Customer Reviews

Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The authors provide a nice overview of online teaching, including a lot of important considerations for job seekers (many of which apply equally well to those looking for jobs outside the realm of online education). The advice seems honest, and the authors admit that, unfortunately, there is no single source, website or service that will provide you with access to all the job listings/opportunities that are available. I didn't find anything new among the websites they suggest monitoring for job opportunities, but this doesn't mean that you won't...it may depend on how much research you've already done. Their advice on strategies for making inquiries, even when no opportunities are listed, seems reasonable and should be helpful to many.

There was a good deal of emphasis on how to use and maximize current technologies, along with accounts of the authors preferences. I had hoped there would be more focus on the actual online teaching process...e.g., tips for addressing common problems students encounter in adapting to discussion forum-based learning, etc. Granted, the advice may help you to be more organized and efficient, and therefore give you more time to think about how to manage e-classroom issues and improve your teaching techniques. Nevertheless, managing relationships with institutions, administrators and other online-teachers is covered reasonably well, but not so extensively for the online student/teacher relationship. I can't fault the book too much for these issues however, as the title is "Make Money Teaching Online," and not "How to Teach Online."

This brings up another aspect that I found troubling, in the subtitle implication that the book will show you how to "earn a six-figure salary" from online teaching. Although I don't doubt that it is possible for those who manage their time exceptionally well, I have my doubts as to whether this is realistic for all but the most committed and hardworking teachers, as well as some others who may likely be precariously overextended and therefore of little utility to their students. The advice in this book may well help online teachers to be more organized and maximize their time, possibly allowing them to take on extra work. However, is it really necessary or advisable to promote online teaching in this way? Overall, the book does makes a pretty nice guide for career exploration, especially for those who already have a little bit of classroom-based teaching experience and are interested in pursuing online opportunities. I wouldn't recommend going into this field if extremely high earnings are your primary motivator however.

As a current student of an online advanced-degree program, who is considering teaching in the growing online educational industry, I highly recommend "Make Money Teaching Online." It is one of those rare reference (how-to) books that is actually compelling and provides helpful insights in every chapter (note: I found that skipping around by chapter and segments provides information but reading the book in totality really maximizes the overall experience). The authors both have doctoral degrees and solid histories of teaching online, but unlike typical research work, the book includes their personal insights and stories which make the information easy to understand and retain, in a one-on-one coaching style.

This is an excellent book for those interested in teaching online and even for those considering enrolling in a school with online degrees (as it provides a clear, inside perspective of the online education industry). From its initial information on the credibility of online schools, to its step-by-step job hunting directions, to what to expect in benefits and compensation, down to its "Must-Have Technologies" chapter, this book has been thoughtfully and meticulously written. I appreciate that it is not a glossy motivational book but one that is seemingly grounded in reality and honesty.

My only question was why these authors have so generously given of their experience and information which will only increase the competition...my peers who have had classes facilitated by Dr. Mirabella have said that he is extremely responsive and intensely focused on their learning, so I have to assume it is about the genuine passion to teach and help others (book royalties only go so far)...Whatever the reason for their book however, their enthusiasm and dedication make for a refreshing, must-read.

I am an adjunct professor. The book is very realistic. The book is not a con or a money trap. It offers real advice and strategies. It is up to the reader to use them. Well worth the money.

I am not friends with the authors and do not benefit in anyway from this post.

Take the advice in the book very seriously and put it to work. You should see results, if you are qualified.

Dr. Babb's book answers so many questions that one might have when entering the realm of online teaching. This book will help you figure out what your resume should look like, what to say in your cover letter, where to look and what questions one might be asked. I used this book as a supplement to my Transition Assistance Program which helped me a great deal. If one does not have the benefit of professional resume writers and such, I would suggest getting extra reading material. However, I think that this book is geared towards people who are already professionals in their fields so it should work just fine.

I'm a professional paranoid, so I was pretty suspicious that the book would be some get rich quick scheme. It isn't. This is a very sound book that make a pretty convencing demonstration that one can take solid academic credentials and some teaching experience and work at home. The authors are well experienced in the field and made comments regarding online tools that I also share about the same tools. They do indeed know what they are talking about.

If you have a masters or (better) terminal degree in your field, love teaching and mentoring, and want to work at home full time, this is an excellent book.

This book provides the basic step-by-step outline of what you need to do to start teaching online. I got my first online position after following the steps outlined in a matter of a few weeks! Everything you want and need to know - and more - is included in Make Money Teaching Online. I recommend it highly, particularly if you don't have a doctorate! Yes, the book even describes what you can do with a Master's or even a Bachelor's Degree to teach online. If you are looking for an online teaching guide, this is the one to have!

I read this book a year ago and found it extremely helpful in understanding the field of online teaching, what it takes, and how to get into the field. It's a nuts-and-bolts introduction that will help you break into this field. I highly recommend the book although I agree with other reviewers that you shouldn't expect to make a six figure salary unless you work at this full time and with incredible organizational skills and experience. Since reading the book I've been able to teach for two different institutions. I'm grateful to the authors. Well worth the price!

I am currently an interventional cardiologist and am working on my PhD in Business. My goal is to eventually teach at the collegiate level as I approach retirement from medicine. I found this book to be a very valuable resource as I approach this new frontier.

The book is comprehensive, easy to understand, and gives substantial insight to the online teaching profession, no matter what your specialty might be.

I highly recommend the book to anyone considering an online teaching career. Bravo to Babb and Mirabella!

Thomas E. Young, M.D.

PhD Student

I teach for both a state university and for an online university. I cannot imagine what this author is trying to sell. The money in teaching adjunct and online is notoriously low in most cases. I suspect that if the author is making six figures, it is from book sales. I have never encountered a legitimate teaching institution that would accept less than a master's degree. After viewing the Today show interview, I was convinced that the author was not being wholly honest. Beware.

I've been looking into online teaching opportunities for a while now. There are many good and useful websites out there that will give you some basic (and not so basic) info on where to look for online teaching jobs and how to get them. I decided inform myself even better about these topics, and I thought that a book-length discussion would provide me with additional actionable insights that could help me land an online teaching job. Unfortunately, "Make Money Teaching Online" has almost completely disappointed in that regard.

The amount of truly new and insightful material in this book is extremely limited. The amount of stuff that I could actually use could be reduced to a five-page paper, if even that. There are absolutely no inside scoops of what really works in getting an online teaching job, i.e. what are the in-demand fields, which online universities are the easiest ones to get a job at, what are some not so well publicized tricks that can get you employed, etc.

Many of the advices found in this book are more appropriate for someone who is well underway in his online teaching careers and have the luxury of being able to fine-tune his teaching and career skills. Even in that case there is just way too much fluff in here and yet again you'll be able to get much better and up-to-date tips from many online sources. Instead we are given page after boring page of excruciating detail about every aspect of online teaching job that anyone could ever think of, none of which are really useful.

Nowhere is this book more useless and superfluous than in the chapter on technology. Most of the "advice" that is offered here is so familiar to people these days that I scratch my head in disbelief thinking to myself "you actually need to point these things out?" Even though this book was published just a few years ago, several whole categories of devices that it mentions (like dial-up modems and PDAs) practically don't even exist any more. Inclusion of these topics makes a book like this feel incredibly dated really, really fast.

If you are just starting out with an online teaching career don't buy this book. It will not really help you. If you've already made some inroads then there is some moderately useful information in here that could smooth over some rough-edges and facilitate a few aspects of your work. However, even in those cases you are better off reading information online. It may be more effort than just sitting down with a book, but it's much more likely to help you with your online teaching career.