Would you hire me (a 17 year old) as a tutor?

I'm thinking of starting a tutoring business for primary school kids. I would tutor them once a week (or twice) to prepare them for their SATs in maths and English. However, I'm a 17 year old so a lot of parents might not trust me to teach their kids well, although a lot of people my age do actually tutor people.

I have A*s in maths, further maths, English language and English literature GCSEs and I'm doing both maths and further maths for a level. I also take part in maths mentoring at my school where I voluntarily tutor a Year 7 kid to improve his grades. I would probably charge around £5 -10 per 90 minute lesson- is this too high, given that I'm a kid? Also, I would probably teach them in groups of two or three- is this student:tutor ratio too high?

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Reply 1

BakedPotatoast

I'd say it would be quite hard to find parents who would hire you unless they knew you or something close.

Also I would say that most people prefer to be tutored one to one, and plus it is a lot easier to do that in terms of the parents as it would mean that you would go to their house to teach them instead of going somewhere else.

Price I think is fine, except I think you should consider teaching for free too. Although it sounds pointless if it's free, it's a good thing to put on your personal statement and what not. Maybe try doing it for free if no one hires you for £5 per lesson.

Hope that helps :smile:

EDIT: Going back to the teaching in groups thing. People often prefer one to one because it can be awkward when you're in a room with someone you don't know and it can sometimes stop people from asking the questions they want to ask as they may feel embarrassed etc. If you wanted to teach many people, I would advise doing more one to one sessions than a larger group, though it is up to you.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

Dr.Snake

You could have different options.... one to one or groups as people have different preferences. I would say go for it. Doesnt hurt to try. Tutoring isnt about how old you are or how many degrees you have. If you think you are good at tutoring then do it, you might build a good reputation.

Reply 3

fefssdf

You could always just make some leaflets and put them through people's doors... a friend of mine tutored some year 8 students in maths this year and she is currently 18 so i can't see why a 17 couldn't do it... you just need to make some contacts somehow aha

A Level ?

Original post by saraxh

A Level ?

I am doing A-Levels but surely that's enough preparation to tutor people for key stage 2 SATs?

Reply 6

Trapz99

Original post by BakedPotatoast

Yeah it would be good to do one-to-one but teaching in groups will probably be more profitable. It just seems like a lot of effort for a small payoff. Plus I already tutor a Year 7 maths student at my school's maths club for free so I can put that on my personal statement. Do you think it would be better if I work at a tuition centre (like Explore Learning or NumberWorksandWords) to gain more experience and then set up my own tuition business?

Reply 7

Trapz99

Original post by fefssdf

Good idea! Thanks

Reply 8

Trapz99

Original post by Dr.Snake

That is a good idea. I might offer both group and one-to-one tutoring services.

Reply 9

fefssdf

Original post by Trapz99

Good idea! Thanks

just put on their your qualifications and then your contact details and say that you'll offer a free trial session :biggrin:

Reply 10

fermat1324

what do you call a farting lesson? A toot-orial

Reply 11

BakedPotatoast

Original post by Trapz99

I see, so you're doing it for some pocket money.

Well is it that you want to teach SAT specifically or is it just that you want to teach Maths and English? Because, well I'm not sure where you live and if they have it where you are but in London there's a company called Kumon. It's a place where younger kids go to learn maths and the like and they're tutored by older kids, usually in sixth form. They're kids are taught in groups and from a friends experience I hear that he earned just under £30 for 90 min lessons, not bad.

Anyways I guess my point is yes, it might be better to join tuition centre first rather than just trying to start a business. That way I guess you'll know how to handle things when you get into tricky situations and the like. Yo'll also have a better reputation I guess if you say you have experience.

Reply 12

BakedPotatoast

Original post by fermat1324

what do you call a farting lesson? A toot-orial

Huehuehuehue

Reply 13

Trapz99

Original post by BakedPotatoast

Yeah i live in London. Does Kumon actually pay that much? Wow. I might check it out then.

Reply 14

BakedPotatoast

Original post by Trapz99

Yeah i live in London. Does Kumon actually pay that much? Wow. I might check it out then.

Mm it's really good, but then again my friends been doing this for years so he gets a higher pay because of that or something. Also that was his highest pay apparently, so it might be a bit lower in your case, still it's a starting place :smile:

Reply 15

Protoxylic

Tutoring students who you don't know, or whose parents don't know you, is going to be fairly difficult. A parent will always pick an older, more mature, tutor over a 17 year old who is still going through the education system themselves. That's just how it goes.
That being said, if you offer your services and the parents/students aren't actively looking for a tutor, perhaps this would be a better position. Remember, they are offering money and so they expect a service in return and by that, they expect progress in their grades (the only indicator for the parent that you are actually doing your job correctly).
I tutor students from my old school for free (on the Oxbridge application process and further topics outside of A-level), that's because I know that I would have benefited from something like that and also it gives me something to do during the long summer.
I haven't charged for tutoring in the past because in tutoring, I don't go for set rates or times, I just do it when I can and when they can and it is a more relaxed atmosphere and so it is bearable for both them and I.

£5-10 per 90 minutes is actually dirt cheap compared to the going rate for tutors (qualified tutors) who charge upwards of 40-60 quid per hour.

Also having A*s in those subjects isn't enough for a parent to feel like you would do a better job over anybody else, teaching is much different than your own knowledge, you have to be able to communicate.

Just a few pointers before you go into it