Want to Know How to Become a Private Tutor?

Contents

1. Is private tutoring a good job?
2. What skills do you need to be a private tutor?
3. How much can a private tutor make?
4. How to become a private tutor

If you’re knowledgeable, patient, friendly and ambitious, you’ve probably got what it takes to start private tutoring – the rest comes down to motivation and some seriously-organised admin. 

Ever wondered how to get a tutoring job as a teenager, student, as a side hustle or even as your main gig? Read on to discover how to become a tutor and why it’s such a great job. 👍

Is private tutoring a good job?

The Tutor’s Association estimates that there are up to 100,000 private tutors in the UK, and that’s just an estimate; because private tutors don’t need to be formally registered, it’s not easy to get exact numbers but we’re pretty sure that if those numbers were accessed, it would be much higher. Why? Because being a private tutor is a great job, and here are some reasons why.       

• It’s flexible
  

Working the standard 9-5 is so 2019. Since the pandemic hit and people were required to work from home, many have realised that working from home offers certain flexibility. Private tutoring gives you this flexibility and then some, especially if you tutor online. Taking lessons in the evenings or at weekends means that you have more time to dedicate to yourself. Maybe you already have a day job or maybe you want to skill up, learn a new hobby or spend time with family. However, you while away those hours, private tutoring allows you to orchestrate your schedule as you please.

Flexibility is especially important if you’re looking to become a tutor as a student because you can fix your schedule around your studies. ✍️

• It’s sociable
  

Whether online or in-person, being a private tutor means that you meet many different people and, if you give lessons to students overseas, you’ll become acquainted with people from faraway countries who live a completely different culture – fascinating! 🤩

• It looks great on your CV
  

If you’re looking to get a permanent role in education, private tutoring will add some serious flex to your CV. It can show future employers that you’re serious about being an educator and that you’ve got the extra experience that’s so vital before you step into a classroom. 

• It’s rewarding
  

Imagine tutoring a student in a certain topic and helping them “get it”. When this lightbulb moment occurs, it’s so gratifying. 💡

Whether it’s to help them ace exams, improve subject performance or simply encourage them to flourish, being a factor in a student’s academic progress is satisfying, rewarding, and feels fantastic! 🙌

• It helps you learn too
  

To be a private tutor, you really need to know your stuff. And knowing your stuff means that you need to stay ahead of the game when it comes to keeping on top of educational developments, teaching techniques or syllabus updates in your chosen subject. Also, if you source and create your own teaching materials, you will, by default, continue to learn even more about your field. 🧑‍🎓

What skills do you need to be a private tutor?

Aside from the official qualifications such as a degree in your chosen subject, a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate if you want to teach English as a second language or formal teaching credentials that some organisations require, there are other soft skills and attributes you’ll need to be a private tutor.

• Patience
• Empathy
• Positivity
• Communication
• Leadership
• Technical knowledge
• Active listening
• Time management
• Problem-solving

First-hand advice is priceless so if you have any friends or family who are teachers or tutors, ask them what they think it takes to be a tutor and if they think you’ve got it. 🤔

How much can a private tutor make?

According to Prospects, the average rate per hour for a private tutor is between £30-£42 depending on experience. If you choose to work for yourself, you’ll be able to choose your own rates. However, while the temptation is to market yourself at the maximum price, this may not encourage people to work with you in the beginning. It’s best to do some research first and find out how much other tutors with your experience charge. If you’re a newbie, start out charging fees at the lower end of the scale and as time goes on, your rates can increase. But make sure to give your clients plenty of notice first.

If you choose to become a private tutor on a tutoring website, some will pay you a flat hourly rate for your services and some platforms allow you to choose your rate but will take a cut from your payments. If you choose the latter, this should simply spur you on to market yourself suitably and find more students.  🧑‍🏫

How to become a private tutor

If you’re not sure how to start tutoring, don’t worry, we’ll give you some simple start-off points. You can also give our good old friend, Google, a visit and tap in ‘how to become a private tutor uk’, ‘how to become a tutor uk’ or ‘become a tutor uk’ and you’ll find some helpful advice. But for now, stick with us and we’ll have you on your way to ‘tutor-dom’ in no time. 💫

• Ask around
  

Friends, family, friends of the family, friends of friends, neighbours and so on, start asking around to see if anyone is looking for a tutor. Everyone has to start somewhere, even if it means you only begin with a few students. Once you have a handful, you could kindly ask the parents to put in a good word for you with other parents.

Want to know how to become a primary school tutor? You could get chatting with your younger siblings’ friends’ parents, or even ask their teachers for some helpful tips.

• Get on social media
  

Set up your own page on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn advertising your services and showing off your tutoring skills. There are some seriously good educational TikTok accounts, so why can’t you be one of them? The more you put yourself out there, the bigger the pay-off.

• Get technical
  

If you want to offer online lessons, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the myriad video-communication services out there and figure out which one works best for you. Google Meet, Zoom, Skype and more – spend some time on each one and then select which is the simplest and most effective for you and your students. 🖥️

• Register with GoStudent
  

If you think being a private tutor is for you, why not register with us? If you can work a minimum of six sessions per week, have or can get a DBS check (or your resident country’s equivalent) and have suitable IT equipment along with a stable internet connection, you could be just who we’re looking for. Interested? Get the full down-low on how we select our GoStudent tutors, and check out the services that we offer to our students to fully understand why you should become part of our incredible team! 😀

• Be confident
  

Whichever direction you choose, if you want your students to believe in you, then you need to believe in yourself first. While being a private tutor is rewarding, it can be challenging too. This is why being confident in yourself and your abilities is so important. From the first lesson, you need to layout the groundwork so that your students not only respect you but want to show up week after week. And after that, make sure to keep it educational with the right amount of fun too! 🥳

Just in case you missed the part where we told you how amazing it is to be a GoStudent tutor, here’s where you can register.