In Algeria, students already pay to learn: private lessons, support groups, bac and BEM preparation, languages and skills. What's new isn't that people pay — it's where they pay. A growing share of that demand is moving online, because students want to rewatch a lesson whenever they like and learn from the best teacher, even one in another wilaya.
Yet most teachers who try selling online start the hard way: a Telegram group, payment receipts in private messages, and links sent to each student by hand. This guide saves you that detour, step by step.
1. Start from a problem your students have
A course that sells solves a specific problem for a specific student. “Maths” is not a course; “Functions and limits for final-year science students, ahead of the bac” is. The narrower the topic, the easier the buying decision.
- Write in one line who your student is and what they'll be able to do after the course that they couldn't before.
- Ask ten current or former students what frustrates them most in the subject. Use their words in your course title.
- Before filming, open pre-orders at a launch price. If nobody signs up, fix the promise before spending hours recording.
2. Design a course students finish
A student who finishes your course comes back for the next one and recommends you. One who stops at lesson three does neither. So design for completion:
- Short lessons: 5 to 12 minutes per idea. Long lessons get abandoned halfway.
- An exercise after each idea: one or two questions to lock in understanding and make progress visible.
- Clear chapters: each ends with a result the student can feel.
- A deliberate pace: don't open everything on day one if the course runs weekly.
3. Film with what you have, but mind the sound
You don't need a studio. A recent phone, a small clip-on microphone and a window in front of you rather than behind are enough to start. Students forgive an average picture; they don't forgive bad audio.
For on-screen lessons (exercises, diagrams, code), record your screen and camera together, with your face in a small corner: seeing the teacher keeps students focused.
4. Price on value, not hours
Students don't ask “how many hours?” but “is what I get worth this price?”. Compare your price with what the in-person alternative costs for the same result, then offer options for different budgets. Every model is covered in our course pricing guide.
5. Make paying easy for Algerian students
This is where most teachers lose half their sales without noticing. Most of your students have no card to pay online, and many are minors whose parents pay for them. If a card is your only option, you've shut the door on them.
- BaridiMob and CCP: the student transfers and uploads the receipt; you check and activate.
- Cash on delivery: for those not ready to pay upfront, or ordering a book or an activation card.
- Printed activation cards: sold for cash in class or at a bookshop; the student unlocks the course with the code.
- Edahabia and CIB: for those who have one, through your own account.
Every method — and how to avoid fake receipts — is explained in our payments guide.
6. Build your platform, not a Telegram group
A Telegram group is free but costs you a lot: links leak, payments are tracked by hand, you can't tell who watched what, and the group can vanish overnight. Your own platform fixes all of that and gives you something more valuable: a brand that stays yours.
Are your students on Telegram or Facebook today? Here's a complete migration plan that keeps every one of them.
7. Protect your content without annoying students
No technology in the world stops a student filming their screen with another phone — anyone promising otherwise is selling a dream. What works is making easy copying hard, making every leak traceable, and offering what can't be leaked: follow-up, exams and answers to questions.
The full picture, honestly, is in our guide to protecting recorded lessons.
8. Launch and market the course
- A free preview lesson: the best ad for your course is one of its lessons. Open the first one to everyone.
- A course page: a clear promise, who it's for, what they'll learn, the syllabus, the price and FAQs.
- A WhatsApp list of current students: they are your first buyers and most credible advocates.
- Paid ads, once organic sales work: connect measurement (Meta or TikTok) so you know which ad brings paying students, not just likes.
- A closing date: cohorts with a start date sell more than always-open courses.
9. Measure, then improve
After your first cohort, the numbers tell you what students won't: which lesson do they drop at? Which question do most get wrong? Where did paying students come from? Re-record the abandoned lesson, add an exercise where they stumble, and double down on what brings buyers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need technical skills to sell courses online?
No. On Dirassa+ you pick a theme and your colours, upload your lessons and turn on payments — without writing a line of code.
How much does it cost to launch a teaching platform in Algeria?
On Dirassa+ plans start at 1,500 DZD a month, with no commission on your sales. What your students pay goes straight to you.
How does a student without a bank card pay?
By BaridiMob or CCP transfer with a receipt upload, cash on delivery, or a printed activation card bought with cash.
Can I stop students from recording videos?
No protection fully prevents screen recording. Expiring links and a watermark with the student's name make copying harder and every leak traceable.
Can I sell to students outside Algeria?
Yes — your platform is reachable anywhere, in three languages. Which payment methods they can use depends on the accounts you connect.