I, personally, wouldn't pay for online tuition in something like photography.
Photography is very much a hands-on type affair and all the reading in the world won't be enough without the hands-on practice and experience; the application of the theory in the real world. So if you are paying someone to teach you I'd want them there at the time - before you press the shutter button - to guide and advise and to see where you are going wrong and such like.
Online you can get help only in theory before the event and in critique after the event (based mostly on results) - and you can get that support from both online references and from forums for free. Granted the info can be a bit hit and miss at times, but if you are keen and can put some structure behind it you can learn a heck of a lot.
I'm certainly not against paid lessons, not in the least, just that I feel that for the practical learning of photography if you're going to pay you want someone standing there with you teaching.
Of course there are some areas where you can do things more remotely - learning the history of photography or art or learning about compositional themes etc..... such subjects which are essentially book and report/essay based.
