Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013, days after Google Helpouts launched. Google closed Helpouts in April 2015, and Hangouts and Google Wallet have since been discontinued or replaced, so the article should be read as a period piece.
One way to earn money online is to teach what you know to people who want to learn it, whether that is programming, writing, design, make-up, languages… Anyone who wants to give private lessons has hundreds of ways to do it, although one of the most widely used until now, ever since it arrived, has been Hangouts, where you can connect with one user or a group of users and collect the payment yourself.
But now Google Helpouts has arrived, putting thousands of professionals (for now) at your disposal on a single platform and in one place. It also has a search engine so that anyone who needs a professional in a specific subject can find one. How does Google Helpouts work, and how can I make money with it?
First of all, for now the platform is only available in English and Google is testing the idea, although the project looks set to be a success. To begin with, anyone who wants to join as a teacher in their subject has to fill in a questionnaire, after which Google will either let you onto the platform or turn down your application.
According to a young woman interviewed by Juan Diego Polo on wwwhatsnew.com, who wanted to offer free help with advanced Spanish and with educational technology, she had to pass a video interview with a member of the Google Helpouts team, who asked her about her qualifications and also about her motivation for offering this kind of help.
She says her request to teach Spanish was approved quickly, but she has not yet been approved to teach educational technology.
How does Google Helpouts work, and how do you get paid?
There are several formats, including chat, but the most common is videoconference. Some teachers offer their services free of charge, but those who decide to charge can bill for a complete Helpout, specifying its length, or charge per minute, per hour and so on. The payment method Google uses is, naturally, Google Wallet, and Google keeps 20% of the earnings, presumably to cover the management and upkeep of the platform. Google also refunds 100% of the money to the client if they are not satisfied with the Helpout.
(Read: The 33 profitable businesses of the future and the sectors that will create jobs)
This video gives an idea of how the service works and what it is for. I am completely convinced it will be the future of online teaching, at least for tutoring and private lessons on the internet, because over time everything will become much faster: if you need help with a problem (whatever it is), you will only have to connect, and for 3 or 4 euros your problem will be solved in five minutes.
Watch: a video showing how Helpouts works
Further reading
- 29 ideas for making money online or from home
- 5 questions to find out how you could earn some extra money
- Original product ideas to make at home and earn money with creativity
Featured image: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
