Job Description for Tutoring Business Idea
- Help a student—of any age—achieve success in school.
- Provide training in a specialized subject to meet business or professional needs.
Sometimes we—or our children—need some extra help or one-on-one instruction to achieve success in school or in our jobs. Your child may be a whiz when called on to produce written reports, but may struggle mightily in algebra and geometry. Your young student may be a math prodigy, but may be unable to master a foreign language.
As a parent, we all want our children to do well and succeed in school. However, any parent will quickly learn that it is somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible to teach your own child without a descent into screams and tears . . . and we’re not just referring to the kids.
As an adult, you may want the assistance of a professional to help you learn how to operate a computer, master the art of knitting, or brush up on your 20-year-old French skills before taking a trip to Europe.
Tutoring Business Challenges
It is not enough to know the subject; you also have to be capable of teaching. You have to be a good communicator, and you have to be patient. You’ll also have to work with school teachers where appropriate, and you’ll have to get along with parents and guardians who may be a help or a hindrance
in the process.
If you are offering tutoring to adults seeking to improve their skills in a professional area, you should work to coordinate your efforts with human resources and training departments where appropriate.
Know the Territory
Parents learn quickly that success in school, especially high school, is critical in getting into a good college and may play a role in obtaining financial aid and scholarships. It may not be sufficient to point to a child’s extreme success in language skills and ask that poor results in math be ignored.
Another modern issue is the increased use of standardized testing in schools. If you are working with a student in school, ask to see the textbooks the student is using and become familiar with the subject matter you will be covering. If you are coaching the student for a particular test, seek copies of past tests and work with them as a base.
How to Get Started Tutoring Business
The best qualification for this sort of job is an advanced teaching degree or certificate and experience as a teacher. That doesn’t mean you can’t offer your services based on other experiences and background; for example, your own background as a computer user may be more than enough to qualify you to teach others how to navigate the Internet.
Whether you are currently a schoolteacher or are coming from industry, you should be up-to-date on current information, specialized language, and teaching methods.
In some school districts you may be able towork closely—though informally—with guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators. Make them aware of your resume and references and ask them to recommend you to parents who seek help for their children, as appropriate.
Place flyers and business cards on community bulletin boards, at schools, and in libraries. Place ads in the school newspaper, community shopping guides, and local newspapers.
Tutoring Business Expenses
The principal up-front costs for this job are for advertising and promotional expenses. You could set up a web site, which would also involve costs. You may need to purchase some textbooks and research materials to help you in your preparation and teaching.
Charge for Tutoring
Tutors usually charge by the hour. You might consider offering a discounted rate for a package of hours; for example, sell 10 hours of tutoring for the cost of 9. If the student lives a great distance from your home, you can ask for a reasonable reimbursement for the cost of travel.