Is Wyzant Tutoring a Scam? (Find Out If You Can Really Earn)

If you like teaching, online tutoring can be a great way to make money. A platform that supposedly gives you access to earning like this is Wyzant.

But is Wyzant tutoring a scam or really a legit way to earn?

With so many online opportunities this is important to know before joining. So let me just reveal right away that is it legit as you can earn by teaching there.

This does, however, not mean it is necessarily a good use of time. To find out, you need to know all the details about how it works and how much you can expect to earn.

This Wyzant review will take a close look at the opportunities you have there as a tutor so you can easily find out if it is really the right option for you or not.

What is Wyzant and what does it offer?

Wyzant was founded in 2005 so it has been around for a while. Its headquarter is located in Chicago, but since it offers both online and offline options, there are no restrictions to your location as long as you are in the US.

It is a tutoring platform that connects tutors with students that need help with a specific topic.

This review will, however, focus on how the opportunities are to earn as a Wyzant tutor and not on how good a platform it is to be a student on just so you know what to expect.

So if you are interested in making money on your own terms and are considering becoming a tutor, this review will help you find out if Wyzant is the right option for you or not.

It offers you to become a tutor almost no matter what skills you have.

There are more than 300 skills you can teach as a tutor on Wyzant.

As you can see in the image above, there are a lot of topics like language, science, math, preparation for tests, etc. But there are also topics like music and sports.

The idea is that you can connect with potential students there. You can either contact them or post a listing and students can contact you.

What makes it convenient is that they have an online learning platform so you do not have to be close to your students which makes it possible to connect to a lot more students.

However, it is also possible to connect with students in your local area and teach offline if you prefer.

Below, there is a small video from Wyzant that explains a bit more about their tutoring options before we look into how you can get started but also what you really need to consider to find out if it is really worth it for you or not:

How do you get started as a Wyzant tutor?

If you decide you want to apply to become a tutor on Wyzant after reading this review, it is not difficult to get started.

You just need to apply on Wyzant’s website and then your application will be reviewed within 24-48 hours.

There is not as such any requirements to be able to apply and you do not need a teacher certfífication.

However, you do need to live in the United States, have a valid Social Security Number, and be at least 18 years old.

It is free to apply to become a tutor and it is also free to list your services on the platform.

There will, however, be some fees (and quite high) but I will go more into this is the next section that will explain how much you can earn.

How much can you earn as a tutor?

An important aspect to know is exactly how much you can earn as a tutor so you can see if it will fit your budget and needs.

Of course, it is difficult to give an exact answer for as it depends on how many students you get. But there are some general things you need to know to see if it even has potential.

First of all, you need to know that you can set your own hourly rate. But students will, of course, look at the rates so if you are a lot more expensive than others, it might be difficult to find students unless you are very specialized.

Secondly, there will be a fee involved as the way Wyzant makes money is by taking a commission of your earnings. They charge a rate based on the number of hours you have taught according to the scale below:

• 0 – 20 hours tutored = 40% Wyzant fee
• 21 – 50 hours tutored = 35% Wyzant fee
• 51 – 200 hours tutored = 30% Wyzant fee
• 201 – 400 hours tutored = 25% Wyzant fee
• 400+ hours tutored = 20% Wyzant fee

This is definitely something to consider before starting and before setting your rates. At first, the fees are very high, in my opinion.

If you teach 10 hours and charge $30 per hour, you will only get $180 and Wyzant will get $120.

And you need to work a lot of hours to get to pay a lower fee. In my opinion, even when you get to pay the lowest possible fee, it is still quite high.

Of course, they also need to make money but 20% is still quite a lot to pay, right?

Anyway, it definitely is possible to make money on Wyzant as a tutor is you are patient enough to build up a reputation.

According to the website itself, some top earners make up to $50,000 per year.

However, it is important to notice in the image above that they mention top tutors have earned this much. That means that the average tutor will definitely not make this much.

So it will not be a way to become rich for sure.

It can potentially give close to a full-time income if you work very hard but it will not be easy to reach that point and that is important to know so you know exactly what to expect.

