The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed nearly every industry forever. With the proliferation of global lockdowns and social distancing practices, businesses in every sector will need to adapt to the “new normal.”
Managers will need to figure out how to effectively supervise and motivate their remote employees, establishments will need to refine their crisis plans in the event of a second or third wave, and physical measures will need to be installed to ensure the health and safety of those re-entering public spaces. One of the industries that have been most significantly impacted by COVID-19 is the education sector, specifically the online tutoring sub-market.
As we’ve seen, COVID-19 forced schools all over the world to close their doors. As of April 2020, 1.2 billion children in 186 countries were affected by school closures. With this sudden shift out of physical classrooms, we’ve seen an adoption of online education practices, including online tutoring, an industry that is expected to see a significant surge over the course of the pandemic.
Given that no country could have foreseen the long-lasting consequences of the virus, there are certain gaps in governments’ response plans pertaining to education. Fortunately, online tutoring services are playing a key role in filling some of these gaps, ultimately contributing to the industry’s anticipated market growth.
Even as students in some countries get ready to head back to school in September, the demand for online tutoring services is likely to persist. In Canada, for instance, many parents in Quebec are turning to online tutoring as a means of enhancing their children’s education, which has been adversely impacted by the pandemic. A recent survey found that roughly 2 in 3 Quebecers were concerned about students’ grades amid the pandemic; this concern is likely a contributing factor to the uptick in online tutoring services.
As online learning becomes increasingly prominent amid COVID-19, parents and students alike are experiencing the advantages of online tutoring. For example, online tutoring is extremely convenient; You don’t have to leave your home and tutors are often very flexible in terms of timing. You also have a wide selection of tutors to choose from, which allows you to tailor your tutoring services to your unique needs.
Consider Preply.com online tutoring, for instance; On Preply, you search through their database to find your perfect tutor based on language, price, and availability. Once you’ve selected your tutor, you schedule your lesson through the online portal by checking their schedule. Finally, you take your first lesson in which you and your tutor develop a personalised plan to achieve your educational goals. The added convenience, flexibility, and personalisation are a few of the factors that will likely maintain the demand for online tutoring even in a post-pandemic world.
While it’s clear that no industry has gone unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, not all have been negatively impacted. Under the umbrella of global education, the online tutoring industry has experienced a surge in demand and is expected to see significant market growth in the coming months as the pandemic continues. With all the benefits online tutoring services offer, it would not come as a surprise if the demand for such services remained even after the virus has subsided.