If you have a unique hobby or skill, you are probably aware that one of the ways you can make a little extra money is by offering to teach interested people the basics. This is true for everything from cooking pasta to whittling toothpicks to knitting to wilderness survival skills. Depending on local interest, you may even have been able to offer occasional classes through an adult education department or independently. With the increasing effectiveness of eLearning tools, you can now teach your hobby online.

SkillShare

SkillShare is an eLearning platform designed for teaching real-life skills using project based classes. You can use SkillShare to offer both local and online classes. You can also accept payment for these classes through the site. Local classes don’t require any special effort to set up. For them, SkillShare is more of a mediator between interested students and the teacher. Putting together an online class means that you have to meet a specific set of requirements designed to keep the skills being shared relevant and useful. Once you have set up the course, you use videos and specific instructions to guide your students through the process of creating their project. The project is peer-reviewed. Once the online class is created, your involvement in it is minimal.

Udemy

Udemy offers courses in a wide variety of topics that range from the academic to crafts and hobbies. You can sign up as an instructor for free, and you earn 70-85% of the course fees paid by students taking the courses you create. The interface for setting up your course is fairly intuitive. You plot out steps and create content. Students can take the course on their own terms or in a set timeframe. You can use videos, text, audio, quizzes, and even eBooks as part of your course.
In addition to Udemy and SkillShare, there are many other platforms for online tutoring and classes. Working with an established platform gives you the advantage of having an audience to work with. However, if the offerings don’t suit you, you can also look into creating your own website with an installed eLearning platform like Moodle or Blackboard.

What You Need

“Make a great course with all available resources”
When transforming your hobby into an online course, you will need to be able to provide students with clear guidance on what to do. Video is one of the most effective ways to do this. When using video, make sure to focus closely on the relevant actions. Students need to see exactly what is happening. You may want to consider cooking shows and home improvement shows as a source for inspiration. In addition to video, you will need to break down the learning process into concise parts. Be prepared to provide students with basic skills and background knowledge before you move them on to the final project.
Turning your hobby or skill into a class can take a little time and effort, but the outcome is rewarding. Not only can you make a little more money, you will be sharing something you love to do with an interested audience. Chose a platform that lets you easily reach your audience, and have fun teaching.