How to become a tutor
Tutoring offers a lot of flexibility in your working schedule as well as being an extremely fulfilling role. There are a few things to think about when starting your career as a tutor;
- Your speciality – what subjects are you going to teach, what subjects are you going to focus on
- Your hourly rate
- Your working hours
- Where would you like to work – at home? Online? At a client’s home? At a tuition centre? For yourself? For an agency?
There are plenty of options, and some work better than others for different individuals.
Becoming a tutor can open up so many avenues of work for someone, however it is important to consider what works best for you and your skillset. Consider age range, subject, hours, clients, as well as your qualifications and availability, etc. It is a commitment!
What subject should I tutor?
Don’t try to be a jack of all trades and a master of none!
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to choose subjects to tutor that you know you are both strong in and passionate about. Try to focus on one or two subjects, particularly when you get into GCSE/ A-level or even undergraduate territory. This will not only make your job easier, as you will enjoy what you are tutoring, but will make your results with each child better!
Children are perceptive and rely hugely on the enthusiasm of the tutor, and their ability to keep them engaged in the session.
Another aspect to consider is your education. The more qualified you are in a subject, the more experience you have and ultimately your success rates, can all determine your specialism.
Should I tutor independently or through an agency?
There are pros and cons of working through an agency, and it really does depend on the agency as to whether it is worth it for you!
The main benefit of working with an agency is that they help you access the clientele you are looking to work with. They sell you to the clients, think of a recruitment company, agencies work the same way! They deal with the financial side of the role, invoicing and payments, and can offer support on any problems/ concerns you may have. This can be great, as it leaves you to do what you are best at: tutoring!
However, gaining clients through an agency means that often a cut of what you earn is taken for each client. If you don’t want to lose this (small) percentage of your earnings, then you could be an independent tutor. Remember, if you are independent that means you need to source good quality clients and invoice them yourself! It’s worth weighing up the time that you might spend doing this and the money you would lose while tutoring through an agency.
Should I tutor part-time or full-time?
You need to consider if it is a viable full-time option for you? If it is, then the type of tutoring you do may or may not be very different. You may not do just your typical after school 1:1 tutoring sessions, you may also want to offer homeschooling support, SEN support and tutoring in tuition centres. Tutoring can be a very flexible job and so the hours can easily be supplementary, on top of a part-time or full-time job.
What age should I tutor?
Generally, the more qualifications you have in a subject, the more experience you have and the range of levels you can teach will determine your hourly rate. You may have a specific skill set really suited to 11+, GCSE or A-level; which are also huge markets for tutoring and therefore charged at a higher price point.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to being a tutor. Work out what avenue works best for you and what you want from the role. As long as you are passionate about what you are doing, clients will see that and want you to be their tutor.
If you have any questions please get in touch with us!