People often ask me about my work with Outschool and the
least I can say about it is that, well, I love it! So, let me share with you a
little bit about what it's like working with Outschool, along with some of the pros and cons in
case you might be interested in making it your next Free Spirit job.
First a bit of background about what I teach and what I do
at Outschool. I’ve worked with Outschool for two years now and it’s definitely
my favorite Free Spirit job! I’ve taught a variety of different classes in the
two years I’ve been on Outschool, including German and Kurdish history, but I am
currently teaching Waldorf inspired art and botany classes along with classes
on herbalism. My students come from an array of different backgrounds and from all
over the world. I’ve taught kids in New Zealand, England, Spain, and more. Despite
the distance and the fact that it’s all online, I’m always amazed at how
personal online teaching can be. If you're interested in learning more about my work on Outschool feel free to peruse My Profile for more information.
Now that you have a bit of an idea of what I do with Outschool,
here are a few pros and cons to help you decide if Outschool might be the right
Free Spirit job for you.
Pros
- You get to make your own schedule. Definitely one of the best parts of the job!
- You get to teach what you want the way you want. It’s really amazing to be able to teach what you love and watch as your students get excited about the same things that excite you!
- For the most part, the students and parents you will encounter on Outschool are amazing! Seriously, some parents of former students have become great friends.
- You get to set your own prices. Just make sure you are charging what you are worth and covering your time and expenses.
Cons
- You have to create your own curriculum. Unlike some online teaching jobs that provide you with the lessons to teach, on Outschool you’re on your own. This can be time and labor intensive so make sure you are charging enough to cover your time both during class and while planning your lessons.
- Outschool takes a 30% cut of your class fees. You will have to take this into consideration when you are trying to figure out what to charge. However, this does go towards maintaining the platform and promoting your classes. While you certainly could do this all on your own and create your own school it’s an extraordinarily labor intensive undertaking so 30% for me just feels like the cost of doing business.
- Since this is a contract position there are no benefits. You will have to buy your own health insurance and set up your own retirement accounts.
- Taxes. This has to be my least favorite part of the job. You are paid through PayPal and as such do not receive any kind of formal tax document. As such you have to do your own book keeping and make sure that you are paying your quarterly state and federal taxes. Also, you need to check if your city has an occupational tax as well.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what Outschool is
all about. Like any Free Spirit job, Outschool does involve work and it can
take some time to build up a good business out of it. However, with some
dedication this can be an excellent choice for Free Spirits who are experienced
in teaching and enjoy working with kids.
Ready to start your Outschool journey? CLICK HERE to go to the website!
