Employees, mostly youngsters, working at a Wipro Spectramind call center in New Delhi. A new trend is emerging in BPO sector whereby students in the U.S. are getting special tuitions from teachers sitting in India via the Internet. (File Photo: AFP)

In the continuing trend of outsourcing services to India, tutoring is the latest entrant. A growing number of students in America, mainly Indian Americans, is now getting special tuitions from teachers sitting in India via the Internet.

Many school students in California log on to the Websites of companies offering distance learning. Students in the U.S. do both voice as well text chat with their tutors. It is likely that a student in Santa Barbara may be chatting with a teacher in Kochi in Kerala.

Companies offering tuitions out of India could charge anywhere between $10 and $40 an hour, depending on the level of courses being taught.

The new business avenue has helped young teachers in India make extra money beyond their salaries. Some estimates suggest a good tutor could earn as much as Rs 15,000 (about $350) to Rs 20,000 (about $470) extra every month.

Like their call center counterparts, online tutors in India too undergo accent training and orientation in western culture.

The National Association of Software and Services Companies believes education is a new growth area for information technology enabled services.

Personal online tutoring has the potential to grow into a significant business opportunity given India’s strong emphasis on education, experts say.