Are you looking for a flexible job that can make you up to $50 an hour? Sometimes even more? If so, read on to find out how YOU could be earning a few hundred dollars a week as a private tutor with only a few hours of work.
Even the idea of earning $50 an hour seems so far fetched, doesn’t it? But, believe it or not, it’s 100% achievable! All you need is a small dose of self-reflection, a little bit of self-advertising, some preparation, and you’ll be ready to go.
Private tutoring can be one of the best side hustles that you ever do. You get to work at your own pace, choose your own hours, and set your own rate. Besides, it’s super flexible and perfect for any student looking to earn extra money on the side. You could still do it even if you have another job as an extra source of income.
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1. Determine what you’re good at
To make yourself more valuable to any prospective students and to improve the value of your services, you want to teach the subjects that you’re really good at and familiar with.
Being familiar with the content can lessen any pressure that you put on yourself to teach well. Additionally, if you can provide evidence of your good grades, it’ll improve your chances of receiving business.
Private tutoring is definitely a competitive market, but there are thousands upon thousands of students every year who look towards finding a private tutor. There are definitely students out there for you to tutor, so how do you make yourself stand out?
When in search of a tutor, students generally have a whole pool of tutors to choose from. So, to make yourself stand out, tutor subjects that aren’t too popular and you received good grades in, or subjects that are popular and you did exceptionally well in.
2. Ask yourself, “Can I teach this subject?”
There are certain qualities that you need to embody as a teacher. Qualities such as patience, understanding, kindness, which all come with being empathetic. Don’t worry if you don’t have all these qualities because you can easily develop and reinforce these qualities within yourself.
Take patience for example. Sometimes it can be really hard to empathise with a student who isn’t understanding the content as fast as you would like. Maybe it feels like you’ve tried all the methods and yet they still can’t grasp the concept.
This is when you really need to focus on being patient and try to understand that everyone learns at a different pace. Maybe you grasped the concepts really fast in school, or maybe you also took a while to understand. Regardless, you need to put yourself aside and focus solely on your student.
These are all qualities that develop with experience. So, you might be thinking, is becoming a tutor right for me? Can I be responsible for someone else’s learning?
It’s perfectly okay to not embody all these qualities yet. Just the fact that you’re questioning yourself is enough to show that you’re willing to learn and grow in the process.
It’s scary to be a teacher and be responsible for someone’s learning. But, guess what, as time goes on and you gain more and more experience, you’ll find yourself becoming more empathetic and attuned to the emotions of those around you.
So, as long as you believe you can do it, then you most definitely can!
3. Gather materials and form teaching plans
Once you’ve decided which subject/s you’re going to teach as a private tutor, it’s time to gather material for your students. You don’t want to be rushing to do this once you’ve accepted your students and are about to start teaching them.
Subject materials can be found in the form of textbooks, homework booklets, past papers, basically anything you once used to achieve those good grades. You may or may not end up using these materials depending on the level your student is at, but it’s good to have them on hand in case they are looking for more advanced work than their school can provide.
Private tutoring sessions are generally one hour long, sometimes two and frequency is usually one session per week. To make the most out of this limited time frame, it’s best to form teaching plans or just a general outline of how you’re going to structure each session.
These plans don’t have to be complicated. You could even just have an idea in your head of how you’re going to organise your time.
4. Advertise your services
There are countless websites out there catered towards students who are in search of a private tutor. You can create a profile on these websites and if they’re frequently visited, you should have enquiries in no time.
For the subjects that you plan to tutor in, list out the grades you received in each so that any prospective students can see the value of your help. If you have any distinct achievements in those particular areas, list them as well to boost your credibility and increase your popularity.
When you advertise your tutoring service, you also need to set a rate. This is where you determine your worth. Generally, the higher your grades were for that particular subject, the higher you can charge as your hourly rate.
If you’re just starting out, set your price a little lower so that you can receive more enquiries and gain experience earlier. Once you are more confident in your teaching abilities and have more experience, you can increase your hourly rate and be more picky with which students you accept.
5. Determine if any prospective students will be a good fit
You may be tempted at this stage to accept every student who enquires about your services. But, as a tutor, you want to make sure that you will provide value to their learning.
Private tutoring is a job, and like any other job, you have responsibilities. With this particular job, you have the responsibility of making sure that the tutoring service you provide is worth the amount that your students are paying you.
If for example, you are approached by a Grade 11 student but you know that your teaching skills are limited to Grade 10 and below, you need to make a choice. Either tell them that you think it would be better for them to find another tutor who’s more experienced at that level. Or, you can strive to improve your own teaching and make sure that you know all the content well before your first session.
Of course, if you’re unsure yourself, you can always offer a free trial session so that both you and your student can determine if the arrangement works.
6. Accept your new students
After you hash out all the details with your students, you can accept them and be ready to start teaching!
You may feel nervous, but this is completely natural. The first session with any student is usually the most nerve-racking one. This is because you’re trying to understand their learning style and both of you are slowly getting into the rhythm of things.
Remember that it isn’t a race. You’re not trying to go as fast as you can. You’re not trying to win a prize. So, slow down, take a deep breath and go through the steps at your student’s pace. This is the most effective way to ensure that your student leaves each session inspired and feeling like they’ve improved.
7. Begin tutoring them
Now the fun begins!
Being a private tutor can truly be a rewarding experience if you do it right. Try it out, gain some experience and you’ll be well on your way to earning up to $50 per hour and a few hundred dollars per week in your side hustle.
So, what are you waiting for? Start tutoring students today!
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