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Setting up your own Tutoring Business
There are times when a little extra money would be handy. For most of us that means working overtime, although that is unrealiable, or finding a second job, which isn't really family or relaxation friendly.
There are dozens of schemes advertised for working from home, but in reality not many of them are worth the time, effort or money you need to put in to get any significant return.
And then there is tutoring.
Tutoring can be a great part-time business if you’re looking to really boost your income. If you're not sure there is money in tutoring have a look around at some of the tutoring businesses and see just how much they charge per session. Starting your own tutoring business can be a simple endeavour and the start-up costs can be minimal. It’s a great business if you want to start small, but still have the option of expanding your operation over time.
Though it’s a relatively simple business, you will be more successful if you take the time to do a little research and put your plans down on paper.
These 7 steps will serve you well as you start to build your tutoring business:
1. Decide which subjects you want to teach.
There are several factors that will help you choose subjects to tutor that fit with your skill set.
Is there enough demand? You might be a great artist, but the demand for art tutors is practically non-existent, so you’re not likely to get many clients if this is your area of choice.
It’s important to find subjects with enough demand for tutoring to sustain your business. Subjects like math and English seem to have a never-ending supply of students requiring assistance.
Consider whether or not you have the necessary knowledge. If you struggle with basic math yourself, it’s unlikely you’ll be a suitable calculus tutor.
2. What age group will you tutor?
Consider which age groups will be best served by your experience, knowledge, and temperament. Younger children and teenagers both present their own unique challenges.
3. Decide on the geographical area you’ll serve.
You’ll likely want to provide tutoring services close to your home, but it might be much more lucrative if you’re willing to drive to other parts of town.
If your intention is to work out of your home or to meet students at a single location, such as the public library, consider how far the average student is willing to travel.
Thirty minutes tends to be about the maximum most will drive.
Pull out a map and draw a rough radius around the equivalent to a 30-minute drive in order to zero in on your tutoring area.
If you’re willing to drive to your students, then consider how long a trip you’re willing to take. Remember to take the time and cost of your transportation into account. This will probably have a big impact on the fees you charge.
4. Determine your pricing structure.
Pricing is a very important decision that will require a moderate amount of market research.
Tutoring rates vary dramatically depending on the subject, student and your geographic location. Your level of expertise can also play a huge part. Some tutors might charge as low as $10 per hour, but in larger cities, $200 per hour isn’t unheard of.
After determining your target age group, subject and geographic area, finding a competitive tutoring rate is quite simple.
Decide if you'll offer individual or group tutoring sessions. Look at the prices being charged by comparable tutors. Take a look at their advertisements or website. You can even call and inquire about prices. You’ll quickly get a good idea of the average rate other tutors are charging.
Remember that your pricing accomplishes two goals: it sends a message about the quality and value of your services, as well as having a significant effect on the amount of money you’ll be able to earn.
If you charge a low rate, you’ll probably have plenty of students. But you’re also likely to earn less money in the long run. This may also cause you to have insufficient funds to do any meaningful advertising.
A low price may lead parents to think that your services are of lower quality.
Pricing too high can leave you short of clients. A high price is fine, if you can show that your services deserve a premium price. You might have to show a track record of success first!
In most cases, the best rate will be somewhere near the average fee being charged for tutoring. The market is currently supporting this price-point and your students are likely to be somewhat insensitive to price. This can allow you to raise your rates after proving your worth.
5. Market and promote your business.
Marketing might be the most important factor in determining your initial success with your tutoring business. At first, others won’t know who you are. It’s up to you to figure out how to overcome that obstacle.
Consider how your students, or more likely their parents, will search for a tutor. They are likely to either approach the student’s teacher or look online.
Contact the schools in your area and let them know about your tutoring services. You can easily find the names of the appropriate educators to contact on the school’s website.
A handwritten note with a simple flyer or brochure can be a quick and simple way to reach potential customers.
Think about other places students and their parents spend time. It might be the local library, community centre, sporting venues or even the local supermarket notice board. Hang flyers in those locations with your contact information.
