Outschool
reviews and complaints

As a parent navigating the world of online education, finding Outschool has been a game-changer for our family. My kids have delved into a variety of classes, from Studio Ghibli art series to designing their own zoo, all while making friends and connecting with teachers globally. The social clubs have been a lifeline during these challenging times, fostering a sense of community and learning. While some reviews may highlight challenges faced by educators, our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Outschool's vetted teachers have sparked a love for learning in my children, offering engaging and interactive sessions that go beyond traditional education. The platform's flexibility and diverse range of classes have truly enriched our homeschooling journey. If you're seeking a personalized and engaging educational experience for your child, Outschool is a fantastic choice that opens up a world of learning possibilities.

My son took the puberty/hygiene class and even though I thought he’d heard it all from me + his school, turns out he wasn’t listening and that is key! He ended up being the only kid in this class and because he didn’t have his friends around him to giggle with, or shutting down bc it’s awkward to hear from Mom, he was totally engaged. For days he was telling me what he learned. When he had a rough moment that week, he said “mom, the teacher warned me that mood swings are just part of puberty, but I’m sorry”. This was money well spent, and a good reminder that just bc they’ve heard something before doesn’t mean they learned it.

Outschool is a pretty cool website that offers families a happiness guarantee. Basically, if you're a teacher and you give it your all, Outschool will give a family back their money for no reason. It's pretty sweet, right? But here's the thing: when a family wants a refund, they can get it and then sign back up for the class to take more curriculum, ask for another refund, and continue that cycle. And Outschool allows it! That's not fair to the teachers who are putting in all the hard work.

I mean, think about it. Teachers are spending hours and hours creating lesson plans, grading assignments, and answering questions. And then a family can just decide they don't want to do it anymore and get their money back? That's not right. It's like they're taking advantage of the system.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Outschool wants families to be happy. But there has to be a better way to do it. Maybe they could limit the number of refunds a family can get or require a valid reason for the refund. Something to make it more fair for the teachers.

Overall, I think Outschool is a good idea. It's a great way for kids to learn new things and for teachers to share their knowledge. But the refund policy needs some work. It's not fair to the teachers who are putting in all the hard work.

I gotta say, I'm pretty disappointed with the teachers on outschool.com this week. One of them straight up cancelled on us two minutes before class on Wednesday, saying their internet was down. Like, come on, you couldn't have let us know sooner? And then we got an email from another teacher saying they were holding a debate class this week because it's "Spring break" and they're going on a "staycation." Are you serious? We're all on a mega long Spring break and staycation right now, and the whole reason we signed up for these classes is to keep learning and have fun activities to do NOW.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had some great experiences with outschool.com in the past. I've taken classes on everything from coding to cooking, and I've met some really cool people along the way. But this week has been a real letdown. I get that things happen and plans change, but it's frustrating when you're counting on something and it falls through.

That being said, I'm not ready to give up on outschool.com just yet. I still think it's a great resource for learning and connecting with others, especially during these weird times when we're all stuck at home. I just hope the teachers can step up their game a bit and be more reliable in the future.

I gotta say, I had a pretty bad experience with Outschool. Don't get me wrong, the teachers were nice and all, but the company itself is just super shady. Like, seriously, be careful with your credit card info. You can't even access it unless you're buying another class, and even then, it's not like you have control over it or anything. It's like they're stealing from you or something. I had to go to my bank and tell them to stop any charges from Outschool, and now I'm spending all this time warning other parents about this sketchy company. It's just so frustrating, you know? There are way better places for your kids to learn than this place. Outschool is not your friend, trust me.

When I first started homeschooling my kids, I was on the lookout for live online classes that would keep them engaged and learning. Most online programs only offer one class a week or a measly half an hour a day, which just wasn't enough for my little ones. That's when I stumbled upon Outschool, and let me tell you, it's been a game-changer!

My kids now take 3 or 4 classes a day, and I'm able to reinforce what they've learned in those classes. And let me tell you, it's been working wonders! My daughter has gone up by two grade levels in math and a whole level in reading, while my son is doing 4th-grade math at just 8 years old. I couldn't be prouder of their progress, and I know that Outschool has played a huge role in their success.

But it's not just the classes that make Outschool so great - it's the customer service too. I've never had any problems with them, and they always reply back to me within 24 hours. They even sent me an email asking if they could send me a Christmas card! It's little things like that that really make a difference.

