Tutoring is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s biggest part-time money-generating professions. Some choose to tutor in their spare time and others enjoy it so much that they decide to make it their full-time career. In this post, we will show you all the essential steps to becoming a successful tutor.
Choose Your Subjects & Rates
This is the first crucial step in becoming a tutor. You must know yourself what you are good at and what you’re not so good at. If you are still in education then this should be an easy one. If you have been away from education for a while, it might be best to revisit some resources to decide which is the best subjects for you.
A word of caution. Don’t try to tutor many subjects. Focus on one or two, that way you can become an expert and have a strong understanding of the subject which makes teaching it much easier. Visit our Home Page to see which subjects we offer.
Do your research. What are tutors charging on average for the same courses you are thinking of doing? If they are charging £25 per hour, go for £20 or even £15 per hour. Don’t value yourself too low however as this could give people the wrong impression. A modest £20 per hour is a good starting point. The more experience and reputation you create you can charge a higher price. But always stay modest in your valuation.
What Type of Tutoring?
Great you’ve decided on which subjects to tutor! Now its time for you to consider the different types of tutoring that are available. You can tutor online, or face-to-face by going to students houses. Either one has its advantages and disadvantages.
Tutoring online allows you to reach a wider range of people, whereas face-to-face gives you a more personalized service.
Now you need to decide on how much time you can devote to tutoring. When I was studying at university I decided to tutor a maximum of 3 people to allow me time to study over the weekend. This didn’t last for long. Before I knew it I was working Friday, Saturday and Sunday and tutoring over 14 people. I know crazy! However thankfully I had the time available to do so, and so I decided to leave my job and make tutoring my main source of income.
Prepare Subject Material
This step is one which many tutors setting up fail to do. Before an interview, you research the company you’re looking to work for and you learn as much as you possibly can. Preparing to tutor should be no different. Gather as much material as you can, build a portfolio of worksheets, notes, revision material and revision study guides you recommend. The better prepared you are, the better the tutor you will be. Many tutors that don’t prepare end up not enjoying the lessons as they don’t feel confident enough in their knowledge. So always make sure you do plenty of preparation work before setting out.
Thinking of Advertising Methods
Excellent you’ve now done all the necessary preparation needed to be a successful tutor. You now know exactly what you’re going to tutor, how and when you’re going to do it, and you have a database of excellent material to choose from.
Now let’s get your name out there. The most obvious way of advertising your services is through word of mouth through family and friends. Move to social media like Facebook. Just let people know of your services and leave contact details and let the students come to you.
Make use of sites like Direct Tutoring. Where we can help showcase your profile page in front of targeted students that are looking for tutors specifically like you. Publish your services on educational blog posts to help generate awareness of your brand.
Make a Long-Lasting Impression
Now that your name is out there and students are coming in abundance. It’s time to think differently about your strategy. Begin to focus on the service you provide, making sure you leave a good impression of yourself and your brand. The most powerful form of advertising is word of mouth. Those students you are seeing just now are 10x more valuable than any online advertising.
Make sure you go out and beyond to help and support your students. Give them extra support outwith the hours’ session. Tell them to email you with any questions they have, and that you are available to help anytime during the week via email. Provide them with extra worksheets for practice and give them the best advice on anything you can.
In the seven years, I have tutored, by far the best way of advertising is through students you already see. Having tutored over 115 people, about 60% of them have come from recommendations. So offering exceptional service and getting to know your students and their family personally can be a sure way of cementing your name as a reputable and valued tutor.
Keeping Up-to-date
The hard work is finally paying off. You have a healthy regular stream of students reaching out to you for help. You are earning the extra cash you deserve and your reputation is growing strong. Fantastic! Now a key thing never to forget it always keep up-to-date with any new developments in your subject area, the education system or the tutoring industry. This will ensure you stay at the top of your game. When the new exam papers come out, get them. Write out the solutions and add them to your material.
By staying up-to-date, you are giving parents and students the assurance you are professional and fully committed to the job. That in itself can be essential in students returning to you. I tell all my students and their families this phase and I truly mean it. “If I won the lottery today I would still tutor but I would do it for free” People may think that is nonsense or simply a way of tricking people. I can hand on heart say I would do it for free if I could as it has to be one of the best jobs anyone can ever do, and I would highly recommend anyone to become a tutor.
