I kept hearing about Varsity Tutors. The site says you can earn money by tutoring students online. Sounds good if you like teaching and want to make extra cash from home.
But I wanted to know if it actually works the way they say it does. Is it worth signing up for, or are there better tutoring sites out there? What can you realistically expect once you join?
That’s what I’m going to walk you through here. How the platform operates, what you need to do to start, and whether the time investment makes sense. Then you can decide if it fits what you’re looking for.
What is Varsity Tutors, and how does it work?
Varsity Tutors is this massive online tutoring platform. Like, really massive. Biggest in the US when you look at how many tutors they actually have working. What they do is connect students with tutors for pretty much any subject you can think of.
When I first looked at what they offer, I was a bit overwhelmed. One-on-one lessons, test prep for SAT, ACT, AP exams, live classes, homework help, practice exercises. It’s not just one thing. They’ve built out a full range of options depending on what a student needs.
The platform is legit. You can actually earn money here, which is the part that matters if you’re reading this. But (and this is where it gets real) there are some specifics about how you get paid and how much control you have over your schedule that you need to understand upfront. Not red flags, just things that affect whether this fits your situation or not.
The earning opportunity is where it all starts to make sense. Once you see how that part works, you’ll know pretty quickly if this is something you want to try.
Tutoring Sessions and Hourly Rates
You earn by conducting tutoring sessions with students who book through the platform. That’s the core of it.
Once approved, tutoring opportunities start coming in that match what you know and when you’re available. Complete a session, you get paid based on your base rate. Most tutors report somewhere between $15 and $25 per hour when starting. Rate depends on the subject, your experience, and how much demand exists for that topic.
The Incremental Pay Bonus system is where things get interesting. Your hourly rate increases the more you work with the same student. First session with a new student, you earn your base rate. Continue tutoring that same student, your rate goes up by $1 per hour each time. Caps at $40 per hour maximum. There are requirements to qualify for these increases, but the idea is solid. Rewards consistency and ongoing teaching relationships.
Sessions happen on Varsity Tutors’ Live Learning Platform. Virtual whiteboard, video chat, file sharing, all built in. No juggling third party software or figuring out Zoom links with students who can’t find the meeting room. Everything runs through their system.
Sessions typically last about an hour. That’s standard, the most common format. Shorter sessions around 30 minutes work for quick help or younger students who need brief lessons. Longer sessions stretching to 90 minutes or more are possible too, especially for deeper review or test preparation.
Student variety is genuinely wide. During application, you choose which type you want to work with. Not locked into teaching young students. Adults are part of the mix. The coverage spans quite a range, which matters if you prefer working with specific age groups.
Subjects cover all core areas. Math, science, language arts, reading, writing, social studies, plus standardized tests. Professional and specialty subjects are available as well, usually for adult clients.
Schedule flexibility is real. You indicate your availability. No minimum number of hours required to maintain tutor status. Genuinely flexible, which helps if you’re balancing other commitments or just want something part time without pressure.
Now, here’s what you need to understand about the algorithm. Varsity Tutors favors active tutors. Consistently accept sessions, maintain solid ratings, show reliability, and you’ll get matched with more students over time. The system notices patterns. If you want steady bookings and better earnings, demonstrate you’re willing to regularly accept opportunities. Sporadic availability means sporadic income.
If you’re looking for additional ways to earn online without excessive time investment, there are beginner friendly platforms worth exploring. Different field entirely from tutoring, but straightforward sites where you can make some money without extensive experience or heavy commitment.
How do people get paid?
Direct deposit to your bank account. That’s how you get paid.
After each session, you submit an invoice through the tutor dashboard. This confirms the session happened and logs your hours. Payments process twice a week.
Monday through Wednesday invoices get paid Friday. Thursday through Sunday invoices are paid the following Tuesday. Checked this myself when started, wanted to know exactly when money would hit the account.
No minimum payout threshold. Tutor for two hours, you get paid. Don’t have to wait until you reach some arbitrary amount.
The setup works. Direct bank transfer means no waiting for checks, no third-party payment processors taking cuts. Submit invoice, money shows up in your account on schedule.
One thing noticed (and appreciated): the twice-weekly schedule means you’re never waiting more than a few business days for payment. Compared to platforms that pay monthly, this feels more immediate. You work, you see the money relatively quickly.
Worth mentioning that submitting invoices isn’t complicated. Dashboard makes it clear which sessions need invoicing, click a few buttons, done. The whole payment process feels designed to get out of your way rather than become another task to manage.
If you’re looking for more platforms with straightforward payout methods, check out the 10 Apps that pay you real money without investment.
How much money can you make?
The pay varies. A lot. What you make depends entirely on what you teach, how experienced you are, and how often you actually log in.
Most tutors end up somewhere between $15 and $25 per hour. Talked to a few people using the platform, that range came up consistently. If you teach something specialized (test prep, advanced subjects, languages not many people offer), you can push closer to $40 per hour. Those rates exist because fewer tutors can handle those topics well.
Here’s what took me a minute to understand. Your earnings aren’t stable unless you show up regularly. The platform tracks activity. If you’re accepting sessions consistently and students rate you well, more opportunities come your way. If you log in sporadically or decline too many sessions, your profile gets pushed down. Fewer offers appear. It’s not explicitly stated anywhere, but tutors who stay active get prioritized. Figured that out after noticing the pattern in how sessions were distributed.
One thing that surprised me was how the payment structure actually works. Varsity Tutors doesn’t take a percentage from what you earn after the session. The rate they quote you already includes their margin. So if they offer you $20 per hour, that’s yours. The student pays more on their end, but you never see that number. It’s already factored in before it reaches you. Cleaner system than some platforms where they deduct fees afterward, but it also means you’re earning less than what the platform charges overall.
