Since losing her job at ed-tech platform Lido Learning in January, she’s gone back to a longer daily commute, longer working hours and a smaller income – but the uncertainty of salary delays pales in comparison to it for now. is a better option. Sorting out
“For me, online learning was a great experience. Technology allowed me a lot of flexibility. I learned many ways to make math interesting. Now, I work 6-7 hours in school, and a lot of time is wasted in commuting. Also, after coming home, it is difficult to handle the household work and give time to the family.
A year ago, when the ed-tech sector was booming, like many other teachers, Ranjeeta had taken advantage of it and started teaching virtually. The pay was good, and the working hours were relatively short.
But a churn in the ed-tech space is changing that.
Amid a slowing economy, rising inflation, oil prices and interest rates, and a geopolitical crisis, investors have shut down the easy money supply to startups. Startups have laid off at least 8,000 employees since January to cut costs. Recruiters expect 5,000 more to be fired in the next two quarters. Many well funded ed-tech companies like Unacademy, Vedantu and WhiteHat Jr. have fired people. Many of these teachers are those who have abandoned their traditional teaching mode for better income and flexibility in the backdrop of the pandemic.
For example, in Lido, Ranjita created 300-400 per hour and used to teach regular batches- it would take about 10 teaching hours to make what she earns as a regular teacher today, though she faced “delays in receiving salaries”. With the recent crisis at Lido, she was asked to leave, although she was promised work in the future.
With schools looking forward to reopening and many students looking forward to physical classes, the offline option is back on the table for many teachers. This is also reflected in the decisions of ed-tech companies like Unacademy and Byju’s to hedge their bets and foray into offline learning to meet the growing demand for physical classrooms and counseling centres.
For example, in many coaching centers in Kota, students have retreated, and hostels are also open. “We have recruited 80 teachers in the last 15 days, and about 50% of them have come from online firms. They are ready for a 15-20% pay cut, but are wary of sticking to online-only education platforms,” said Pramod Maheshwari, Director, Career Point. The Kota-based coaching institute has 30 centers and offers both online and offline do classes.
For some, like 30-year-old Kaili Krishna, a chemistry teacher from Kota, the satisfaction of physical classes far exceeds teaching blank squares on a screen. Krishna worked in a hybrid education setup and moved to New Delhi in 2021. “I got paid well and wanted to explore more options around teaching. The classes were mostly online. , students could close their videos, and we had no way of knowing if they understood the concepts. Now, although hybrid options are available everywhere, I will continue to take physical classes. Financially too, it makes more sense to teach from my hometown,” he said.
Another faculty member from Kota, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he sees teachers getting involved in a 50% pay cut.
However, with many parents financially incapable of paying two lakhs for hostel and coaching fees, there remains a demand for online classes. Hence, some coaching centers are live-streaming lectures so that doubts can be cleared in real time.
coaching center charge in kota 40,000-60,000 annually for online coaching classes for joint entrance exam preparation as compared to 1.2-1.5 lakhs for physical classes.
Meanwhile, Ranjeeta is resigned to the fact that the ed-tech windfall may not be back anytime soon, but she continues to teach at a small ed-tech platform occasionally to earn some extra money.