Currently, I am a full-time work-at-home mom (WAHM) to three precocious children, all under 5. When I graduated from college 10 years ago with my Masters degree in Political Science, the thought of working from home never crossed my mind – and then I had children. Luckily, today’s advanced technologies are making it easier than ever to have a prosperous and lucrative career at home. One of the most common and most profitable is teaching online.
I am a full-time remote online instructor for a major university. Working full-time remotely did not just happen over night. Over the last five years, I’ve worked for several universities and colleges – mostly online. When my son was born, I was teaching full-time at the high school level and applied for an online adjunct position on a whim. I have to admit I was surprised when I landed my first online position with the first application – my additional jobs (I currently teach for four schools) required many, many more applications. I started my journey working part-time at a traditional high school and part-time for an online university before I found myself pregnant with twins and decided to devote all of my energies online.
To those who are interested in becoming an online educator, the best advice I can provide is to make sure you have the necessary qualifications and apply, apply, apply. Most online schools are looking for someone with at least a Masters degree, a minimum of 5 years teaching experience, solid technological knowledge, and strong references. A cover letter that showcases your abilities and highlights your teaching philosophy is also beneficial. Full-time positions are more readily available for those who have doctorate degrees, so returning to school for a Ph.D. could also be considered.
In order to find positions in your area of expertise, you’ll need to do your homework. Google searches for online colleges and universities will result in thousands of hits. It is important to apply to reputable schools and only to apply for jobs within your personal skill set. The market for online education has grown considerably over the past few years and more and more opportunities are appearing daily in all subject areas.
One should expect to begin teaching in an adjunct/part-time capacity for a few years before being able to work full-time online. Perhaps continuing to work a current job and teaching online during the evening and on the weekend until experience is obtained would be necessary.
All schools have developed their own training programs that are required (and typically unpaid) that must be completed before approval to teach online is granted. The training usually lasts anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks and requires 10-20 hours per week of time – about the same number of hours necessary for an online class.
Over the last 5 years, I’ve grown the number of colleges I work for from one to four and in January was offered a full-time remote position for one of these universities. Within 5 years I went from teaching full-time at a traditional high school to teaching full-time for an online university – and nearly doubled my annual salary.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
