History gets taught online now as much as in lecture halls, and that's your work — building digital courses, running discussion boards, and keeping distant students engaged. History, taught through a screen.
The work is teaching reimagined for distance — building course materials, recording or writing lectures, moderating online discussion, and grading at all hours. You connect with students you may never meet in person, and engagement is harder to spark through a screen. Much of the craft is making the past come alive online.
The role varies by institution and contract. Much online teaching is adjunct and per-course, with flexible hours but little security. Online students juggle jobs and life, dropout risk is real, and keeping distant learners engaged takes constant effort. For many, the trade-off is flexibility against precarious, contingent pay.
It tends to suit the self-directed and tech-comfortable — people who love history and can build connection without a physical room. If you need in-person energy or job security, online adjuncting may not fit. But if reaching students wherever they are appeals, the work offers flexibility and a real love of the subject.
Remember “your permanent record”?
This time it works for you.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Still figuring out what you want to become
when you grow up?
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
History gets taught online now as much as in lecture halls, and that's your work — building digital courses, running discussion boards, and keeping distant students engaged. History, taught through a screen.
Median pay for an Online History Instructor is about $82K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $48K to $158K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Learning Strategies, Writing, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 0.2% through 2034, with roughly 19,860 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include History Teacher, World History Teacher, and History Professor.
It's your career.
Take the wheel.