Tutoring - Any Tips?

Currently in the first year of my degree, mechanical engineering. I've already got a part time job but I'm thinking of doing some tutoring work to help me get by.

I only really seriously considered it when it was suggested to me by a friend, but various people have told me I'm a good teacher. I'm thinking of maths tutoring up to and including GCSE. I achieved an A* at GCSE and an A at A level.

So far all of the agencies I've looked at require at least a degree, which I obviously don't have. So should I go solo or apply to an agency anyway?

How should I advertise? Posters at schools? A website?

What should my rates be? I was thinking around £10 an hour, with a free hour and a half trial, as I have no formal experience or training. Although I am CRB checked.

Any tips?

Cheers,

False

EDIT BY COMMUNITY TEAM:

This tutoring company pays up to £24 per hour - apply to become a tutor here

Tutorful and other sites also offer good rates.

Discussion on how to become a tutor here

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 1

stef_vet?

Hi there,

My housemate and I tutored last year, (I taught chemistry and she taught maths and our highest level of qualification at the time were A Levels. She advertised through a site that our university set up in conjunction with the local community and schools - which is definitely worth seeing if your uni has one - and then word of mouth quickly meant she had enough business to choose who she would teach and recommend me :smile:

I think that a couple of people on TSR tutor for Tutor Doctor too and there are definitely some sites that don't require degree level tutors, just keep ploughing through. Other avenues you may want to try are gumtree, notice boards etc

Once you actually get clients we were charging £22-£25ph for GCSE and AS level tuition. It's a strange one because if your prices are too low then potential customers may presume your prices are low because you're not as good, which I'm sure is not true! I think the trial thing is a nice idea and makes you stand out from some competitors but make sure you aren't used as a one hit wonder and earn no money from it!

Things you will need to consider:
1) How will you get there. Some parents will be willing to pick you up but if not and you don't have a car make sure it's within reasonable travelling distance and that public transport links aren't so much of a pain that you won't want to stick at it - you could tutor one client for years
2) Make sure you ask what syllabus the tutoree is studying and with which exam board, and then study it hard! Some include quite specific areas (for example on how to lay out an answer) that you may not remember so well and you will need to ensure the tutoree has a comprehensive understanding of all areas if they are going to achieve the best grades
3) Tell someone exactly where you are going and when you're going to be back - your personal safety comes first and at the end of the day you are going to the house of a stranger
4) Make sure before you even start tutoring that you are clear what the expectations of the client/tutoree are (i.e. what grade ideally, what do they need help with etc) and be honest (but tactful) as to how likely you think it is that the tutoree will achieve this. This will also help with your lesson planning as you will know from the start whether you are being hired to help with a specific problem or to guide the tutoree through their entire qualification
5) The key to tutoring is being patient, prepared, able to explain what may seem simple to you in a way that is easy to understand for your tutoree and being approachable so that if your tutoree doesn't understand then they are happy to tell you so. As I'm sure you know the benefit of tutoring is that the tutoree doesn't have to ask for help in front of an entire class but if they don't feel confident around you they may pretend to understand to avoid that same issue
6) PLAN YOUR LESSONS! (but be willing to change tact half way through!) and revise hard. Even though you may be studying the subject you're teaching there are highly likely to be parts that you have forgotten since GCSE. I originally spent 2-3 hours preparing for a 1 hour lesson - obviously this decreases after your first client, especially if you have a number of clients who are all around the same level/year of school.
7) Do not be bullied by your clients. Make it clear from day one that if they cancel at the last minute they will still need to pay you (as you could turn down hours at your other job to teach and then doubly lose out) - we had a 24hr minimum notice requirement.

And one more tip, if you start tutoring someone halfway through a qualification a good idea is to download a practise paper and go through it with them - it will give you an idea of the level of understanding of basic underlying principles and the amount of material covered so far

If you have any more q's feel free to give me a shout :smile:

Tutoring - Any Tips?

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