Tell everyone you know about your tutoring business. The time you spend on Facebook might finally pay off - let the world know about what you’re offering.
Create a website. With WordPress, it’s very easy for anyone to create a great looking site. For a domain name, see if there’s one available that matches the term someone would likely search for.
Use Facebook and Gumtree. Many people turn to social media, whether they’re looking for a new stove, a place to live, or a tutor.
Use the numerous free online directories to list your website and services.
Eventually, you’ll be able to rely on word-of-mouth to secure additional clients.
6. Get organised.
You’ll want to keep all your relevant records and paperwork organized. This includes your session notes and progress reports.
For your own sake, have a consistent billing system. It’s up to you whether you want the student to pay before or after the session. But it’s helpful to pick one or the other and be consistent.
Sending a bill will result in you having to spend a lot of time on collection efforts. Another useful method is to be paid ahead for the next 5-10 tutoring sessions.
Keep track of your revenue and expenses. You’ll have to pay taxes, and staying up to date is much easier than trying to recreate the past from memory. Keep all your receipts along with accurate records. This would include any travel expenses, your classroom costs and any materials you purchase.
7. Enhance your business.
As you’re operating your tutoring service, ask yourself how you can make your business better and more profitable. There are likely to be challenges along the way, whether it’s scheduling, difficult parents, or the students themselves. Find solutions that limit future challenges.
Set aside a few minutes each week and brainstorm ways you can take your business to the next level. You’ll be surprised by how many great ideas you can come up with if you reflect on your business on a regular basis.
A tutoring business can be a great way to supplement your income. With enough clients, you might even be able to turn your tutoring business into a full-time income!
There are many people desperately seeking tutoring services. Most adults that are still struggling can trace the source back to challenges in high school or college. Successfully navigating the educational system can have a profound effect on later success in life. Helping others successfully get through school can make you incredibly valuable.
Few people have the opportunity to influence someone’s life as much as a teacher or tutor! Get your business started, aggressively market your services, and collect the monetary rewards. It’s a great way to boost your income while also helping others.
There are dozens of schemes advertised for working from home, but in reality not many of them are worth the time, effort or money you need to put in to get any significant return.
And then there is tutoring.
Tutoring can be a great part-time business if you’re looking to really boost your income. If you're not sure there is money in tutoring have a look around at some of the tutoring businesses and see just how much they charge per session. Starting your own tutoring business can be a simple endeavour and the start-up costs can be minimal. It’s a great business if you want to start small, but still have the option of expanding your operation over time.
Though it’s a relatively simple business, you will be more successful if you take the time to do a little research and put your plans down on paper.
These 7 steps will serve you well as you start to build your tutoring business:
1. Decide which subjects you want to teach.
There are several factors that will help you choose subjects to tutor that fit with your skill set.
Is there enough demand? You might be a great artist, but the demand for art tutors is practically non-existent, so you’re not likely to get many clients if this is your area of choice.
It’s important to find subjects with enough demand for tutoring to sustain your business. Subjects like math and English seem to have a never-ending supply of students requiring assistance.
Consider whether or not you have the necessary knowledge. If you struggle with basic math yourself, it’s unlikely you’ll be a suitable calculus tutor.
2. What age group will you tutor?
Consider which age groups will be best served by your experience, knowledge, and temperament. Younger children and teenagers both present their own unique challenges.
3. Decide on the geographical area you’ll serve.
You’ll likely want to provide tutoring services close to your home, but it might be much more lucrative if you’re willing to drive to other parts of town.
If your intention is to work out of your home or to meet students at a single location, such as the public library, consider how far the average student is willing to travel.
Thirty minutes tends to be about the maximum most will drive.
Pull out a map and draw a rough radius around the equivalent to a 30-minute drive in order to zero in on your tutoring area.
If you’re willing to drive to your students, then consider how long a trip you’re willing to take. Remember to take the time and cost of your transportation into account. This will probably have a big impact on the fees you charge.
