Online Math Tutoring
The shortcut: Pick one narrow grade band or one curriculum (Singapore Math, Saxon, IXL-aligned) and own it. Generalists on Wyzant fight over $35/hour scraps. Specialists charge $80-$120/hour and keep parents for years.
Industry: Childcare & Education | Investment level: Micro — $300-$1,000 | Time to launch: 2-4 weeks (laptop, Zoom, an LLC, and your first 3 students gate the launch)
Best for: A current or former teacher, a strong-in-math undergrad, an engineer who likes explaining things, or anyone who actually moved a kid's math grade and got told "you should do this for money." You're a fit if you can hold a 50-minute session with a fidgety 11-year-old, write a 6-week plan around a specific gap (fractions, integers, word problems), and answer a parent text within a day. What you'll likely make: $600-$1,500 month 3, $1,800-$3,200 month 6, $3,200-$6,000 month 12. Math is in Section 4.
Market Opportunity
The parent calling you usually isn't shopping for a tutor — she's reacting to a report card. The kid pulled a D on a fractions unit, the next test is in three weeks, and Mathnasium quoted $399/month for sessions in a strip mall 25 minutes away. You're the alternative: someone who shows up on a screen at 7pm Tuesday, works the actual gap, and doesn't cost a car payment.
That panic buy is the entry point. The bigger market: most parents who hire a tutor for a one-month "fix" keep them for the rest of the school year once a grade moves. The global online tutoring market sits in the $10-$12 billion range and is growing about 15% per year through 2030. What that means for you on the ground: a kid who books two sessions a week at $70 is worth roughly $5,000 over a single school year.
The trap is the marketplace tax. Wyzant takes 25% of every dollar you earn until lifetime billings cross $2,000, then drops to 20%. Outschool keeps about 30% of group-class revenue. Coaches who never move clients off the marketplace stay permanently capped at marketplace margins. Your first Wyzant client should also get an email and a nudge to book directly next time.
Start with this idea — free signup, no card required.
