Udemy is an online teaching platform that claims you can earn money by teaching online courses.
So, if you are looking for a side hustle or just a way to earn extra cash, then you might be interested in joining this site.
However, I highly suggest you read this Udemy for Instructors review first because it will check if the site is legit or a scam and show you what to expect if you become one of their instructors. Then, you can make an educated decision on whether this platform is for you or not.
So, let’s go ahead and check out Udemy, shall we?
What is Udemy, and what does it offer?
As mentioned above, Udemy is an online teaching platform that allows you to earn by teaching online courses. And yes, it is a legit site since you can really earn money from it. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Udemy is a good fit for you.
To find out if you should become an instructor for Udemy, you must first understand how it works. The only way to do that is to analyze the earning opportunity it offers so you will have a clear idea of how much time and effort is needed to earn from it.
So, here’s how to earn from Udemy.
The earning opportunity – Teaching online courses
The thing with Udemy is that anyone can become an instructor. But if you want to earn from the courses you teach, you have to become a premium instructor. Later, I will explain how you can do this.
But for now, let’s assume that you are already a premium instructor to check out the earning opportunity.
The first step is to create a course. Take note that the teaching method of Udemy is through videos. You won’t actually have to hold an online class. You’ll have to create videos of the courses you want to teach and upload them on Udemy.
When creating a course, you also have to include a description so that students can figure out if it’s the course they are looking for or not.
Then, you also must set the price of the course. Once the price is set, your course is ready to be uploaded on Udemy. Once it is uploaded, you can proceed to the next step.
There are two ways to earn from the course you uploaded. The first one is by promoting it through various platforms. For this, you can use your instructor coupons or referral links, which will be provided by Udemy.
The other method is when students find your course on Udemy’s marketplace. You see, students can also browse Udemy’s course market to find courses they want to take. So you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting. However, with this method, the amount you will earn will be significantly lower.
Let me break it down for you. If you get students to take your course through a coupon or referral link, you will receive 97% of the amount you indicated when you created the course. But if a student finds your course in the marketplace, you will only receive 37% of the price of the course.
Udemy designed this system to incentivize instructors to promote their courses. Udemy provides you with tools you can use to promote your courses.
The courses you can teach can be anything from design, marketing, IT and software, business, health and fitness, music, personal development, finance and accounting, and office productivity.
Now, what you need to keep in mind with this opportunity is that there’s no guarantee you will earn from it.
As explained, a student must pay the fee to take the course for you to earn. If you want to increase your chances of earning, you must market your courses, and that will require a lot of time and effort. So, while creating the course will be relatively easy, getting people to take it is a bit of a challenge, in my opinion.
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How do you get paid?
When a student takes your course, they will pay the fee you set when you created the course. But as explained above, you will only receive a percentage of the amount.
Now, the question is, how will you be able to receive your earnings? Well, Udemy offers payment via PayPal or Payoneer. And if you live in the US, you also have the option to withdraw your earnings via direct bank transfer.
You don’t need to reach a threshold to withdraw your earnings. As long as a student pays for your course, you can withdraw your earnings. Udemy also does not charge any transactional fees when delivering payment to you, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
Overall, the payment system of Udemy is relatively simple and convenient. I like the fact that it offers payment via PayPal since it is one of the most convenient payment methods available today. If you are interested in more sites that offer a convenient payment method, I suggest you also check out the top sites that pay via PayPal.
How much money can you make?
The amount you can earn from Udemy will mostly depend on how many students will take your courses. As explained earlier, you can set the price of each course you teach, but you must do your research to figure out the proper pricing of your courses.
If you set the price of your courses too low, you will not be earning efficiently. If you also set your courses too high, students might get discouraged from taking them. So, you must find the right balance of affordability and proper pricing to attract potential students.
Aside from that, as explained earlier, the amount you will earn will depend on how students found your course. If they found your course through your referral link or promotional material, you will earn more. But, if they find it in the Udemy marketplace, you will earn less than half of the amount you set.
This is why it is very important to build an audience to promote your courses because that is how you can earn the most from the site. But overall, I would say the earning potential of Udemy will really depend on how much work you put in to promote your courses.
Can you use it on mobile?
Udemy has a mobile app, but it is only meant to be used by students when taking courses. As an instructor, you will mainly have to use the web-based platform. Fortunately, the platform is optimized for mobile use, so you will be able to navigate it conveniently using a mobile device.
That being said, the only thing you can really do on the platform when using a mobile device is to check and see if there are new enrollees on your courses. The rest of the work needs to be done using a computer, especially when creating videos for your courses.
Who can join Udemy?
The site of Udemy doesn’t tell you specifically which countries it is available in. But from what I can tell, it is available more or less worldwide. So, you should be able to sign up as an instructor regardless of where you live. However, you have to be at least 18 years old to do so.
Joining Udemy as an instructor is free and relatively straightforward. You just need to fill out the registration form (refer to the photo above) and answer a few questions regarding your teaching experience.
However, to become a premium instructor, you will need to apply for it. For this step, you’ll need to provide a 60-character headline or a quick description of your expertise. You also must write a short bio and upload a profile picture. Aside from that, you also need to select the promotional program you want to participate in.
Then, you must choose the mode of payment you want to use (PayPal, Payoneer, or direct bank transfer if you live in the US). After all the steps are completed, you have to wait for Udemy’s approval, which might take several days.
If your application is approved, you can now potentially earn from the courses you upload on Udemy. It’s not a quick process, so if you are looking to earn immediately, this site is not for you.
Can you get support?
For your inquiries, you can check out the Help & Support page first. It discusses all of the important topics you need to know as an instructor for Udemy. The site also provides you with several resources you can use when creating your courses.
If none of the resources provided by Udemy can answer your questions, you can contact the support department by using the contact form provided on the Help & Support page. Overall, I would say Udemy provides good support to its instructors since it offers a convenient way for you to ask for assistance.
Final Verdict
Udemy is a legit online teaching platform that will let you earn by teaching online courses. It has a couple of good features, but it also has some disadvantages you need to consider.
Let me wrap up this review by summarizing its pros and cons to help you with your decision.
Pros:
- No payout threshold
- Offers good support
- Offers payment via PayPal
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings
- Requires a certain level of commitment to earn
In my opinion, Udemy is not for everyone. It requires a certain level of commitment to succeed at teaching courses on this platform.
You will have to spend a lot of time building your audience so that you can promote your courses.
And, in my opinion, if you are going to do that, you might as well build your own online teaching business so that you will not have to share your earnings with a website. The amount of time required to do that will be more or less the same, based on my experience.
If you want to do that but have no idea how to start, you should check out how you can earn a full-time income through online methods. This free course will teach you how to build your own online teaching business so you can earn even when you sleep.
But if you want an opportunity that requires less effort and time, I suggest you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country instead. The sites on this list all have good earning potential, so you can earn a decent amount immediately.
If you have any comments, questions, or have experiences with Udemy for Instructors, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.