If you are proficient in a particular subject and looking for ways to make some extra cash, why not make money tutoring?
To make money tutoring students struggling with school subjects doesn’t require much to get started. All you need to succeed is knowledge in the subject and an ability to relate that knowledge well to others.
Your students can range from young children in elementary school to adults in college. What’s more, your clientele isn’t necessarily limited to only students. Many people enjoy traveling to foreign countries and are more than willing to hire a tutor to teach them a new language before leaving for their trip. If you’re expertise is in Spanish or French or other foreign languages, you’re fortunate as there is a growing demand to be bilingual, as well as mult-lingual, in today’s world. Besides tourists, professionals sometimes need to be fluent in other languages as it helps them relate to their foreign customers.
It helps if you have a background in education, but if you’re gifted in your teaching skills and have taught children, then why not give it a chance?
How do you find clients?
As a mom—If you’re a mom, you may know of some of your children’s friends who are struggling in school and could approach their mothers. Of course, you need to be tactful, as well as sensitive, realizing that parents are protective of their children and their scholastic reputation. But if they share with you how their children need help, then that’s the time to offer your services.
As a business person—-Make up a business card describing your qualifications and services. Then ask for permission to post them on school bulletin boards. As a substitute teacher I found several of these cards in the teachers’ lounges and lunch rooms. Go to local colleges and advertise your home business there. Post notices in local papers. But the best method, of course, is by word of mouth. Find ways to tell friends and everyone you meet about your services when chatting with them—-soon the word will get out.
What to include on your business card….
Basically you need to explain who you are and your qualifications for tutoring, as well as your rates and times you’re available. References are also helpful if you’ve tutored before, if even for free. Often schools use volunteers to tutor students. However, if you’ve never ventured out before now and tutored professionally, perhaps you could include a positive note on your ad from satisfied parents whose children you’ve tutored for free.
What should you charge?
It’s difficult to assess a standard fee as rates vary according to various circumstances. Probably your rate will depend on the grade level and amount of time and difficulty it takes working with a particular student or subject. For example, maybe you could charge about $20 per hour for tutoring a high school student, while charging less (about $15 per hour) for a younger child. On the other hand, if the student is challenging to work with (such as a mentally impaired student), then you may want to increase your rate. Also, you probably should set a somewhat higher rate for tutoring a high school AP class. Depending on the subject, some college level students may pay as high as $50 an hour. The rate goes even higher when tutoring a master’s or doctoral candidate working on their thesis.
Where should you work?
Find any setting that is quiet and free of distractions. It could be in your own home or at a school library. If it is your home, find a quiet room, shut the door, and let your answering machine take your calls. This is probably not a good idea if you have small children and pets that would interrupt your tutoring sessions. Just make sure the location is one that is conducive to learning, where you and your clients can concentrate and be comfortable.
As you add more students to your business, soon you’ll have more clients than you can handle. It only takes a few good references before your good reputation as a great tutor spreads throughout your community.
