If you are an online teacher, you need a way to get paid for your services. This article will introduce you to seven of the most popular ways online teachers get paid.
Which are the seven best ways online teachers get paid? There are multiple online platforms that help teachers receive payment for their tutoring services. However, the five most popular ways online teachers get paid are:
- PayPal
- Xoom
- Skrill
- Visa Direct
- Swift Transfers
- Western Union
- Moneygram
Now that you know the seven most popular ways online teachers get paid, let’s take a deeper look and compare their features so you can choose the one that fits you the best.
PayPal
PayPal is perhaps the most popular online payment service. It is widely used all around the globe for both personal transfers and commercial transfers. This service is among the easiest to use. You can transfer money to anyone having a PayPal account, a credit card, or a savings account. On the other hand, you can receive money from another PayPal user, a credit card, or a bank transfer.
Users benefit from a wide variety of features, such as:
- Small fees
- Rapid transfers
- Easy-to-use interface
Small Fees
Fees are the most important thing to understand when it comes to choosing a money transfer method. PayPal doesn’t charge any fee for opening or closing an account. Sending or receiving money using PayPal doesn’t inflict any fees to be paid for citizens inside the U.S.
However, if you plan to send or receive money from someone that is not a US citizen there will be a fee added to the transfer depending on the amount. PayPal splits up the globe into six sets of countries: US, Canada, Northern Europe, Europe I, Europe II, and Other Countries. Depending on the country that you live in will determine the fee charged.
For the complete table of fees, visit the PayPal FAQ.
Rapid Transfers
PayPal allows its users to transfer money within minutes, depending on the transaction type. For example, Paypal-to-Paypal transfers are processed within a few minutes for free. This rapid transfer rate makes this service one of the most convenient available on the market.
However, when transferring money from your PayPal account to your bank account, expect your money to be available after a few days (usually one to three business days). If you want your PayPal to bank transaction to be processed almost instantly, you have to opt for the PayPal Instant Transfer feature. It involves paying a $10 fee or 1% of the transaction (whichever is less). Next, your money will be available within a few minutes.
For a better understanding of the processing time when using PayPal, visit PayPal SmartHelp.
Setting Up An Account
As mentioned before, PayPal is one of the easiest online money transfer methods available for free. It has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use. Additionally, there is a Support Section that answers the most frequent questions and guides users throughout any process.
If you want to Send Money, you should follow the next steps:
- Open PayPal account (https://www.paypal.com/myaccount/summary)
- Click ‘Send & Request’ button at the top of the page
- Enter the recipient’s information (name, PayPal username, e-mail address/phone number)
- Select one of the two options regarding payment (Commercial or Personal)
- Choose your payment method
- Review the information and click the ‘Send Payment Now’ button.
If you want to Receive Money using PayPal, you only must get in touch with the person that sends you the money and provide them the following information about yourself:
- Full name
- PayPal username
- E-mail address or phone number
This will be what you are doing most of the time when getting paid as a Teacher online.
Xoom
Xoom is an online money transfer service offered by PayPal. It is developed for transactions outside the US. Xoom is directly linked to the PayPal website. As a consequence, if you want to send an international payment using your PayPal account, you will be asked to use Xoom. As an online teacher from outside the US, you can use Xoom to receive payments.
As it is created by PayPal, it features a large number of features, such as:
- Fast processing
- User-friendly interface
- Fixed fees
Fast Processing
Being managed by PayPal, it ensures the same speed in matters of payment processing. You will receive the money in your account the same business day for all banks in any country. However, some events may influence the transfer duration. For example, if you want to send a large amount of money (usually more than $2,000) you will probably have to wait for a few business days.
Xoom team will always keep you updated throughout the entire process, providing you with status updates via email or text. Additionally, you can always track your transaction using the ‘Track Transactions’ page on the Xoom website.
You can see FAQs related to transfer time here.
User-friendly Interface
Xoom offers the same user-friendly interface as PayPal does. It is very simple to send an international payment using your PayPal account. Before initiating a payment, you have to create a Xoom account. When you are on the registration page, you can click the ‘Continue with PayPal’ button to create a Xoom with the same credentials as you use on PayPal.
