Become an Independent Tutor Online.
If you are looking for a way to make some money and you enjoy working with students but don’t have a teaching degree, consider online tutoring. Are you good at math, English language arts, reading, or science? You can help a student who is struggling in that area. It may be even easier than you think!
How do You Get Started?
- Think about any education, classes, or training you have had that applies to the subject(s) you want to tutor. You’ll want to be able to share this information with prospect parents.
- Consider any experience you have had in teaching as well as in using your subject. Maybe you have volunteered at your child’s school, or perhaps you have led training meetings at a job. This also may be good information to use to promote your services.
- Determine what age range you would like to tutor. Elementary, middle school, high school? Maybe all of the above. If you are an expert in your field, you may decide to look for college students instead.
- Decide on a price for your services. Classes in half hour increments are great for a younger student’s attention span. An hour may be needed for a college student. You can charge depending on the length of time you have a class. Do a search for what the going price is in your area. Don’t undersell yourself though. What is your time worth to you?
Tutoring Details to Consider:
First think about what online platform you would like to use. I usually use Zoom, Skype, or Classin. All have video, screen sharing, and chat features. Classin is the most child-friendly and versatile.
You’ll need to decide a form of payment. I prefer Paypal. Keep in mind any possible fees that may incur through payment transition.
You will want to come up with a teaching plan. Do you want to actually teach students concepts and ideas, or do you want to help with with their homework and papers. Maybe the parent will request certain themes to be covered. Just remember that you can always do a little bit of internet research to refresh your memory on anything you want to cover.
Don’t forget that you will be an independent contractor, so taxes will not be automatically taken out of you pay.
Time to Advertise Your Services.
Selling your services is easier than you think. First, tell your friends and family with school kids that you are now accepting students for tutoring. Ask them to spread to word to anyone they know who may be interested.
If you have a social media account, you can post that you are accepting students for tutoring in the subject(s) you have chosen. You also could briefly list your relevant education and experience.
If you are on Facebook, join some local community groups and buy/sell groups. You can then post again that you are accepting students. A lot of information is added to these groups, so make sure to post more than just one time so you have a bigger audience. Even if a parent isn’t specifically in the group to look for a tutor, you may get them thinking and become a great solution for them.
Once you get some students, you may decide you want more. You could tell the parents that if they refer you to another parent and that parents buys a class from you then you will give a free (or 1/2 off) class to the original parent. No limits. They can refer you to as many parents as they want! If you are a patient teacher and are able to help guide your students, you will get referrals!
Get Started on Your New Tutoring Job Today!
Tutoring is such a great way to be able to have a job where you set your own requirements, schedule, and pay. It’s also extremely rewarding to be able to help a student and his or her family. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but when you receive your first praise, thanks, and referrals from the parents, you know you’re going to love what you do!