And let's not forget about the teachers. They're sweet, caring, and passionate about teaching my kids. They really go above and beyond to make sure that my little ones are getting the most out of their classes. I can't say enough good things about them!

Overall, I'm just so grateful for Outschool. It's been a lifesaver for me and my family, and I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a fun and engaging way to homeschool their kids. Thank you, Outschool!

My kids have been taking classes on Outschool for a long time now, and I gotta say, it's been a great experience for us. We started homeschooling in 2017 and Outschool was one of the first sites we stumbled upon. And boy, are we glad we did!

The variety of classes available on the site is just amazing. There's something for everyone, no matter what your interests are. And the best part is that the classes are of consistently high quality. We've never had a bad experience with any of the classes we've taken.

But it's not just the classes that make Outschool great. The teachers on the platform are amazing too. I myself am a teacher on Outschool and I can tell you, it's been a real blessing for my family. I make around $75 an hour working part-time hours, which is just amazing. Of course, there are some teachers who complain about not making enough money or not getting enough enrollments. But honestly, a lot of the time, it's their own fault. I've seen some profiles with only one or two classes and a poorly-made bio video. And their class descriptions are just riddled with typos. And then they wonder why they're not getting any enrollments. You gotta put in the work if you want to succeed on Outschool.

Overall, I love teaching on Outschool and my kids love taking classes on the site. It's been a real game-changer for our homeschooling journey. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for quality online classes.

My daughters have been taking classes on Outschool for a whopping 4 years now. Let me tell you, Outschool has really shaken things up in the after-school game. They've got some of the best teachers around and offer some really cool classes for kids in K-12. But let me tell you, their customer service is just plain awful. If you ever have a problem, don't expect them to actually solve it. All they do is copy and paste responses (check out the pics I attached).

Lately, Outschool has been requiring an upgrade to Zoom. If you don't upgrade, your child won't be able to join the class. And if your child is at home with a caregiver, they'll miss out on the whole thing. It's been a real pain in the butt, let me tell you.

But here's the good news: there's a ton of competition coming into this space. So if Outschool doesn't get their act together, they're gonna be in trouble.

One thing that really bugs me about Outschool is that they seem more concerned with getting your child's pronouns right than actually fixing basic technical issues. I mean, come on, can't they do both? They're based in San Francisco, for crying out loud!

Overall, I'd say Outschool is a decent option for after-school classes. But if you run into any problems, don't expect much help from their customer service team. And be prepared to upgrade your Zoom if you want your child to actually attend their classes.

My kiddo has been having a blast with Outschool! We haven't used it for the boring stuff like math and science, just for the fun classes. One teacher showed him how to make these cute little creatures called Soot Sprites from Totoro, which he loved. Another teacher has classes where you can design your own zoo or town- we haven't tried the town one yet, but the zoo one was super cool.

What I really appreciate about Outschool is that they have social clubs for kids to join based on their age and interests. It's been tough for my kiddo to make friends during all these lockdowns, so it's nice that he can connect with other kids who like the same things he does. They even have clubs for video games like Minecraft, Mario, and Animal Crossing.

I also like that Outschool checks out their teachers before they let them teach classes. It's important to me that my kid is learning from someone who knows what they're doing and is safe to be around. And I'm glad that Outschool has classes that aren't religious, since that can be hard to find in the homeschool world.

One more thing- if you're using a hybrid-homeschool charter, Outschool is usually considered a vendor, which means you can use your funds to pay for the classes. That's been really helpful for us. Overall, we've had a great experience with Outschool and I'd definitely recommend it to other parents looking for fun and educational classes for their kids.

My experience with Outschool was not the best. My daughter, who is 8 years old, attended a class on the platform and I sat beside her to make sure she paid attention. However, before the class even started, the teacher accused me of bringing another child to the class. I explained to her multiple times that I was the mother and there was no other child attending, but she kept questioning me in a harsh tone, as if I was lying. This made me very uncomfortable and I felt like I was being yelled at.

A few days later, I received an email from Outschool stating that I was reported for letting multiple children attend the class. I was shocked and confused because I knew for a fact that there was only one child attending. The email said that there was no way to retroactively pay for the other learner who attended the class, but I was never given any evidence that there was another child present. I strongly suggest that Outschool review the recording of the class and show me the evidence that there was more than one child attending.

After thinking about it, I realized that my younger daughter, who is 6 years old, stopped by briefly to watch her sister, but then went upstairs to play with her toys. When the teacher questioned me, my younger daughter was already gone, and I didn't think to mention her because she had no interest in the class. She likes cute animal doodles much more than 3D cityscapes, and she would never sneak into a class that she had no interest in.

