How to Become a Freelance Programming Teacher
Do you have a passion for solving problems and think you’d enjoy helping IT or computer science students do the same thing? Being a programming teacher can be an incredibly rewarding career.
With the right tools at hand for the job, industry experience, and knowledge of programming, you could be a professional that teaches many interested in the field of information technology.
What Is a Programming Teacher?
If you haven’t attended a college class about programming, you may have no idea what this profession includes. A programming teacher is basically someone who has a lot of industry and professional knowledge when it comes to programming computer languages, such as Python or C++. This professional has everything they need to teach simple and complex coding topics to a range of learners.
Ever heard of the classic “Hello, World” code? As a teacher, teaching methods could cover basic software-building techniques and more complex algorithms for developing a range of programs. As a teacher, you may also help students create, develop, maintain, and fix code in various formats, whether you decide to useVisual Studio Code, Brackets, Atom, BBEdit, or another programming software entirely.
1. Obtain Certifications
Although it is possible to become a programming teacher with just experience alone, it can be an extremely difficult process without having relevant qualifications to back up your expertise. A programming teacher will need an IT or computer science degree, or if not, taking subjects or short courses such as introduction to programming and learning C++ or C#, HTML, CSS, database fundamentals, and SQL, and electives such as app development.
A master’s degree in a similar discipline, and ideally, a doctorate to work and teach at the college level is recommended. However, freelancing can be done with short certifications. It’s also very useful to take on internships and programming experience, such as working as a tutor to students in your cohort who are struggling. This is a great way to gain confidence in teaching while studying. Want somewhere to begin in terms of programming? Here ishow to start coding in your browser with Microsoft Visual Studio Online.
2. Decide on a Teaching Level
Deciding on what level you want to teach is ultimately a personal preference, but while studying at college or learning online, you want to figure out what coding languages you’re more comfortable with. What are your strengths, and what coding languages are you weaker with? Are you good at Python but struggling with SQL and databases? Or do you prefer teaching how to code mobile applications or websites?
Furthermore, do you want to teach college-level programming, or would you rather teach a lower level—such as high school? You might want to start with younger students and progress slowly to more complicated code. Likewise, you might prefer to work as a freelance programming tutor. It’s up to you, and you can feel confident knowing you’re teaching skills that you’re comfortable with.
3. Decide How to Teach
The great thing about working as a freelance programmer is the ability to work at your own pace. It is flexible in terms of time and potential earnings, and you don’t need to work five days a week like a traditional college job. Things to consider would be where you’d prefer to teach and whether you want to use online communities likeUdemyand YouTube. Your choice of platform can impact your views, earnings, and audience.
Likewise, you might prefer a freelance platform likeFiverror Upwork, where you could advertise teaching services as packages—instead of relying on Udemy subscriptions or revenue from YouTube ads. Figuring out what platforms work for you will overall make the freelance teaching process a lot smoother. However, if you’re great at multitasking and have the time to do so, feel free to branch out and teach on multiple platforms. It’s a great way to source multiple streams of income and increase your reach.
4. Create Lesson Plans
As a freelance programming teacher or tutor, you can build your own lesson plans and don’t need to stick to a strict curriculum. With this flexibility in mind, you want to consider the best lessons for the students and how you can teach them effectively.
You want to begin with basic coding and engaging activities, offer examples of how to do this, and hand out resources to teach students to read over prior to the lesson. At the end of each lesson, you could create a quiz for each student to complete. It would also be a good idea to plan weekly programming activities before the next class. Do you want help with planning lessons or a way to keep track of lesson resources? Have a look athow to plan your day in Notion.
5. Network and Gain Professional Development
Networking in any industry is important, and as a freelance programming teacher, this is a great way to grow your coding and industry knowledge. Network with other programming teachers online, join online or in-person community groups, or reach out personally to gain a mentor with more experience. After all, everyone in any industry can keep learning. If you want to know how to source students or potential learners, here are someproactive ways to find freelance jobs on LinkedIn.
Professional development skills to enhance could include classroom management, adjusting your mindset, earning national board certifications, and more. Not only will you know updates relevant to the computer science industries, but you’ll always be prepared to teach students professionally. Where can you gain professional development? Online sources such asCodeHShave flexible online learning, workshops, personalized feedback, support, and more.
Explore a Career as a Programming Teacher
If you want to make a big difference in the lives of IT, computer science students, or those without existing experience, a freelance programming teacher is a satisfying career path. You’ll be able to finish work knowing that you’ve made an impact—and that you will continue to do so in an ever-growing field. What you teach, how you teach, and who you teach are at your fingertips.
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