Recommended: See How I Make $6K+ Online Every Month

Are there any Wyzant complaints?

When I was researching Wyzant, I came across some important things to consider before you join. I saw some complaints that are quite relevant.

I never fully rely on complaints as any platform will have complaints and both positive and negative reviews can be faked.

But they can be good to look at to get an idea about some potential issues if several people mention them.

And when it comes to Wyzant, I saw some important points. This does not mean it is not safe or that you cannot earn as a tutor. But you just need to be aware of these things so you know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

One complaint I have seen quite a few times is that some tutors feel like the students are expecting them to write papers or do assignments for them.

Writing papers for students actually goes against the terms of Wyzant and I have seen complaints from tutors saying they had their account terminated because Wyzant said they violated these terms (even though the tutors said they did not).

And as you can see in the image above, this can put you as a tutor in a very unfavorable position.

If a student is not honest he/she can try to push you to write a paper or do an assignment – if you refuse they can give a bad rating which will mean you might not get paid and it will be difficult to get other jobs.

If you agree, you will violate the terms and your account might be terminated.

This is, of course, not only an issue with Wyzant but a general challenge if you want to become a tutor online. How relevant it is, depends a lot on the topic you teach but it is a real risk you need to consider and be able to deal with.

In addition to this, a common complaint I have seen about Wyzant is that some tutors say they have had their account terminated without any explanation.

The image above just shows one example of several complaints I have seen like this.

I cannot say if it was fair the account was terminated or not as I do not know the details. But it brings up an important point you need to consider before spending time building up a good reputation.

You do not own your business when it runs through a platform like Wyzant. You can work hard and build up a really good reputation and business, but since you do not own it, it can be closed at any time.

If that happens, you will be left with no income if you solely rely on one platform.

This is not just a risk for Wyzant but for any freelance platform. If you do not own the channel, you have no control and it can be shut down without warning.

Personally, that is one of the reasons I decided to start an online business from home instead of working on freelance platforms as you then own the asset.

This does, of course, not mean your account will be closed but it is just something to be aware of. And if you join, make sure to read Wyzant’s terms carefully and make sure not to break any of them.

With that being said, I want to mention that I have also seen a lot of positive Wyzant reviews from tutors.

So it is not just all complaints and it seems there are also quite a lot of satisfied tutors.

But the complaints are, in my opinion, still important to consider as they point out some important aspects so you can secure yourself the best possible way and make the best decision for you.

Final verdict

Wyzant is a legit platform where you can earn as a tutor.

But it is not without flaws.

So let’s finish by summing up the pros and cons so you can get a better overview before deciding to join or not.

Pros:

• You can get access to tutoring students all over the US
• Gives you a flexible working schedule
• Free to apply
• Many different subjects available

Cons:

• The fees are high
• Overall relatively low earning potential
• You do not own the channel so you can risk your account will be closed
• Some complaints about unfavorable terms for tutors

If you would like to become an online tutor and get a more flexible working schedule, Wyzant is a way to do this and you can earn on the platform as it will give you access to a lot of potential students.

But there is no guarantee how many students you will get. It will definitely take time to build up a good reputation before you are able to get a decent income.

In addition to this, the main concern I have about Wyzant is its relatively high fees which makes it even more difficult to make decent money as a tutor.

So you need to be aware that it will not be easy money and it will take some patience.

And if you decide to join, make sure to carefully read all the terms and do not break them because they can terminate your account at any time and then you are left with nothing.

But if you are OK with this and love teaching online, Wyzant is a legit option.

How I make a living online

If you are looking for a way of building an income for yourself, there are luckily many options online today.

Personally, I have been able to create a full-time online income that now allows me to work completely on my own terms.

It takes some effort but it is totally worth it.

If you want to follow my footsteps and create your own online income, then check out my FREE guide where I explain how this is possible step-by-step.

You can even get started with these steps as a complete beginner.

 

If you have any questions, comments, or have any experience with Wyzant tutoring yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.