For online tutoring, the pay is reasonable if you’re teaching something in demand. Generic subjects pull lower rates. High-demand topics get better numbers. But income won’t be consistent unless you commit to regular hours and keep reviews solid. Sporadic effort equals sporadic pay. That’s just reality with gig platforms.
How to Get Technical Support on Varsity Tutors?
Support is one of those things you don’t think about until you desperately need it. Varsity Tutors seems to understand that.
They have a Help Center page covering the basics. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s there when you need quick answers without waiting for someone to respond.
The more useful part is what happens during a live session. Technical problems (audio issues, video freezing, whiteboard glitches) come with a “Get Help” button built right into the platform. Makes sense to have support exactly where the problem occurs, not buried in some contact form you have to hunt down while your session is falling apart.
When you click it, a virtual assistant tries to solve it first with automated suggestions. If that doesn’t work, you can escalate to an actual tech person. The tiered approach means simple fixes happen fast, and real problems get real attention.
Outside of live sessions, you can email them or call their hotline. Multiple channels matter because different problems need different approaches. Quick question? Email works. Billing issue that needs immediate resolution? Phone makes more sense.
From what can tell, they’ve built a support system that matches how people actually need help. Not perfect, but better than platforms where you submit a ticket and hope someone responds within three business days.
Can You Actually Join Varsity Tutors?
First question worth asking: can you even apply?
Geography matters here. Varsity Tutors only works with people in the US and Canada. If you’re somewhere else, this stops being relevant pretty quickly. But even inside the US, there’s a chunk of states they’re not hiring from right now. Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Puerto Rico. Not sure why those specifically, but worth checking before you invest time in the application.
The application itself is longer than you’d expect. Not harder, just longer.
Starts with a form. Experience, skills, educational background. Standard stuff. What caught my attention was they don’t ask for proof right away. You fill everything out, submit it, and only later do they mention you’ll need documentation. Seemed backwards at first, but makes sense if you think about it. They’re filtering for interest and basic qualifications before asking people to dig up transcripts and certificates.
After the form comes subject assessments. These are actual tests on whatever you want to tutor. Sometimes they’re straightforward, sometimes they’re pickier than expected. Fail one and you might get locked out of that subject until you retake it or show stronger credentials. Not the end of the world, but worth preparing for.
Then there’s an interview component. Could be self recorded, where you answer preset questions on camera and upload the video. Could be live, either phone or video call. Depends on what Varsity Tutors decides. No way to predict it, just have to roll with whatever format they send you.
Documents come after that. Photo ID, degree certificate, resume. Sometimes they want transcripts or references on top of that. And if you’re planning to tutor younger students or work with schools, expect a criminal background check. That one costs money, which took me by surprise the first time encountered this kind of setup on a platform. They don’t always mention the cost upfront.
Timeline for all of this varies. Some people get through in a few days, others take a few weeks. Most seem to land somewhere between one and three weeks total. If you need to start earning immediately, this probably isn’t the right fit. The wait is real, and there’s no way to speed it through.
What surprises me about this whole process is how much filtering happens upfront. The state restrictions, the assessments, the documentation, the background check. They’re trying to maintain quality control, which makes sense for a tutoring platform, but it also means you’re committing time without knowing if you’ll get approved. Worth going in with that expectation.
Can you use it on mobile?
Mobile won’t work for this.
Wish could say otherwise, but the tutoring setup needs a proper computer. The Live Learning Platform runs through a browser and handles video chat, a shared whiteboard, and screen sharing all at once. That’s three things happening simultaneously while you’re trying to teach.
Works with desktop Chrome. Not the mobile version though.
Thought about whether you could squeeze in a session from a tablet or phone. The answer kept coming back to no. Too much going on at once. The whiteboard alone needs space. Add video and screen sharing on top of that, and a small screen just won’t manage it.
So if you were hoping to tutor between errands or from a coffee shop using your phone, this won’t be that kind of flexible. You need the full setup. Computer, stable connection, space to actually focus on teaching.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Varsity Tutors
Advantages
- Payment goes straight to your account, twice a week
- The more you work with the same person, the more you earn
- You set your own schedule, no minimum hours required
- Not just kids, you can teach adults too
- They pay you even for a single hour, no minimum threshold
Disadvantages
- You pay for the background check out of your own pocket
- It takes time to get accepted, sometimes entire weeks
- Only works in the US and Canada, some states excluded
- Income isn’t guaranteed, depends on how active you are
- If you refuse too many sessions, you disappear from the algorithm
Is Varsity Tutors LEGIT or SCAM?
After going through everything, here’s where I stand with Varsity Tutors.
The platform is legitimate. You conduct tutoring sessions, you earn. The payment system works well, processes automatically without manual intervention. That’s genuinely convenient.
The application process is another story. Long. Detailed. They’re extremely selective about who they accept. You need to demonstrate genuine expertise in your field, not just familiarity. If you can’t prove you’re an expert, you won’t get through.
Patience is required. The vetting takes time. If you need to start earning immediately, this won’t work. It’s simply not built for quick access.
For someone with legitimate credentials who doesn’t mind waiting, could be viable. As a side opportunity without time pressure, makes sense. For urgent income needs, look elsewhere.
Worth mentioning some alternatives. Platforms like ySense, HeyCash, FreeCash, and GG2U offer better earning potential with faster access. They’re transparent about their systems from the start. You know exactly what you’re getting into, no lengthy approval process required.
Different model entirely, but often more practical depending on what you need.
If you’ve used Varsity Tutors or have questions about how it actually operates, would genuinely like to hear your experience. Leave a comment.