To send a payment, you have to follow the next steps:
- Go to PayPal website
- Access ‘Send & Request’ page
- Click ‘Send to friends abroad’
- Select the country of the recipient
- Select one of the Xoom options
Transparent Fees
Using Xoom, neither you nor your customer has to worry about unclear fees. The fees are stated before the transaction is approved. The sender can see the fees that apply prior to allowing the payment. Although they may vary, it won’t be a surprise to see your account after completing the payment. Transaction fees may vary depending on:
- Transaction type
- Amount transferred
- Currency (both sender and recipient)
- Recipient’s country
A very interesting and useful feature of Xoom is the Fee Calculator. You can predict the charges that may apply to your transaction without even having money in your account. The Fee Calculator can be found here: https://www.xoom.com/money-transfer-fees
Skrill
Skrill is an electronic wallet ensuring online money transferring solutions that are available worldwide. It is widely used in Europe, being PayPal’s main concurrent. It is connected to MasterCard and you can even order a prepaid Skrill MasterCard to withdraw funds from ATMs.
This payment method features:
- Fixed fees
- High security
- Fastest transactions
Fixed Fees
Unlike PayPal, Skrill features a fixed fee list that can be viewed on its website. The most important fees that you as an online teacher must consider are:
- Skrill account: free
- Deposit to Skrill: 1%
- Sending money Skrill-to-Skrill: 1.45% (up to 5.50% if you are a new Skrill user)
- Receiving money Skrill-to-Skrill: free
- Sending money to bank account: free
- Currency conversion: 3.99%
To see the full fees that may apply to your transaction, click here.
Secured Payments
Skrill is considered being one of the most secure payment methods used on the Internet. It uses one of the latest encryption protocols to keep your data and transactions risk-free. As a certification of its security, it was the first licensed e-money issuer in the UK and is currently authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
To meet the highest standards in terms of security, Skrill uses two-factor authentication to keep your money safe. Additionally, Skrill features a team available 24/7 to provide bug fixes and to encounter any hackers trying to hijack funds.
Rapid Money Transfer
Compared to PayPal, Skrill offers even faster money processing. After the sender approves the payment, you receive the funds within a few hours and can withdraw them to your account or using a Skrill MasterCard. This is currently the fastest method available to receive a payment from a customer.
During weekends, the money is also processed almost instantly. That’s a huge perk for you as an online teacher, as you can instantly receive payments from all over the world with minimum costs.
Visa Direct
Visa is one of the most popular payment methods worldwide, also providing physical cards and accounts. To help people that want to process their transactions using a well-known company, Visa developed Visa Direct. It is an online payment solution that allows its users to send and receive funds without struggling.
Among the most important features that Visa Direct offers, it worth mentioning:
- Fraud protection
- Very simple to use
- Real-time transactions
Fraud Protection
Being one of the most widely spread payment methods available worldwide, Visa ensures high protection of its clients’ data. When using Visa Direct, you can be sure that your payment has very tiny chances of getting hijacked. Additionally, its servers feature high-quality protective measures, designated to protect your personal data and your account information.
Using Visa Direct, you avoid using your sensitive information to send money. You can connect your credit or debit card to send or receive funds. If you have a Visa card this is the safest way to receive payments from your customers, as this payment method doesn’t inflict providing your data to any third party.
Very Simple To Use
To facilitate the transactions initiated on the Internet, Visa designed a very intuitive payment process. You only have to connect your card once to the Visa Direct extension. After that, you can always select Visa Direct as your payment method when it comes to sending or receiving money, as the information required will be automatically filled into the form.
It is very useful, especially if you don’t want to carry your cards with you all around.
Real-time Transactions
Considering the global digitalization, Visa ensures real-time transactions among its customers. This means that when your customer approves your transaction, you also receive the funds within a few minutes. Because this method does not involve any third party in the process, it only transfers funds from one account to another. That’s why the transactions are almost real-time.
Swift Bank Transfers
Swift transfers are one of the most reliable methods for you as an online teacher to get paid. However, they feature some features compared to transactions made using other online payment services. Those traits include:
- Only banks involved
- Fixed transfer duration
- Clear fees
Only Banks Involved
The fact that only the two banks that work with transferred funds improves the overall security of the transaction. This way, no other third payment service manages your money, risking them to get hijacked. Another point is related to your information not being in another database.
