I'm not sure "cottage" industry is the right characterisation. It's worth over 2B$ [1], and has existed for over a decade. There are behemoths like Byjus, Kota, FIITJEE, etc. and innumerable informal options.
Byjus is irrelevant in the IIT cottage industry. They are newer, and only online. And no company can convince Indian parents that online is better that 8am-8pm classroom coaching.
I'm going through this with my (young) children and coronavirus. Having seen the varied abilities of their elementary school teachers makes me think a top-flight online course could do much better than some of the actual people working at their school.
There's no question the best teachers will outperform the best online content. But what are your odds of hiring the best teachers?
> I'm going through this with my (young) children and coronavirus. Having seen...
No. Trust me. You will regret putting your child(ren) through online education. It sucks. I've tried it partially for 2 years. My friend is doing it now, preparing for JEE.
Preparing for JEE is not easy. I had hopes of getting in after getting a good score in the 1st Mains attempt, but just gave up during covid lockdown.
Social interaction is very very important.
Just trust me. I have nothing else to say. Not really interested in going through my 2 year ordeal in this comment.
Don't put your child in online edu in India. especially not JEE prep
You obviously aren't an average Indian parent (uses HN). So you might choose online for your kid. I'm just warning you.
GP's comment is more about mushrooming of tutorials/tuition centers on every nook and corner for IIT JEE prep, similar to any cottage industry.