How to create an online language course in 5 steps
Decide the format, the group size, the schedule, the price and how you'll sell it, in that order. Each decision depends on the one before.
Before step 1, pick one goal and one level. "B1 conversation for work" is easier to explain and sell than "English course".
- 1
Choose the format
A live group, a self-paced course or a hybrid. If it's your first course, start live: it's the quickest to launch.
- 2
Set the group size
A minimum to run the course and a maximum. In a live group, 4 to 8 students lets everyone speak.
- 3
Fix the schedule
A start date, an end date and a fixed weekly time, for example two 60-minute lessons a week for 8 weeks.
- 4
Set the price
One price per student for the whole course. Check that your minimum group covers your teaching and prep time.
- 5
Sell it before you build it
Offer it to current and former students first, open sign-ups a few weeks before the start and prepare the material once the minimum is in.
Live group, self-paced or hybrid: which format?
A live group is the fastest to launch and the easiest to sell if you already have students. A self-paced course takes the longest to build and needs an audience. A hybrid sits in between.
| Format | How it works | Your work | Students | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live group | Video lessons at fixed times for the whole group, for example twice a week for 8 weeks. | Prepare and teach every lesson. Little to set up before you start. | 4 to 8 per group | Conversation, exam preparation and your first course. |
| Self-paced | Recorded videos, exercises and quizzes that students do on their own, whenever they want. | Weeks of recording and editing before you sell. Then questions and updates. | No limit, but you need an audience to sell to | Grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation basics, if people already follow you. |
| Hybrid | Self-paced material during the week plus one live group lesson to speak and ask questions. | Build the material once and teach one live lesson a week. | Up to 8 per live lesson | Students who want flexibility but still need to speak. |
If you've never run a course, start live. Your first group's questions tell you what a self-paced version needs, and you can record it later.
How many students per group?
Four to eight students lets everyone speak in every lesson. With fewer, the course earns little more than one-to-one lessons; with more, the quieter students stop talking.
- Set a minimum to run the course (for example, 4) and say it on the sign-up page.
- Set a maximum and stick to it: people who signed up for a small group will notice.
- Use pair work or breakout rooms, so everyone speaks, not only the most confident.
- Keep levels close, one level apart at most, or the strongest students get bored.
Before you pick a video tool, check the free plans' limits for group calls in our Google Meet vs Zoom comparison.
How long should the course be?
Give the course a start date, an end date and a fixed weekly time. Moving up one CEFR level takes 150-200 guided hours (B1 to B2, Cambridge), so promise a skill, not a new level.
Guided hours count lessons plus the homework you set. Two 60-minute lessons a week for 8 weeks is 16 hours of class: enough to practise one skill, like speaking in meetings or the oral part of an exam, but not a new level.
Short courses are easier to sell and to finish. When one ends, offer the next one to the same group.
To estimate a longer plan, use our CEFR hours calculator.
How to price an online language course
Set one price per student for the whole course. On SmartCookie, group lessons had a typical rate of €35 an hour per student (17 teachers, 9th of October 2026).
Multiply the hours of class by your hourly rate per student. Then check the minimum: with the smallest group you'd run, the course should pay at least what the same hours earn you one-to-one, plus the extra prep a group needs.
Ask for payment before the start, in full or in two parts, and decide in advance what happens if someone drops out (for example, a refund before the first lesson and none after).
For market prices, see how much to charge for language lessons. To work out the rate you need, use the tutoring rate calculator. Selling the course as a pack of lessons? Read our guide to lesson packages.
How to sell your course before you build it
Sell to the people who already know you first: current students, former students and anyone who asked you for lessons. Open sign-ups a few weeks before the start, with a minimum to run.
- Message your current and former students first, one by one. They already trust you.
- Write one short page: who it's for, what they'll be able to do, dates, times, price and places left.
- Offer an early sign-up price until a set date, so people decide sooner.
- Share it where your students are: WhatsApp, Instagram, your Google profile or a local group.
- If you don't reach the minimum, move the start date or refund everyone in full.
Want more students in general? Read how to find students and how to teach online on your own. Selling a self-paced course or materials on a marketplace? See our guide to selling teaching materials.
Your course, booked and paid in one place
Create the group in SmartCookie, share one booking link with a seat limit and let each student pay by card or Bizum.