The swift transfer process is pretty easy to understand and only comprises three steps:
- Your customer asks his bank to send you money
- His bank sends the money to your bank
- Your bank gives you the funds
Fixed Transfer Time
The steps mentioned above have a certain duration. As a result, the swift transfer has a fixed transfer duration of 48 hours. 24 hours after your customer sends the money, your bank approves the transaction. After 24 more hours, you will be able to withdraw your funds. This is an important feature when it comes to receiving your payment as an online teacher.
Clear Fees
When your customer initiates a swift transfer towards you, he will know exactly what fees apply to the transaction and what is the total amount that he will be charged for sending funds to your bank. Generally, only the sender is overcharged. Your bank should process the transaction for free.
However, your customer must understand the fact that a percentage of his money goes to his bank and proceed accordingly. For example, if your price is $100 and he sends you 100$ but gets charged 5% for any transaction ($5) you will receive only $95. If you decide to accept payments using swift transfers, both you and your customer should take an in-depth look at the fees that may apply when sending money from one bank to another.
Western Union
Western Union is commonly used for international personal transfers. For example, you can use it if you want to send money to your sister that lives in another country. Being very popular, it offers some important features. The most noteworthy functions are:
- Wide service coverage
- Mobile app
- Track Your Transfer
Wide Service Coverage
It is one of the most popular online services for sending money abroad. It is also one of the world’s oldest money transfer providers. Western Union can be used in over 200 countries and territories around the world. You can receive your payment in more than 40 different currencies.
There are a lot of commonly used currencies available when transferring funds using Western Union, such as:
- US Dollar (USD)
- Euro (EUR)
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- British Pound (GPB)
You can find the complete currency list on the Western Union website.
Mobile App
Western Union offers an advanced mobile app to allow the use of all the functions when they are on the go. The app has excellent ratings and includes all the important features. You can send money virtually anywhere around the world quickly and easily.
Additionally, Western Union claims that its mobile app is safest among the money transfer apps. This is the result of using advanced security protocols and an attentive cybersecurity team. In 2019, there was no security breach related to the Western Union mobile app.
To learn more about the Western Union mobile app, click the following link: https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/mobile.
Track Your Transfer
Western Union offers a feature that helps its users to track their payments. You simply have to go to the Western Union website and click the ‘Track Transfer’ button. You will be prompted to enter the Tracking Number of the Transfer (abbreviated MTCN).
This feature provides almost real-time tracking of your funds throughout the transfer period. You can find the Track Transfer feature by following this link: https://www.westernunion.com/global-service/track-transfer.
Moneygram
Moneygram is a global provider of money transfer and payment services. This service is among the teachers’ favourite payment methods. It provides a lot of important functions that facilitate the payment. Creating an account is free, as well as receiving money from another country. All the fees are paid by the person sending the funds. Moneygram includes a wide variety of features including:
- Easy to use
- Fraud protection
- Worldwide coverage
Easy To Use
Moneygram has one of the simplest interfaces when it comes to online money transfer. As stated on their website, users only have to perform three steps to send money to a certain person. The steps are:
- Register or Log in
- Select the receiver and the amount
- Choose the desired payment method
If you have trouble setting up a payment, you can always visit the FAQ Section on the Moneygram website (https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/ro/en/help/faq/sending-money) or ask for directions from the support team available 24/7.
Fraud Protection
Moneygram features advanced anti-fraud solutions. Those solutions include two-factor authentication as well as security of individual credentials. Moneygram tries to detect the users that are conducting illegal, fraudulent, or harmful activities using this money transfer platform.
On the Moneygram website, there is a guide related to common consumer scams. This guide comes in the support of those who are not aware of the frauds that may take place. You can see the guide on the following link: https://www.moneygram.com/mgo/ro/en/help/fraud-aware/fraud-prevention-information.
Worldwide Coverage
Moneygram is available in over 200 countries all around the world. If someone uses this method to send you money, you only have to go to a Moneygram location and withdraw the funds. Those locations include bars, gas stations, and supermarkets.
You can find the nearest Moneygram location by using this tool available on their website: https://www.moneygram.com/locations