Online courses for adult learners

Adults learning for work or pleasure, plus employers or clubs that book a course for a group.

Fee per learner for each course or term, with extras like one-to-one catch-up sessions, workshops and paid course bundles.

• Teaching and explaining clearly
• Comfortable with video tools
• Building a simple website or booking page
• Online marketing basics

• Professional indemnity or public liability insurance, check what suits online teaching
• Data protection duties for learners' details, and whether you need to register with the ICO
• Distance selling rules, such as cancellation and refund terms, which are worth checking before you take bookings
• Claims about qualifications or job outcomes, only promise what you can back up
• Marketing competition from big course platforms, so a clear local or niche focus helps

Startup costs are typically around £200 to £1,000, depending on your video tools, booking page, microphone and camera, and insurance. These are estimates, so start with simple equipment and upgrade as bookings grow.

Monthly revenue is typically around £400 to £2,000, depending on course prices, group sizes and how many courses you run. A clear niche can help you stand out from large course platforms.

Things to check: professional indemnity or public liability insurance suited to online teaching, distance selling rules on cancellation and refunds, data protection and possible ICO registration, and only making claims about qualifications or job outcomes you can back up.