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Chegg Tutoring Review: What Others Think

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In the past, Chegg used to be a platform that allowed you to rent college textbooks.  That has since changed as they offer a variety of other services as well, including a very popular online tutoring service.  This platform is available 24/7, helping students get the help they need in virtually any subject.  Thousands of students use it every day, which means the potential to make $500+ a month by helping other students.

If you’re a tutor on a competing website or maybe you’re looking into online tutoring, I wanted to discuss the Chegg Tutoring option, letting you know how much you can make, how it works as well as what other people think of the setup.

As in all of my reviews, I’m 100% honest, giving you the straight facts.  I will never mislead you nor will I recommend something I wouldn’t use.  I just don’t work that way.

If you love helping others and feel you’re an expert in the field you’re looking to tutor, then let’s see if Chegg Tutoring is a fit.

What Is Chegg Tutoring?

Chegg Tutoring is operated by Chegg, a website that focuses on almost every college, from textbook rentals to study help.  It’s one of the biggest in the field, serving millions of visitors every month.  This means a lot of potential customers if you were to become a tutor.

As a tutor, you can log in whenever you please, from wherever you are.  Whenever you do log in, Chegg will send you students, where you will be asked to video chat or answer a question they may have.  It’s always up to you as to which jobs you want to accept, and you get to select the job from a job board of sorts.

Since you’re an independent contractor, you get to do as you please.  As you answer questions and help, you can build your reputation and earn even more opportunity as your rating can play an important role.



Signing Up

If you were interested in becoming a tutor, it isn’t as easy as applying and then getting approved.  Unfortunately, they do have standards.  It’s for a good reason, of course.  After all, would you want to hire a tutor with no math experience?

To sign up, you will need to provide any two of the following:

  • diploma photograph
  • student ID
  • copies of your transcript
  • screenshot of your student portal
  • National Student Clearinghouse enrollment verification
  • letter of college acceptance
  • teaching certification
  • any other documents to prove you’re a college student or have been enrolled in college for four years.

Depending on the subject you want to teach, you may be asked to take a test to gauge your proficiency as well as provide a short video introducing yourself.  It will vary, but as long as you’re a college student or graduate and you can prove you know your subjects, you shouldn’t have a problem getting accepted.

If interested and you meet the guidelines mentioned above, you can start your application here.  It will take up to seven business days to hear back.

Chegg Tutoring Pay

According to the official Chegg FAQ, you will be paid a flat $20 per hour for whatever time is spent in a video chat with a student or when you’re writing out an answer.  This payment is based on the total number of minutes invested, but you will always average $20 per hour.

With each lesson paying at least five minutes of your time at a minimum, you can be guaranteed $1.66 for every job you complete.  While every job won’t take you an hour, you can plan on making $1.66 to $5~ per time spent on each answer.  It will, of course, vary, depending on the student you’re working with.  Some may need your help for only 10 minutes whereas another student may eat up 30+ minutes of your time.

The company states that top tutors earn $1,000 per month, so this should give you an idea as to what you can earn.  It doesn’t appear to be a full-time gig, but it could turn out to be a decent side hustle.  Remember, your results will vary.

Every Thursday morning, payments are sent out via PayPal.

How Does It Work?

Once you’re accepted, you can log in and choose from the active jobs, and these will be found in the “Opportunities” tab.  As seen in that graphic above, you may see that a student needs help in a subject you’re proficient in.  In this case, a student can submit questions and you can then answer them in whatever way a student wishes.  This can include a simple text answer or they may ask to video chat with you, where you will work with them using a virtual video board, helping them answer any question you may have.

Aside from being able to accept the live jobs, a student can also find you via the profile search.  When you sign up, you will be asked to create a profile, which will highlight your experience as well as the subjects you’re proficient in.  As long as you click on the “show my profile in search results” in your settings, then a student can find you when they search.  If they like what they see, then they can choose to send you a direct message or a lesson request, in which you can accept or decline.  Just be sure to set your status to active as this will increase your chances of getting an invite.

As long as the student is happy with the work, the job completes and you will get credited for the time you invested.

The Pros

  • $20+ per hour
  • work whenever you want (100% flexible)
  • work as much as you want
  • can be enjoyable if you like the subject you’re teaching
  • weekly PayPal payments

The Cons

  • inconsistent work
  • some lessons only last 5 minutes
  • many jobs are taken within seconds

What Are People Saying

On Glassdoor, tutors gave Chegg a solid 86% score, with 91% saying they approve of the CEO; however, if you narrow down the ratings to just the tutors, that 86% score drops to a very low 65%.

In reading the reviews, the most common complaint seemed to be that the work was inconsistent and shouldn’t be used as a real source of income.

Aside from the inconsistent work, some reviewers noted that many customers/students just wanted the answer and didn’t necessarily need the help.  In return, this led to very short lesson times, leading to the absolute minimum.

On the positive side, though, tutors loved that you could create your own hours and the pay was quite well in comparison to other online jobs.

Final Thoughts

8/10In the end, Chegg tutoring has a lot of potential.  As long as you qualify, this can be an awesome opportunity for stay-at-home moms, current college students, or college graduates who are looking to make $100 to $1,000 a month. While you won’t get rich with this gig, you can make for a decent side job.  Plus, unlike most jobs that don’t have value, this one can feel rewarding at the end, seeing you’re helping other students in their college career.

As long as you’re competent in at least one subject and you don’t mind interacting with people online, this is one to highly consider.  The sign-up process only takes a few minutes and you could be tutoring in as early as a few weeks.

As always, if you have anything you would like to add, whether it’s good or bad, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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