The Average Salary for Teaching an Online Class

The average salary for teaching an online class depends on the kind of class you're teaching, your degrees and experience and whether or not you are teaching with an institution. According to Military.com, there are a variety of online teaching positions, from private teaching and tutoring to professorships at online colleges and universities. Each of these positions comes with different salary requirements.

Today, online instructors are teaching private, K-12, college and adult education classes on the web. The average pay per class differs greatly depending on the kind of class that you teach. According to THE Journal, online K-12 public schools are seeking quality teachers to instruct in virtual environments, and K-12 teachers often make around $50,000 per year. Military.com notes that college adjunct faculty can earn as much as $100,000 a year, while private tutors, who offer music lessons and help with homework, tend to make much less and are paid hourly.

The salary for online college instructors depends on the types of classes taught as well as the degrees held and experience. According to EDU Choice, most online faculty members make about half of the average salary of a full-time faculty member, which is approximately $56,000. In some cases, full-time faculty members are paid an additional amount to teach online classes. For instance, St. Cloud State University pays $65 per student per credit hour. In other cases, teachers may be paid a specific amount per class.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that K-12 teachers made an average income of between $47,100 and $51,180 in 2008. However, teacher pay is sometimes based on teacher quality, which could mean excellent teachers who are willing to teach online could get paid more. K-12 teachers working in a private school or with a home school group can have very different salaries.

Teachers can offer a variety of different types of private instruction online, ranging from ESL instruction to musical lessons. According to Military.com, these instructors tend to be paid by the hour, and they often make much less than college instructors. Some online portals, like Wiziq, allow teachers to set the amount that they charge per class. Other portals, like Power Learning 21, offer pay based on the number of students that take the class.

Like many online job offers, there are some risks in taking an offer of online teaching. Offers that request payment before salary is paid, that promise a salary that is much higher than should be expected, or that request and exchange of goods or services should be avoided.