I would like to give some advice to the teacher. Please do not accuse and report people based on your assumptions. You are not a detective, and it is not fair to treat people in a harsh manner without any evidence. And to Outschool, please do not send out nasty emails to people based on one side of the story. Even a judge would have to investigate, collect evidence, and listen to both sides of the story before making a decision. We are your clients, and we pay for your service, so we expect customer satisfaction.

Outschool is a platform that is used by students in various countries. The platform demands cameras to be used in order for kids to participate. This can be a concern for parents who are worried about online privacy and piracy. There is no control over what people do with your child's image in the recorded class, especially if the players are out of the country. This can be a risk for families who want to protect their children's privacy.

As an alternative to having children recorded, Outschool places families in another risk. If the child doesn't feel comfortable having a camera on to participate in paid classes, Outschool then demands a photo of the child and parent together. This can be a concern for parents who are worried about their child's image being used without their permission.

There is no public policy on what Outschool can or can't do with your child's image after they demand the photo to be transmitted non-encrypted electronically to their office. This can be a concern for parents who want to protect their child's privacy. Even larger, more established fortune 500 companies with extensive security have been targets of ID theft. Outschool should eliminate the mandate for a parent to send a child's photo electronically non encrypted and/or they should reasonably create photo storage in a more updated, safe manner.

A transparent public policy on what is done with a child's image is a basic necessity for parents to view if children not wanting to be on camera are forced to send Outschool photos. Most importantly, parents need to be aware that kids may leave the camera and audio on after a class is over. An Outschool teacher recorded a child's private home and audio well after the class time was over. There is no agreement nor allowance for some stranger to look into your home or listen to private conversation. There's no public policy made available to parents on Outschool to prevent teachers from doing so in the future.

Experts know the dangers of recording any person, especially a child, in the privacy of their own home without consent. Talk about a nightmare once discovered. Given the complete lack of judgement for this teacher just for that, you already know for certain there are other problems with them. As others have depicted, teacher quality can vary. This specific teacher's example clearly shows her broad poor judgement, antiquated entitlement and manipulative behavior. An older teacher recording someone else's home and video interacting without that parents permission using Outschool as a platform shows a seriously tainted lens and a complete lack of self awareness.

Outschool can't have complicated camera mandates then allow a teacher to abuse a paying clients' privacy. Outschool can't just make for-profit decisions, they have to follow broader privacy regulations (sometimes varying by state), as well. It is important for parents to be aware of these concerns and to take steps to protect their child's privacy when using Outschool.

Outschool is a fantastic platform for parents who want to give their kids a unique and engaging learning experience. The way it works is that teachers create their own classes and post them on the website. It's like an "uber" school, where you can browse or search for classes that your child will enjoy or need, and sign up with the teacher. My youngest has taken classes on everything from phonics with My Little Pony to learning about the water cycle by making a terrarium. My oldest has used Outschool to improve his essay-writing skills with an incredible teacher who has helped him so much. Most of the classes have been great and worth the money. We've had a few dud teachers, but that's been the exception, not the rule. It's best to take a one-time class with each teacher first, so you can see what the teacher is like. If you like them, then enroll in their multi-session classes. It gives you much more control than you normally get in the school system, which I really like.

There are different types of classes and styles of teaching available on Outschool. Kids can do hard-core academics, but most of the classes we have found try to teach academics through something that interests the kids, like learning math through Minecraft. Mostly, my kids are doing best where they do a project or learn about a topic in-depth over a period of time.

The teachers who we have liked best tend to have formal teaching qualifications and charge a bit more than $10 per hour. On Outschool, you almost always get what you pay for. Outschool takes 30% of the fees, and 70% goes to the teacher. So, I can't imagine that a super-skilled teacher would be willing or able to work for $7 an hour per child. With some trial-and-error, we have found teachers who know how to hold the kids' attention, make the subject interesting, and (unlike a lot of the stuff that comes home from school) know how to work the technology and adapt their teaching so it works online.

All of the teachers are screened and police-checked, which is important to me. Not every applicant is approved. One of our teachers told us that Outschool also screens every class proposal, and that one of his classes once got sent back for revision seven times! So, my understanding is that not only the teachers, but the classes are also checked for quality, and the best classes will have a lot of preparation and background work.

