Why Online Tutoring?
Below I list the advantages and disadvantages of online tutoring compared to in-person tutoring based off of my own experience. I taught almost exclusively in-person from June 2017 until December 2018 and since then I've been teaching almost exclusively online. For online lessons I use Google Meet. During lessons I use tools such as online white boards, PDF editors, and screen sharing.
Advantages of online tutoring over in-person tutoring:
Convenience: you and I both save a great deal of time, money, health, and the environment by avoiding car travel.Â
Elimination of geographical constraints: I can teach you no matter where you are located, and you get can access good online tutoring no matter where you are located. Most people in the US live in suburban areas where really good tutors can be difficult to find.
No risk of transmitting COVID-19 or any other diseases.
Easy to save work done during the lesson as PDF files and as images; both are more reliable than paper.
Online white boards, screen sharing, a good microphone, a good camera, and a good internet connection make online lessons just about as efficient and effective as in-person lessons.
Disadvantages of online tutoring over in-person tutoring:
Not being able to see the student's work in real time as well as with in-person tutoring makes it more difficult to work on a few types of problems, such as an advanced algebra problem which requires several steps. However, this is not an issue with the vast majority of material covered for the SAT / ACT, math, chess, or other subjects. A touchscreen device or a ~$50 Wacom graphics tablet fully solves this issue.
Sometimes not as "personal" as in-person tutoring. However, there is more privacy as students are able to attend lessons from their own bedroom (comfortable + quiet) rather than a library or the living room.
Internet connection or bandwidth issues