Also check this previous article to understand how to become a tutor.
How to become a tutor & earn upto $60/hr
Here are the top private tutoring websites:
Superprof
Superprof is one of the biggest tutoring sites in United Kingdom, with over 24 million tutors across the globe.
You need to sign up, publish your tutor ad and interested students contact you. You can accept/reject their requests, and then swap the contact details to start online tutoring.
You can set your own rates, so make sure to check out the competition first to get an idea of what to charge. Placing an ad is free, but Superprof takes a 10% commission on every lesson arranged through their platform (unless you pay for the Premium subscription).
MyTutor
MyTutor claim to pay "more than your average job" – up to £30/hr! Add that to the ability to choose your own hours & you've got yourself perfect job to balance with your uni work.
To sign up, you need to fill in an application form and book a video interview with one of the MyTutor team members. Once you get started, you set your own prices by choosing from a few bands.
First Tutors
With First Tutors, you can offer tutoring sessions either face-2-face or online, & again, you set your own fees & don't pay any charges.
To set up, you'll have to submit 2 references, and some information for an ID check. You'll receive an email when a tutee requests your services & you have to log in to member's area to respond. Make sure that you do because if you ignore request, your profile will be suspended.
Anyone can sign up, so you don't need any experience or qualifications.
The benefits of becoming a tutor
Here are some reasons to become a tutor while you're at university:
- It pays well – You earn some pretty decent money as a private tutor. The exact amounts will vary on where you're based, what your subject specialism is and how much of an expert you can really claim to be, but we're talking at least £20 an hour.
- It's great experience – Tutoring privately look amazing on your CV. It's even better if you're able to get enough work to essentially run a mini-business with your own website. By taking the initiative to start this, you're also demonstrating that you're entrepreneurial and business-minded.
- It's flexible work
- It's actually good for your studies
Required skills
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Here are some skills of a good tutor:
- Great subject-specific knowledge –
- Great communication
- Good knowledge of revision and exam techniques
- Time management –
- Patience –
What qualifications do you need to become a tutor?
You might need a PGCE qualification to become a teacher in UK schools, but you don't need any specific qualifications to become a tutor. You need teaching skills and knowledge of what you teach to other people. Have full command on your skills.
Tutor job responsibilities
Here's a quick rundown of a tutor's key responsibilities:
- Assess your pupil's skill level and needs – Each client will be different and you'll have to tailor your tutoring accordingly.
- Research the curriculum – Things will have likely changed from when you were at school, so you need to get to grips with exactly what you need to cover so your pupil is successful in their exams.
- Schedule and plan sessions – They need to cover the relevant content, and you'll have to use different teaching methods to keep each class engaging.
- Organise payment – Whether it's through a third-party service, cash in hand or another financial arrangement, you need to make sure the cash is coming in.
- Produce progress reports – To prove to your student and/or their parents that your service is having an impact, you'll need to do progress reports to show their development.
- Promote yourself – Advertising your services as a private tutor is an ongoing requirement as your pupils won't stick around forever. Make sure you're constantly promoting your work so you have a steady stream of new clients.
How much money can you make tutoring?
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Private tutors usually charge between £20 – £40 per hour. Tuition slots tend to last an hour so even if you only manage two sessions pr week, you're still making a decent amount of money on the side.
You should probably charge slightly less if you're offering an online tutoring service, such as over Zoom or Skype. Plus, you could try offering a discount for customers who book sessions in bulk for guaranteed income.
You could also increase your earnings by teaching more than one person at a time. However, some sites advise that you should offer group discounts.
Whatever you do, make sure your rate covers your overhead costs. It's important to factor in the cost of teaching materials, as well as the cost and time of travelling to wherever you need to be.
Tips on how to become a tutor
These are the best ways to become a private tutor:
Write a strong CV
Your CV is the best way to give potential new customers an accurate picture of you and your abilities.
Make sure you don't rush this step. You can use our guide to writing the perfect CV to make sure you ace it.
It's also a good idea to source a couple of great character references (from an old boss, one of your uni lecturers, or a family friend with an impressive job title) as this will really help to sell your services.
Decide what skill level you're aiming for
You're much more likely to recruit new clients if you target your services at a specific skill level.
For instance, teaching primary school kids is very different to coaching 17-year-olds through their A Levels. So, although there's nothing stopping you from doing both, it's sometimes better to concentrate your efforts on one area.
The main tutoring areas are:
- Primary school core subjects and SATs tuition (Key Stage 1 and 2)
- Secondary school core subjects (Key Stage 3, GCSE and A Level)
- International qualifications (e.g. International Baccalaureate)
- Language tuition (all levels).
If, for example, you decide to focus on offering tuition to GCSE students, you can really get to know the curriculum and what students are required to do to succeed in their exams.
You can then offer a better, more specialised private tutoring service as a result, rather than spreading yourself thin by covering a lot of areas.
Put a pitch together
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To pitch your tutoring service, you'll need to write something similar to a cover letter. This is where you confidently state what makes you an ideal tutor for someone looking to brush up on your specialist subject.
Include good grades and relevant major achievements. You can even throw in a quote or two from uni staff or testimonials from previous students (if you have any).
You can then use this pitch as material to convert into an advert for your services – which brings us to our next point...
Start advertising
Using the pitch you've already created (see above), you can now edit or cut it down to suit your audience or advertising space, and start getting the word out there.
The best places to start promoting your tutoring services would be:
- Online forums (university forums, Mumsnet, etc.)
- Notice boards (at uni, in shop windows, at your local library or community centre)
- In Facebook groups (try resident groups in your local area, and you could make your own business page)
- Putting flyers through people's letterboxes in your local area
- On classified ad sites like Gumtree.
Set up your tutoring sessions
Whether you're tutoring online or in person, communication with your tutee is key. Arrange a time and place in advance and make sure you turn up on time.
Ask lots of questions to find out exactly what help your tutee needs, and research the curriculum and marking criteria in depth. It's a good idea to have an introductory session to establish what your tutee wants from the sessions and set some realistic goals.
Whatever you do, make sure you're prepared. Turning up with nothing each week and expecting to just help your student with their homework won't impress anyone.