If the first thing you looked at this morning was your phone screen, you already know the power the internet has over our lives. But the effect on education and the way we learn has been even more staggering.
Imagine living in 1971, playing Oregon Trail. Could you picture being able to attend school in your bedroom?
The last few years and the COVID-19 era have revealed an undeniable truth about the education space – online and remote learning is the way forward and what’s more, it’s still evolving.
Providing individuals, teachers, and businesses access to quality tools, and resources online have opened up a new horizon for the Edtech sector. In fact, the global market is slated to hit the $325 billion mark by 2025. This growth is thanks to the significant number of specialized digital channels available to bridge education gaps and support existing institutions.
Of course, this unprecedented boom means that along with more jobs, there’s also more competition for talent than ever before. Effective recruitment is the first step towards a successful future and although finding jobs in Edtech startups is not hard, finding the right job can be. Whether you are in the process of hiring for your own online learning business or a teacher looking to explore new possibilities in this space, familiarizing yourself with the best platforms and tools at your disposal has become a necessity. But when you get the hang of the room, the opportunities are limitless!
Hiring online tutors is a demanding process, but there are a few avenues to ensure long-term success. Here are our tips to ensure you hire the best educators for your online learning space.
Define your brand to reach the right recruitment pools
Know your Target Audience
It may seem like an obvious jumping-off point, but when it comes to the vast umbrella of ‘education,’ defining your space can be more challenging than it looks. An excellent place to begin is to clearly understand your Target Audience and the value you bring to their lives.
Ask yourself questions such as – What age group would I like to be reaching? Do I want to provide generalized education or specialized skills? Are the people I want to teach looking for career growth or personal development?
A clear understanding of your goals is the first step towards identifying and hiring tutors that will be able to grow your business.
Decide your mission statement is and how to showcase it
Once you know what you’re offering, you need to decide how to package it.
Decide what core values you represent.
Do you want to extend aid to certain communities?
Are you more focused on developing traditional skills or creative ones?
Is your brand open to innovation, or do you champion traditional learning?
Distill the essence of your brand and decide on a mission statement that makes it shine!
Hire online tutors that match your vision
Now that you have that brand identity in place, you can start looking for people that align with it. By beginning the online hiring process with a laser-focused idea of what you’re looking for, you can ensure that you are targeting the right people every time.
Develop a strong social media strategy
Social Media is a powerful tool in any business arsenal, but it’s particularly lucrative when hiring online tutors. Here are a few practical ways to increase the potential of your content:
- Learn to adapt and repurpose your content on multiple platforms for extended reach. For example, a blog post about your brand story could act as a call to potential employees who share your values.
- Market yourself as an expert. Solve problems wherever you can. Provide your audience with bite-size nuggets of information that inspire trust and prove your capabilities in your field. When people believe in your competency, they will be more eager to work with you.
- Know what platforms work best for you and invest more time in them. Say you’re hiring tutors for a youth program, perhaps Instagram would be your primary content channel. Or if you’re trying to redirect people to your website, an SEO-optimized blog could be your best tool. Plan ahead and ensure that you’re putting your time, energy and content to good use.
Cast a wider net with hiring campaigns
Leverage the power of organic campaigns.
Start cultivating a network of industry professionals on LinkedIn and beyond by posting regularly. Even if you aren’t reaching out to each follower personally, stay active and keep your brand in the public eye.
As often as possible, encourage people to share their contact details or connect with you, and when the time comes to hire tutors online, you will have a ready-made talent community at your fingertips.
Develop and showcase an airtight infrastructure
Tutors will naturally prioritize platforms that make their jobs easier, and being able to promise one that ensures minimal delays can do wonders when hiring new online tutors.
Wise App knows the value of having a one-stop solution for all your teaching needs. It allows teachers to schedule and conduct live classes, assign and grade tests, open post-classes discussions, and share study materials from a single platform.
Cross-device accessibility and optimization for even low-network areas mean that students and teachers can enjoy an uninterrupted experience from any part of the world.
By consolidating all these features on one easy-to-use platform, it allows teachers to focus on their students without the worries of managing multiple systems.
Set up fair and transparent payment processes
Potential online tutors will be looking out for businesses that they can bank on – in every sense of the word. Establishing a clear line of payment with fair rates can be a huge boon in attracting new hires.
When teachers can request and accept fee collection directly through a single account, it means significantly fewer challenges with invoicing and managing multiple streams of income – freeing up their time to concentrate on their lessons.
By taking control of your payment channels, you can attract hires with stronger profiles and better credentials.
Establish a strong identity to gain trust
An effective tool for attracting new tutors, and especially when hiring online, is the use of digital testimonials. Satisfied students, ex and current employees, industry leaders, or media coverage can all lend a voice of authenticity to your brand.
By creating a diverse selection of testimonials (try out written reviews or video bytes), potential hires can get a sense of involvement in your brand, inspiring them to reach out and be a part of your journey.
Most tutors are looking for a brand as passionate about teaching as they are, so taking the time to announce that your brand that has a positive impact – not only on students but also on employees – can be a huge draw for potential hires.
Another effective route to consider is strategic business relationships with other companies operating within your niche. As a long-term goal, it can help expand your reach while also emphasizing your legitimacy.
Engage a third party hiring company
When in doubt, call in reinforcements! There are many reputed agencies to be found who are geared towards the Edtech space and can help you hire tutors for your company.
Ensure that you have a clear-cut idea of what you’re looking for and utilize their database to find the right talent for you.
While this does mean less control over the tutors you hire, it does mean freeing up a lot of time and resources to dedicate to other channels of your business. And with the right hiring company, your future will be in safe hands.
At the end of the day, the caliber of the online tutors you hire is a direct reflection of the quality you provide in the Edtech sector, so take the time to find the right match for you and your business.
