FAQ about teaching German online
How can I teach German online?
Platforms like Preply make teaching German online a breeze. The only resources you’ll need to get started on your search for German speaking jobs online are a secure internet connection, access to a video conferencing platform like Skype or Zoom, a webcam, and a headset.
Can I teach German online without a degree?
The short answer is: yes. Here at Preply, to become an online tutor we have no formal requirements for teachers working on our platform. This means that as long as you are fluent in the German language, you are able to teach it on our platform.
That being said, many of our German teachers do indeed have formal qualifications. Some of our teachers have bachelor and masters degrees in German, while others have taken common German language tests sought after by German universities including the Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDaF), the Austrian German Language Diploma (ÖSD) and the DSH German Language Proficiency Test (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang). Likewise many of our American teachers have themselves taken AP and SAT German exams.
Beyond these qualifications, many of our teachers cater their classes to certain specializations to distinguish themselves among our many teachers. For example, teachers specialize by dialect (Austrian and Swiss German), age group (German for children, business and professional German), level (German for beginners, intensive German) as well as by test preparation (AP German, SAT German, TestDaF, ÖSD, DSH and CEFRL levels A1-B2).
Can you teach German online full time?
One of the key benefits of working through Preply is the flexibility it affords our teachers. There is no minimum or maximum requirement of how many hours you work for us weekly. With Preply you can even work from home teaching the German language.
Considering our internal statistics, we can see that 79% of our German tutors choose to work between 0-10 hours a week, 17% work between 10-20 hours weekly with us, while the remaining 4% of German teachers work 20-30 hours weekly on the platform. As tutors themselves determine their hours, how much time you commit to teaching weekly is entirely up to you. In similar language specializations including French, Spanish, and English, for example, some teachers work full time on the platform.
Around the world, there are upwards of 100 million German speakers; indeed it is the most widely spoken language in Europe. In recent years, demand has grown immensely for German language classes, which certainly benefits our tutors.
How much do online German teachers make?
At Preply, teachers set their own rates for classes. With this in mind, monthly earnings through the platform are completely contingent on how much tutors choose to charge for their classes as well as how many hours they choose to teach. According to internal Preply data, the average rate of German teachers based in the US is $21.82 hourly, while individual tutors based in the US charge anywhere from $16-$33 hourly. This makes German teacher jobs some of the highest paid on the platform, alongside online French teacher jobs (avg. $22.55 hourly) and Arabic teacher jobs (avg. $21.57 hourly).
Drawing from the earnings of our current German language tutors based in the US, working 0-10 hours weekly, our tutors earn an average of $174 monthly, working 10-20 hours weekly, our teachers earn an average of $906 monthly, and working 20-30 hours weekly, our teachers earn an average of $857 monthly. As we can see from this data, monthly earnings are influenced both by rate charged as well as hours worked. Here we see that those tutors working 20-30 hours actually make less on average than those teaching 10-20 hours, this due to the difference in rates between the two groups.
Online German tutor average salary
| Avg. weekly hours | Avg. monthly income |
|---|---|
| 0 - 10 hrs | $174 |
| 10 - 20 hrs | $906 |
| 20 - 30 hrs | $857 |
How do I teach German online effectively?
Developing proper time management, being intentional about setting student expectations, and taking full advantage of online teaching resources will set you on the path to becoming a successful language tutor online.
There are many resources at your disposal that can help you to develop effective teaching strategies. Internally, Preply has a range of resources for new tutors, including both trainings and webinars. Happy teaching!