Punjabi diaspora bets on Indian tutors for online coaching

The concept of online education began during the Covid-induced lockdowns, but many Indian teachers have since taken it several steps further. Today, a growing number of them are providing online tuition to children of Indian families settled abroad and earning well in the process.

The arrangement is proving to be a win-win for families overseas. Indian teachers are widely regarded as more knowledgeable, dedicated and effective in teaching. As a result, the concept of online tuition from India is proving highly beneficial for such families. In countries like Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and others, schools are known to have comparatively lighter syllabi. Indian parents living abroad, eager for their children to gain a deeper understanding of subjects, are increasingly turning to teachers back home.

Moreover, it is economically more viable for these families to engage Indian teachers. Teachers who specialise in core subjects such as biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics are particularly in demand among the Indian diaspora.

Simranjit Kaur, who teaches mathematics online, shares, “I am in more demand by Indian students abroad than those in Jalandhar. While Jalandhar students come to me for tuitions after school at 3 pm onwards, the foreign batches start as early as 11 am. Taking tuitions from us suits the students in Australia and New Zealand quite well. By the time it is their evening and they are back from school, have relaxed and can take tuitions, we are easily available to them. This usually is the time between 11 am to 1 pm. They send me syllabus topics and back questions as PDF files and I teach accordingly. They are happy learning from me as I give them a lot of practice sums and even help them complete their school worksheets.”

The online tuition trend has also opened opportunities for retired educators. Jatinder Singh, former Principal of MGN Public School, Urban Estate, is currently providing online physics coaching to students abroad. “The level of education of Indian schools is far higher than in most other countries. Our students have already learnt the topics of Class XI and XII of foreign schools in their Classes IX and X. The students abroad are not taught calculus, which is the basis of physics for our students in Classes XI and XII. The parents there know that Indian teachers can help step up the level of their kids. So, the science and mathematics teachers here are in high demand abroad,” he explained.

Punjabi language instruction is also gaining traction. Parents from Punjabi families living abroad want their children to acquire basic reading, writing and speaking skills in Punjabi. Consequently, online coaching for the Punjabi language is also highly sought after. Not only are professional teachers filling this demand, but even college students are now conducting online Punjabi classes for children of Punjabi diaspora families and are reportedly earning well from it.