Did you know that the online education industry was valued at $107 billion in 2015? And that’s just elearning. The general education industry is much, much bigger. That’s good news for job seekers — including teachers, curriculum developers, administrators, and tutors. Traditional education institutions are also exploring more online options and incorporating more infrastructure that allows telecommuting, so you don’t necessarily have to be in the elearning industry to work remotely in education. All this to say: if you’re in the field of education, you’re in luck — there are lots of remote education jobs. If you’ve already checked out the best places to start looking for remote work and haven’t had any luck, try these options.
A tip on searching for remote positions on jobs boards:
There might not necessarily be a “Remote” or “Work from home” option in the location search field. If that’s the case, try including the word “remote” as a keyword.
HigherEd Jobs
Many of the opportunities listed at HigherEd Jobs are specific to higher ed, such as faculty positions or dissertation advisors. There are other positions, as well, like tutors or research assistants, that don’t necessarily require a terminal degree or even a master’s. More and more administrative jobs are becoming available with the possibility of at least some remote work, too.
Worth checking out if you have a master’s, PhD, and/or have some experience working in higher education and would like to continue your experience at the post-secondary level. If you already work in the higher ed space, it’s worth exploring the possibility of telecommuting part time — check out our tips on how to present your case for telecommuting.
FlexJobs
Flexjobs is a resource that makes this list (and every list) because it has so many resources for all industries. This site vets the positions and companies listed to give job seekers specific details about how much telecommuting the job allows, plus what it’s like to work for those companies.
When you visit FlexJobs, go to Advanced Search and enter the search criteria you want. Choose the generic category of Education and Training or get more specific if you know exactly what kind of job you want.
EdSurge
EdSurge is a resource for edtech (educational technology) companies that has a job board. You can filter by location (choose Remote) and organization type (Startup, Large Company, School, Non-profit, or HigherEd Institution).
Why you should use EdSurge: Since the site focuses on Educational Technology, you can find a lot of information about some of the companies that come up in the search results.
Teaching Associations
It’s possible you’re already a member of a professional organization in your industry. There are generalized organizations, like the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), the Association for American Educators (AAE), and the National Education Association (NEA), and there are groups that are much more specific, like the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Depending on your affiliations, you might have access to listings for education jobs and other helpful resources through those organizations.
Individual Companies
Some of the biggest names in the education business — Kaplan, K12, Western Governor’s University, Rosetta Stone, Connections Education — all have Careers sections of their websites where you can explore education jobs. These positions are also likely available on large job search sites like Indeed. Even so, there might be a chance that you see a position here that you didn’t find with a search engine.
UpWork
Freelance opportunities are readily available on Upwork to people with education backgrounds. So, this may be a good option for you to get started with remote work, as you can freelance on the side while you keep a full time job.
Example search terms to find education jobs include:
- Teaching
- Curriculum design
- Curriculum development
- Lesson plans
- Ecourses or elearning
- Education
- Training
- Learning and development
Tips for finding Remote Education Jobs:
- Reach out to your current and former colleagues for to see if they know of education companies that offer telecommuting. It never hurts to have a personal connection with someone on the inside of a company that you’re interested in. And you increase your odds of finding a job if you tap into your personal connections. Remember that hundreds and sometimes thousands of people apply for some job opportunities, which means it’s all that much harder to stand out as a candidate.
- Make sure your resume is up to date! And make sure it is error-free. Pay someone to edit it for mistakes or have a detail-oriented friend look it over.
- Make a list of all the education companies you’ve ever consulted or used personally in your education experience. This includes:
- Publishing companies for textbooks or other resources you’ve used
- Education apps that are used in classrooms
- Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Moodle)
- Online course marketplaces
- Professional development services
- Administrative services or software companies
- After making that list, determine which ones you were happy with — ones that made your life easier or had potential to change kids’ lives. Then visit the jobs board for each of those companies. If there are any openings, apply — and make sure to reach out to any contacts you may still have at those organizations.
Other Options
If you can’t find a part time or full time position that interests you, you can always teach your own classes through a platform like Udemy.
You should also check with your current employer to see if there are any options for you to have a more flexible schedule. Or, there might be remote job openings that you aren’t aware of.
And of course, just because you’ve been in the field of education doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stay there. Check out our other blog posts about finding remote jobs for more information.
