Teach the C programming language online

C is small enough that its whole syntax fits in a few weeks of study, and deep enough that experienced programmers still get caught out by it. The language hides very little. A variable is a named piece of memory, an array is a run of bytes with no length attached, and a pointer is an address the compiler trusts you to use correctly. That directness is why C is still taught to students of computer science and electronics, and why so many operating system kernels, device drivers and the firmware inside cars, routers and washing machines are written in it.

It is also why learners get stuck. The program compiles, then dies with a segmentation fault. A string prints with rubbish on the end because the terminating zero went missing. A loop runs one step too far and quietly overwrites the variable next to the array. A tutor who can draw memory as boxes and arrows, and show where a pointer points at each line, makes these moments obvious.

Why we are looking for C tutors who teach in English

Clasora shows students the tutors who teach in the language they use the site in. A student reading Clasora in English is shown tutors who teach in English, so if English is your teaching language, those are the students who find you.

C's keywords and compiler messages are already in English, yet the ideas behind them, such as the difference between passing a pointer and passing a copy, are best explained in the language a student thinks in.

Clasora does not employ tutors, and this is an opening rather than a job. You work independently: you set your own prices and hours, and you teach as much or as little as you like. Some tutors keep it to a few evenings a week alongside their main work. Others teach enough for it to stand in for a job.

What teaching C online on Clasora looks like

This opening is fully remote. Every lesson happens online, and you teach from wherever you live.

Students book from your calendar. They only see the times you have marked as free, shown in their own time zone, and you decide how much notice you need before a booking and how far ahead people can book. Each session is with one student, so the whole session goes on their code and their questions.

Lessons run in the browser, and neither of you installs anything to join the call. Screen sharing carries most of a C lesson. You might share your editor and a terminal, write a short program together and compile it with GCC or Clang, reading the warnings before you run it. Just as often the student shares their screen, so you see the error exactly as it appears and can step through their program in a debugger such as GDB. For pointers, a whiteboard app earns its place: a few boxes for variables, arrows for pointers, and the stack and the heap drawn side by side. The in-call chat is handy for pasting a line of code or a compiler flag, and background blur keeps your room private.

Between lessons, each student has a conversation with you. They can send the source file that will not compile, and you can reply with a short exercise. Messages, files and shared links sit next to the sessions they belong to, so weeks later you can still find the linked list you built together. Your own exercises and example programs can live in your personal file area, and documents can come across from Google Drive. If you plan your week in Google Calendar, it can sync with your Clasora calendar.

What students usually want help with

Pointers: what an address is, the difference between *p and &x, pointer arithmetic, and pointers passed to functions.

Memory management: malloc, calloc, realloc and free, finding memory leaks, and why using memory after freeing it is so dangerous.

Arrays and strings: null-terminated strings, buffer overflows, and using functions such as strcpy, strncpy and snprintf safely.

Structures and data structures: struct, typedef and unions, then linked lists, stacks, queues, trees and hash tables written by hand.

Debugging: reading compiler warnings, tracking down a segmentation fault, and tools such as GDB, Valgrind and AddressSanitizer.

How a program is built: the preprocessor, header files, compiling and linking several source files, and writing a Makefile.

Undefined behaviour: why a program that works on one machine fails on another, and how to write code that does not rely on luck.

Systems and embedded programming: processes, pipes and sockets on Linux, or registers, bit masks and interrupts on a microcontroller.

Coursework and exams: understanding what an assignment asks for, and practising writing C on paper for a test or an exam.

Who we are looking for

You write C confidently and can explain what happens in memory while a program runs.

You explain clearly in English, and you have more than one way to explain a pointer.

You read other people's code patiently and help them find the bug themselves.

You might be a software engineer, an embedded or firmware developer, someone who already teaches programming, or a student of computer science or electrical engineering who knows the language well.

You have a computer with a camera, a microphone and a steady internet connection, with a C compiler and a debugger set up on it.

You are 18 or older.

Teaching experience helps, but it is not required.

What you get

No commission. Clasora takes nothing from the price you set.

Free to join and to publish. There is no subscription and no listing fee.

Your own prices. You set a price for each session length, and you can offer a free first session.

Your own hours. You choose your weekly hours and your days off, the notice you need and how far ahead students can book.

A public listing page. Your listing is a page of its own that search engines can find, shown in the language each visitor reads, with your photo, an intro video, what you teach, the languages you speak and your price for each session length.

Reviews on what matters. Students rate you on knowledge, clarity and engagement.

Checked qualifications. You can add your degree or certificates to your profile, and a moderator checks them.

Lessons in the browser. Video with screen sharing, background blur and an in-call chat, and nothing for you or your students to install.

How to start

Create an account with the button on this page.

Publish a listing for C.

Open your calendar and mark the hours you are free.

It takes a few minutes. You accept the terms when you become a tutor, and a moderator checks your listing before it goes live.

Questions tutors ask

Can I teach people who have never programmed before?

Yes. Plenty of people meet C as their first language, often because a course requires it. Start with variables, loops and functions, and move on to pointers once the basics feel solid. Your listing says what you teach, so beginners can see that you welcome them.

Do I need a computer science degree?

No. You need a solid command of C and the ability to explain it. Plenty of strong C programmers learned the language at work, on embedded or systems projects. If you do hold a degree or a teaching qualification, add it to your profile and a moderator will check it.

Can I teach only embedded C, or only systems programming?

Yes. You can offer the whole language or only the part you know best, such as microcontrollers or Linux system calls. For embedded lessons, turn your camera towards the development board so the student can watch the LED blink.

Which version of C should I teach?

Whichever the student needs. Many courses stick to C99 or C11, older codebases may still follow C89, and newer projects use C17 or C23. Your listing can say which ones you are comfortable with.

How do I get paid?

Card payments are not switched on yet. For now a booking is confirmed without a card, and you and the student settle payment directly between you. Clasora takes no commission on what you charge.