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Review: There’s money to be made teaching music or acting on an app

Someone plays piano.
Teaching music or acting lessons on Lessonface can be a lucrative opportunity.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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What: Lessonface is an online marketplace that connects students with music and acting teachers, who can teach online or in person.

Expected pay: You set your own rates

Husl$core: $$$$$ (out of 5)

Commissions and fees: 15% if the platform found the student for you; 4% if you recruited the student.

Requirements: A bank account to receive payment; a computer and a webcam (if you want to teach students online); a good internet connection; at least two years of teaching experience and/or 5 years of professional experience. You must pass a background check.

Where: Nationwide

If you’re looking for an opportunity to make some money with music or acting, you may be able to teach these skills through Lessonface, an online interface where students can find people teaching everything from how to sing to how to play the violin.

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Registration is free, but teachers must have experience or extraordinary skill to pass the site’s rigorous vetting system. Specifically, the site requires a minimum of two years of teaching experience, five years of professional experience or that the teacher be an “extraordinary exception.” Lessonface interviews those who meet the criteria to see if they would be a good fit for the platform.

Teachers set their own rates, paying a modest 4% fee to tutor their own students through the platform. If the student found you through LessonFace, however, the site charges a higher fee, 15%. These fees are among the lowest in the industry, beating broad tutoring platforms, such as Wyzant, as well as other music and art-centric tutoring platforms, such as TakeLessons.

Teachers are generally paid within three days of telling the platform that a lesson is complete, which should be done promptly. (If you fail to acknowledge completed lessons within four weeks, you give up your payment. Don’t do that.) Lessonface also requires teachers to respond to requests for lessons within 48 hours to prevent an account lockout.

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