Skillshare, a popular online learning platform, allows for anyone to share their expertise and knowledge on a particular subject or skill. This post will go over how to be a teacher on Skillshare and address some common questions people have about making their first class and getting paid.
I have personally been a Skillshare teacher for over 5 years. I have several embroidery classes on the platform and I continually earn a little bit of passive income every month. Who wouldn’t want that!
Can Anyone Teach On Skillshare?
Yes, anyone can become a teacher on Skillshare! If you have a particular skill, passion, or expertise, you can sign up to start creating your first class.
There are, however, some limitations in regards to the content you’re allowed to teach about. Make sure to check the list of permitted topics and read about the quality guidelines you must follow in order to publish a class. Definitely read carefully…each class is monitored for quality and suitability after it is uploaded, and I have unfortunately gotten a class taken down because the audio cracked in a few places.
Here are a few examples of topics you can teach about:
- productivity
- illustration
- web design
- entrepreneurship
- photography
Rules and Limitations
As I mentioned above, it is important that you carefully review the policies and guidelines.
There is a 3 strike policy in place for violations of the guidelines. If a violation is found (i.e. the audio cracked in one of my videos) you’ll get a strike on your account. If you incur 3 within a 6 month period, they will close your account!
How Much Does It Cost?
Skillshare does not require any fees to teach on the platform. It’s completely free!
The only costs that could potentially be associated with making Skillshare classes would be any equipment you decide to purchase. However, it is perfectly fine to film classes on your phone as long as the video/audio meets the quality standards.
How To Make Money On Skillshare
There are two ways teachers earn money.
Referrals
The first way is through referrals. People can sign up for an account through your personalized referral link and you will receive $10 per referral.
Royalties
The second way is through royalties. Customers pay for Skillshare as a subscription, and 30% of the money that comes in every month is set aside in a royalty pool to pay teachers. Your royalty payment reflects the percentage of total watch hours your classes generated for the month. Obviously, this means that your payments can vary from month to month depending on how much revenue the platform makes.
How Much Does Skillshare Pay Teachers?
Earnings can vary pretty drastically. As I explained above, it all comes down to the amount of referrals and the amount of watch hours your videos receive.
Users can search to find your classes within Skillshare, but there are a few other factors that can directly impact how many referrals and royalties you receive, which in turn affect your earnings.
- Promoting your classes on social media / personal website
- Having your class featured in the categories section or homepage
Personally, I have published 6 classes over the years and I make around $150-$200 consistently every month. I have not published a new class in over a year, and I don’t market my classes super actively. While it’s not a ton of money, I’m still pretty happy with my earnings because they are entirely passive at this point!
I have heard that people can potentially earn a lot more than what I earn every month on Skillshare. This article was a helpful read if you’re wanting to see other teachers’ earnings.
How Many Students Do You Need To Make Money?
Technically, you only need a few students to make money. However, earnings are determined by the minutes watched and not by how many students take your class.
The minimum amount of watch time for teachers to be paid in any given month is 75 minutes.
Suppose you had 2 students that each watched 40 minutes of your class. You’ll earn some money that month!
While the total number of students doesn’t necessarily determine your earnings, it is of course helpful when more students take your class.
There is a number that appears under your class that shows how many people have taken a particular class. This could potentially encourage others to take your class and it also increases your chances of getting reviews. I’m not entirely sure if reviews affect the way you show up in search, but they are still a great way to convince a user to take your class.
How To Create A Class On Skillshare
If you’re ready to start creating a class, you can join the teach challenge (which gives you a little extra help) or get started publishing your class on your own.
There are plenty of helpful articles on their website to walk you through planning, filming, editing, uploading, publishing, and promoting your class. I highly suggest reading through their tips and tutorials, because that will ensure you have the best chance of success on their platform!
In a nutshell, here’s what you’ll need to do to create a class:
- choose a topic
- plan out your class project
- outline the content and flow of the class
- film and edit videos
- prepare project/learning materials
- upload videos/thumbnails
- fill out class details
- upload project photos
- launch and promote your class