For Rita Samson, like many residents, the working day is just beginning.

The 49-year-old former headteacher walks into her bungalow from her spacious garden, dotted with banana plants and papayas, and makes herself a cup of Keralan coffee.

She then logs on to her computer, equipped with broadband, and puts on a headset so she can talk using voice-over-internet systems. At 9pm (3.30pm UK time) she sends an email to a pupil reminding him that they have a session that evening. Soon afterwards, the first lesson of her six-hour shift begins.

Mrs Samson provides tuition on English, social studies, history and geography, subjects she is well versed in as a former principal of the Bishop Cotton girls’ school in Bangalore, which was established by British clergy in 1865.

In a typical session she might discuss George Orwell’s Animal Farm with an 11-year-old pupil, or talk through an essay on the environment that a teenager has emailed her, discussing ways he could improve it.

“I’ve found the online tutoring really satisfying, because you can answer all the questions that a child may feel too shy or embarrassed to ask at school,” she said.

“I wouldn’t say it was very lucrative, but it means I can work from home.

It saves all the botheration of having to travel to a college and deal with all the traffic snarl-ups.

“The roads are always full of traffic - most of the nights are like day here,” said Mrs Samson.

Bangalore, which has a population of more than six million, has gained a reputation as India’s Silicon Valley because of its booming IT-related industries.

“In some cases there can be a little difficulty understanding what the children are saying,” Mrs Samson said.

“But there is a lot of British culture in India and when there are differences in the curriculum I prepare for them - so most of the time it’s not a problem.”

* michael.shaw@tes.co.uk