As one of the other reviewers here complained, the Outschool teachers don't work "on parent demand." I don't mind this, as I assume they set their timetable around their own families and commitments (LOL). However, we've found that most teachers are willing to negotiate a class time for us if we ask. Mostly, it's easy enough to work around though. Unlike some of the reviewers, we've not had any problems with credit cards. Sometimes things have come up, and we can't attend. It's been very easy to log-in, transfer the enrollment, or cancel a class. The refund policies for each class are clearly stated. We've even had the occasional teacher give us a refund for a canceled class, even though they weren't required.

The only criticism I have is that it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between classes that teach something and the more light-on classes. These seem to fill in some time, but I'm not sure how much they learn. One of my kids did a single class on bats - he liked it OK, but I don't think he actually remembered anything, and it didn't spark his interest to learn more. So, you have to be willing to try a few classes to get the feel of different teachers and what your kid likes before committing to a class with multiple sessions.

We initially started with Outschool to try and fill in some gaps with COVID school lockdowns. But we will continue with a lot of the classes outside of school because they add a lot of things that my kids don't get in school. Outschool is a great resource for parents who want to give their kids a unique and engaging learning experience.

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with Outschool. I mean, I get it, they're all about education and learning and stuff, but they seem to have a real problem with Christianity. Like, they're totally cool with other religions and philosophies, but as soon as you mention Jesus or something, they start freaking out and making you put all these disclaimers and warnings and stuff. It's like, come on, man, what's the big deal?

Anyway, I tried to stick it out for a while, but eventually I just got fed up and stopped using the platform altogether. It's a shame, really, because there were some really cool classes and teachers on there that I would have loved to learn from. But I guess if they're gonna discriminate against me just because of my beliefs, then I don't really want to be a part of that.

Overall, I'd say if you're not a Christian, you might have a better experience on Outschool. But if you are, be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops just to participate in some classes. It's not really worth the hassle, in my opinion.

I gotta say, I had a pretty bad experience with Outschool. It's not a good place for teachers to work. They don't pay you what you're owed, and they can be really rude if you try to ask them about it. Plus, they'll just randomly raise the fees they charge teachers, and they won't even give you a heads up. It's really frustrating.

The worst part is that they don't communicate with their teachers very well. I always felt like I was in the dark about what was going on, and I didn't know who to talk to if I had a problem. It's like they don't care about their teachers at all.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend Outschool to anyone who wants to teach online. There are way better options out there that actually treat their teachers with respect.

Outschool is a website that offers online classes for kids. I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with the service. The team is just awful. They take a whopping 30% cut of your earnings, which means you're basically making next to nothing. And to make matters worse, they don't even advertise your classes. What's the point of being on their platform if no one can find you?

Another thing that really grinds my gears is that they don't take plagiarism seriously. I mean, come on! As an educator, I take pride in creating original content for my students. But apparently, Outschool doesn't care about that. They let people copy and paste other people's work without consequence.

And let's talk about the so-called "supportive environment" for educators. It's a joke. They don't care about you or your business. All they care about is getting their cut. They won't lift a finger to help you succeed. You're better off selling necklace widgets on Etsy.

Overall, I would not recommend Outschool to anyone. The team is terrible, they don't advertise your classes, they don't take plagiarism seriously, and they're not a supportive environment for educators. Save yourself the headache and look elsewhere for online teaching opportunities.

I gotta say, I'm not impressed with Outschool. I mean, sure, they got some cool classes and stuff, but when it comes down to it, they don't really care about your kid. All they care about is getting your money. And if they mess up, they don't wanna fix it. They just wanna sweep it under the rug and pretend like nothing happened.

It's like they got no accountability, you know? Like, they can do whatever they want and there's no consequences. And that's not cool. I mean, we're talking about our kids here. They deserve better than that.

And don't even get me started on their ethics. They got none. They'll do whatever it takes to make a buck, even if it means screwing over their customers. And that's just wrong.

So yeah, I wouldn't recommend Outschool to anyone. If you want a company that actually cares about your kid and has some integrity, look somewhere else.

I signed up to be a teacher on Outschool, and let me tell you, I'm a retired teacher and I don't know who's in charge of the lessons, but they don't seem to know much about education. I've tried reaching out to them, but all I get are these canned messages that don't really address my concerns. It's frustrating because there are bigger sites out there where you can actually talk to someone and get some help. I really regret signing up for this site, it was a lot of work to get in and it's just not worth it.