4. Determine your pricing structure.
Pricing is a very important decision that will require a moderate amount of market research.
Tutoring rates vary dramatically depending on the subject, student and your geographic location. Your level of expertise can also play a huge part. Some tutors might charge as low as $10 per hour, but in larger cities, $200 per hour isn’t unheard of.
After determining your target age group, subject and geographic area, finding a competitive tutoring rate is quite simple.
Decide if you'll offer individual or group tutoring sessions. Look at the prices being charged by comparable tutors. Take a look at their advertisements or website. You can even call and inquire about prices. You’ll quickly get a good idea of the average rate other tutors are charging.
Remember that your pricing accomplishes two goals: it sends a message about the quality and value of your services, as well as having a significant effect on the amount of money you’ll be able to earn.
If you charge a low rate, you’ll probably have plenty of students. But you’re also likely to earn less money in the long run. This may also cause you to have insufficient funds to do any meaningful advertising.
A low price may lead parents to think that your services are of lower quality.
Pricing too high can leave you short of clients. A high price is fine, if you can show that your services deserve a premium price. You might have to show a track record of success first!
In most cases, the best rate will be somewhere near the average fee being charged for tutoring. The market is currently supporting this price-point and your students are likely to be somewhat insensitive to price. This can allow you to raise your rates after proving your worth.
5. Market and promote your business.
Marketing might be the most important factor in determining your initial success with your tutoring business. At first, others won’t know who you are. It’s up to you to figure out how to overcome that obstacle.
Consider how your students, or more likely their parents, will search for a tutor. They are likely to either approach the student’s teacher or look online.
Contact the schools in your area and let them know about your tutoring services. You can easily find the names of the appropriate educators to contact on the school’s website.
A handwritten note with a simple flyer or brochure can be a quick and simple way to reach potential customers.
Think about other places students and their parents spend time. It might be the local library, community centre, sporting venues or even the local supermarket notice board. Hang flyers in those locations with your contact information.
Tell everyone you know about your tutoring business. The time you spend on Facebook might finally pay off - let the world know about what you’re offering.
Create a website. With WordPress, it’s very easy for anyone to create a great looking site. For a domain name, see if there’s one available that matches the term someone would likely search for.
Use Facebook and Gumtree. Many people turn to social media, whether they’re looking for a new stove, a place to live, or a tutor.
Use the numerous free online directories to list your website and services.
Eventually, you’ll be able to rely on word-of-mouth to secure additional clients.
6. Get organised.
You’ll want to keep all your relevant records and paperwork organized. This includes your session notes and progress reports.
For your own sake, have a consistent billing system. It’s up to you whether you want the student to pay before or after the session. But it’s helpful to pick one or the other and be consistent.
Sending a bill will result in you having to spend a lot of time on collection efforts. Another useful method is to be paid ahead for the next 5-10 tutoring sessions.
Keep track of your revenue and expenses. You’ll have to pay taxes, and staying up to date is much easier than trying to recreate the past from memory. Keep all your receipts along with accurate records. This would include any travel expenses, your classroom costs and any materials you purchase.
7. Enhance your business.
As you’re operating your tutoring service, ask yourself how you can make your business better and more profitable. There are likely to be challenges along the way, whether it’s scheduling, difficult parents, or the students themselves. Find solutions that limit future challenges.
Set aside a few minutes each week and brainstorm ways you can take your business to the next level. You’ll be surprised by how many great ideas you can come up with if you reflect on your business on a regular basis.
A tutoring business can be a great way to supplement your income. With enough clients, you might even be able to turn your tutoring business into a full-time income!
There are many people desperately seeking tutoring services. Most adults that are still struggling can trace the source back to challenges in high school or college. Successfully navigating the educational system can have a profound effect on later success in life. Helping others successfully get through school can make you incredibly valuable.
Few people have the opportunity to influence someone’s life as much as a teacher or tutor! Get your business started, aggressively market your services, and collect the monetary rewards. It’s a great way to boost your income while also helping others.