase materials for your class such as cooking ingredients or craft supplies, figure this into your price
- Expertise – if you are highly qualified, let families know in your teacher bio and charge what you’re worth!
Final Thoughts
To sum up, if you’re a creative teacher looking to teach something you’re passionate about, then Outschool could be a great fit for you.
You can check out my Outschool teacher profile here.
Happy teaching!
New to online teaching? Enroll in my 10 day self-study mini-course “Teach Online in 10 Days” to learn everything you need to know to get started earning income as an online teacher.
