Course Hero Tutor Review Summary

Course Hero hires English-speaking tutors to answer student questions, paying around $3 per question. The application process is simple, with no teaching certification or experience required, the schedule is flexible, though question availability is a lottery, and some teachers have been terminated without pay.

Course Hero Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Quick and simple application process
• No teaching experience or certification required
• Flexible hours with no fixed schedule
• No face-to-face tutoring

Cons:

• Several reports of tutors having their accounts closed without getting paid
• There will be periods when you will be online without any questions to answer (thus no chance to make money back for that time)
• Tutors need to answer a large volume of questions to make significant money
• Some questions will require significant time and detailed explanation

Is Course Hero Legit?

Course Hero is a legitimate American education website that was founded in 2006 and is based out of Redwood City, California. It provides an online platform for over 20 million students to ask questions about course content as well as access course-specific study resources such as tests, essays, and revision guides. It has attracted over $477million of funding from 33 investors and in 2022 it was a winner in Fast Company‘s 2022 ‘World Changing Ideas Awards’.

What are Course Hero Tutor Questions?

Course Hero does not provide a regular tutoring service; instead Course Hero tutors are paid to use their subject expertise to answer student questions about material they are learning in school. Students who have paid for a subscription can post questions on the platform, which are then picked up, answered, and elaborated on by Course Hero tutors.

Course Hero Tutor Subjects

Almost any academic subject can be covered by a qualified Course Hero tutor, including: 

• Arts, Humanities, and Languages: Writing, Journalism, History, Religion, Philosophy, Communications, English, French, Spanish, Music
• Engineering and Technology: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Bioengineering, Computer Science (Artificial, Intelligence, C++ Programming, Information Security, Java Programming, MYSQL, Networking, Object-Oriented Programming, Python Programming)
• Business: Accounting, Finance, Business, Economics, Management, Marketing
• Math: Statistics and Probability, Algebra, Calculus, Trigonometry, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Applied Mathematics
• Science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Nursing, Health Science, Earth Science, Pharmacology
• Social Science: Law, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology

How Much Do Course Hero Tutors Make?

Course Hero tutors earn an average of US$3 per question, though more complicated questions can provide higher rates. The average hourly pay a Course Hero tutor might receive is $12-$20 per hour.

Course Hero Tutor Payment Method and Frequency

The Course Hero tutor salary is paid via PayPal. Once you have added a verified PayPal account, you may request to withdraw your earnings at any time using a button on the “Tutor Earnings” page of your dashboard. It can take up to 7 business days to receive earnings once a request to withdraw has been made.

It is important to note that tutors are paid by the students asking the questions, Course Hero just facilitates these payments. There are also a number of reports of tutors having their accounts closed without receiving their outstanding balances (see Course Hero Reviews below).

Course Hero Tutor Hours

Course Hero is available to students and tutors 24/7. There is no set schedule or minimum hours requirement. Unfortunately, this also means that you may be online at a point when there are no questions that need answering, or another tutor beats you to them, providing no opportunity to make money back for the time you were available.

Is Course Hero Still Accepting Tutors?

You can check whether Course Hero is currently accepting new tutors here.

Course Hero Tutor Requirements

No Course Hero tutor qualifications are required beyond a degree or diploma (or proof of enrollment). You must be able to provide the following documents as part of your application:

• Copy of your educational background (e.g. degree/diploma, transcript)
• Government-issued or school ID
• Selfie photo holding that ID

Course Hero Tutor Application Process

Course Hero tutor registration only takes around 40 minutes, involving 3 main steps:

1. Create a Course Hero tutor account
2. Provide basic information and select tutoring subjects
3. Upload ID and academic credentials

You can create a Course Hero account to become a tutor here by signing up with your email address, Facebook or Google account.

Once you are signed up, you will have to submit the following details:

1. Basic information:
   1. First name
   2. Last name
   3. What country do you live in?
   4. Are you above the age of 13?
   5. What is your phone number? (optional)
2. Background and expertise:
   1. What is the highest level of education you have completed?
   2. What is your professional background?
   3. Have you tutored before?
   4. Do you tutor on any other online platform(s)?
   5. If you answered “yes” above, what other platform(s) do you tutor on?
3. Additional information:
   1. How did you hear about Course Hero?
   2. If you have a referral code, enter it here.
4. Select subjects (up to 20)
5. Test your knowledge (for certain subjects)
6. Provide credentials
   1. Upload a picture of your photo identification card (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
   2. Upload proof of your education, i.e. official college/university transcript (preferred), diploma, grade sheet, grade memo, credit sheet, mark sheet, pass certificate, provisional certificate, and online transcript or grade report (showing full name and full web address)
   3. Upload a picture holding your photo identification card next to your face

It takes up to 7 days to receive an email stating whether you have been approved as a Course Hero tutor or not.

Here is a video taking you through the application process visually:

Course Hero Reviews – What Is It Like Working for Course Hero?

The Course Hero Glassdoor page currently has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, with 86% willing to recommend them. Below is a summary of these Course Hero employee reviews, as well as the latest one that has been written (at time of publication). They talk positively about the flexible hours, no time limit for answering questions, simple application process, and nice user interface, though there is a fair amount of criticism over the student-biased rating system, which offers little recourse to challenge unhelpful ratings:

In contrast, the Course Hero Trustpilot score is much lower, at only 2.1 out of 5. This obviously reflects student opinions too, though there are several Course Hero tutor reviews here that complain about having their accounts closed before they could withdraw their earnings, which is a major cause for concern:

Conclusion – Is Course Hero Worth It?

On the surface, Course Hero would appear like an appealing and quick option for those lacking experience or qualifications, but who want schedule flexibility and less intense face-to-face teaching time. However, the multiple reports from tutors who have had their accounts closed without being paid is a major word of caution, while the amount you earn depends upon your luck of being online at the same time as a student’s question is posted, and able to answer it before another tutor can.

You can apply through the Course Hero tutor sign up page.

If you are interested in work answering student questions then Numerade provides an alternative option, or rather check out our full list of online teaching companies.