How To Become An Online Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an online instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

Rodney Foster,

Quan Mai Ph.D.

An online instructor is a teacher or tutor who teaches courses over the internet. They provide instruction to students in their specified subjects based on their previous training. They mostly teach post-secondary students. Online instructors can typically be employed by universities, colleges, vocational schools, government, or even corporate organizations.

Over the recent years, there has been an increasingly growing demand for online instructors due to the high global demand for high-quality education. This increasing demand is also a result of technological advancements making it possible for people from one continent to access education in another continent digitally.

Most of the duties of online instructors are the same as those of in-person instructors, except that they connect to students via online communication channels, such as emails and video chats.

Online instructors are responsible for leading online discussions, maintaining students' progress reports, grading work, among other duties. The work schedule of an online instructor is mostly part-time, depending on scheduled lesson times.

What general advice would you give to an Online Instructor?

Rodney Foster

Instructor - Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor - Airframe & Powerplant Technology, Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College (OCC) teaches Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) and Avionics. Although the Government has dampened air travel by putting up restrictions to prevent a Covid-19 spread, there is still a certified mechanic/skilled labor shortage. I believe all our students will have permanent jobs within a six-month search. OCC AMT is listed as an essential workforce by the state of California and is back in classes full-time, Face-to-face labs, and online lectures. Our next semester registration maximum filled in two days and still has over 35 additional students per class on the waiting list.

ScoreOnline InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,114

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.9

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 8.14%

Black or African American 11.85%

Hispanic or Latino 15.16%

Unknown 6.15%

White 58.06%

Gender

female 66.52%

male 33.48%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an online instructor

Explore online instructor education requirements

Most common online instructor degrees

Bachelor's

46.2 %

Master's

37.2 %

Doctorate

8.1 %

Start to develop specific online instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Skype	14.06%
Math	12.53%
Zoom	12.24%
Learning Objectives	10.49%
K-12	7.30%

Research online instructor duties and responsibilities

Utilize blackboard management system to encourage online discussions and manage grades.
Prepare and deliver instruction to students in topics such as literature, grammar, and writing.
Develop course materials such as course calendar, syllabus, handouts, and additional resources for students.
Develop rubric syllabus, and introduction materials.

Prepare your online instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your online instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an online instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Online Instructor Resume templates

Build a professional Online Instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Online Instructor resume.

Apply for online instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an online instructor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do online instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Online Instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The transfer of knowledge and the joy on the student's face when they understand

Cons

The low pay which is often offered

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019