Preference for Remote Tutoring: A Randomized Inquiry Experiment

This study examines tutors’ revealed preference for remote work using a randomized inquiry field experiment conducted by a nationwide online tutoring platform in Greece. Over 4,000 standardized messages were sent to tutors, each randomly requesting either in-person or online lessons. Requests for online lessons were about 50 percent more likely to receive a callback (10.7 vs. 7.3 percent), indicating a strong preference for remote work. Female tutors, STEM tutors, and tutors located in more competitive local markets exhibit particularly large gaps in callback behavior. Tutors who favor online work also demand higher rate premiums for in-person sessions. Complementary survey evidence suggests that online tutoring is associated with higher job satisfaction, greater employment opportunities, improved instructional effectiveness, and an expansion in tutoring hours.