Tutoring: An Outstanding Way for Youth to Earn Money
Many youths often balk at the idea of being teachers. Perhaps due to unpleasant experiences in school or the perception that teachers earn too little.
Many students have come to realize that teaching/tutoring is not so bad. In fact, you could earn thousands of dollars a month by tutoring students. More than making money, you would be making a difference in the lives of other young people.
If you would love to teach, let’s show you how to get started as a tutor.
What can you teach?
Private tutoring is a rapidly expanding market and is expected to reach $201.8 Billion by 2026. The ever-increasing population and a rise in the number of educational institutions drive private tutoring. Students want to perform better and they usually require the services of a tutor.
All academic fields are eligible for tutoring, but you can only take on subjects that you have real expertise in. Tutors can also help students prepare for special exams like SATs. Non-academic fields of learning are also open to tutors. You can offer private extracurricular baking or language lessons. Whatever field of knowledge you find yourself in, there’s always someone new who could use a little help.
Who you can tutor is pretty obvious— anyone who needs tutoring. But of course, you need to have more knowledge and expertise in the concerned topic than the person you are tutoring. So understand that you do not need to be the best student overall in your school. You don’t have to be the highest authority in your profession either. Many parents would prefer a 5th grader to tutor their kid in the first grade than a university professor.
Qualifications needed to be a tutor
The academic qualifications to be a private tutor are solely determined by the client. Most times, however, clients just want to see that you are competent in the subject area. If you always get an A in math, that’s enough recommendation for a junior student who needs a math tutor. Tutoring organizations may ask for certifications or licenses.
Academic excellence is not the only requirement to succeed as a tutor. You need to have good patience and good communication skills. That’s the only way you can communicate complex things as simple ideas to your clients. It helps if you have good behavior as well. Parents need to be able to entrust their wards to you knowing they will be unharmed in any way.
Age is really not a restriction for tutoring jobs, it’s just a matter of how you approach the job. A 12-year-old can offer private lessons to kids in lower grades but may not qualify to work as an online tutor. But that’s not to say teens can not tutor online, they just need to check the rules that apply on different platforms.
Physical or Online Tutoring?
Usually, when people think of tutoring, they imagine a small group of people huddled over open books. They are not wrong because tutoring for most folks is a physical after-school activity. Students meet their tutors at some previously agreed place and time. It could be the students home, a public library or a coffee shop. But that is not the only way tutoring happens.
The covid-19 pandemic made online learning spread like wildfire and tutors now offer their services online. You can offer your services as an individual or join a tutoring service platform. To be an online tutor, you will need a computer equipped with a webcam. Video conferencing apps like Zoom or Skype are important as well. For audio clarity, a microphone-equipped headset would be great. A stable internet connection is essential.
If you choose to tutor online, you will have access to a larger pool of customers. That’s great but you might have to accommodate students in other time zones.
How to Get Tutoring Clients?
Even if you join a tutoring service organization, tutoring is an entrepreneurial venture that requires some marketing skills. Here are some tips to build your clientele.
Build reputation
Whether you want to offer physical or online lessons, you’ll need to convince your clients of your expertise. It’s easier to show your neighbors your scorecards or fluency in a foreign language. To stand out from online competitors, you can upload videos or posts showcasing your intelligence or skill.
Advertise your business
Word of mouth and social media posts are cheap ways to advertise. If you can afford business cards, flyers or a space in the local newspaper, do so. If you work with a tutoring company, they take care of most things including advertising. But putting the word out there yourself doesn’t hurt.
Negotiate skillfully
What you earn as a tutor can be largely determined by your negotiation skills. That’s because usually there’s no fixed rate, just a range depending on your qualification and subject difficulty. You should do some research to see how other tutors in your area of expertise are charging.
Conclusion
Private tutoring is a smart way for young people to earn money. It is flexible in regards to certifications as long as you can prove your competence. It requires no capital to start and can help you build a career in education.