How Do I Get Started as a Private Tutor? (Part 1)
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Over the course of my 25-year career, that’s right I said career, as a professional private math tutor, I have been asked by many people how to get started as a private tutor. I have also encouraged and advised many people, who were amazing teachers and educators, to take the leap into the private tutoring industry. The best part about becoming a professional tutor is that there is really no barrier to entry, and can be done at very little personal cost. However, it can sometimes feel a little daunting trying to figure out what those first steps might be.

Here is what I recommend to most people as the starting point for getting into the private tutoring industry.

Decide what you would like to offer tutoring for.

If you are currently a teacher or educator, what classes have you taught or are you teaching? Think back on your own personal education experience. What classes did you really love?

Take a look around your community. If you have a university or college in your town, take a look at that school’s course catalog and course descriptions. It may have been a minute since you were in college, or you might not have attended the college in your community. So, take the time to familiarize yourself with their offerings. Remember that tutoring is more than just helping students who are struggling, it is also about helping students gain a richer more complete understanding of the material. Any college class is filled with students who want to better understand that subject. Don’t pigeon hole yourself into the standard classes that students traditionally need help with. If you loved your 300 level Psychology class, then consider helping students in that same class get a better understanding of the material based on your own education and professional experience.

As you look through the college course catalogs, note the exact name of the classes you believe you could tutor. When you go to create your advertising for your tutoring services, you will want to list those courses by specific name. If a student is in Accounting 345, then they are probably going to Google up “tutor for accounting 345”, and will be more likely to reach out to a tutor that has that specific course listed.

Take a look at your local high school, middle school, and elementary schools. See what Advance Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate classes they offer. Additionally think outside of traditional class needs, and think about what else these students might need help with. Could you help younger students with their reading and writing? Could you help high school students prepare for their SAT’s, ACT’s, college essays, or entrance exams?

Consider how much of a tutor you want to be.

Are you looking to do this full-time, part-time, side hustle? This will help you decide how many hours you want to open up in your weekly schedule to tutoring. Once you know how many hours you want to work, set your hours. One of the biggest pitfalls for first time tutors is chasing the dollars, and trying to meet with students whenever they want to meet. A little flexibility is fine, but remember that students won’t always show up when they say they will. It can be extremely frustrating when you rearrange your entire day to meet a student for one hour, and then they either don’t show up or cancel at the last minute.

If you are looking primarily at K-12 students, then consider when they get out of school and set your hours based upon when they are most likely going to be available to meet. If you are focusing on higher education, then you really can set your schedule however you need as they will be willing to meet with you anytime from 8am to 10pm (sometimes even later if you are a night owl too).

Set your rate.

What is one hour of your time worth to you? How much would you be willing to get paid to take time away from the rest of your life to meet a student? How much do you want to make over the course of a year?

Charge what you are worth. New tutors are often so worried that they won’t get students that they charge a lower rate than what their skills and experience truly dictate. You might be able to fill your entire schedule by charging $10/hr, but is that really what your time is worth? New tutors will also look at what other tutors are charging, and sometimes try to undercut the prices of other tutors in their area. Again, charge what you are worth. The students will come. Keep in mind the other tutors might not have your experience. They might be a college student just looking for a little extra spending money, and they might have a financial benefactor who is helping them pay their bills.

I encourage you to set a single rate no matter what the class, no matter the level of the student. I have seen some tutors who list 6 different rates based upon many different factors. I remind tutors that if your time is worth $50/hr it is always worth $50/hr no matter the student. Consider what would happen if, out of the kindness of your heart, you offer $20/hr for middle school students and $50/hr for high school students, and then your entire schedule gets filled up by middle school students. Will you still be able to pay your bills?

Remember that you can always adjust your rates. The rules of supply and demand apply to the tutoring industry. If your schedule is completely filled up when you are charging $50/hr, then it might be time to raise your rates to $75/hr.

You may also want to consider a group rate. Make sure the math works out so that you are still making at least your base hourly rate. If you charge $75/hr, perhaps you charge $40/hr per student so that at a minimum you will be getting paid $80/hr. It makes each student feel like they are getting a deal, and you are still covering your normal hourly rate. I will say that I have not had a lot of interest in my group rates as most students are looking for that one-on-one personalize attention. It doesn’t hurt to offer it though, if that is something you are considering.

Decide how you want to take payment.

It seems like a simple matter, but you have to consider when and how you are going to get paid.
Be very clear with your students before your tutoring appointment on when you want to be paid. I tell my students that I want to be paid either before they arrive at the tutoring session, or at the very beginning of the tutoring session. I don’t want to try to collect at the end of the session because the process might take a minute. I usually have a student that I am meeting immediately after that appointment, and I don’t want the payment process to push into my next student’s time. I also am a tutor and not a debt collector. I don’t want to have to worry about tracking down my student or their parents to get the money I am owed. If you are kind enough to let a student pay you at a point after your appointment, I highly recommend making sure that payment is complete before the next time you meet that student. You don’t want to keep compounding how much a student owes you, and you don’t want your relationship with the student to become strained because you are hounding them over the money you are owed.

Possible ways to get paid:

  • Cash (only works if you are meeting students in person)
  • Check (maybe your old school)
  • Paypal, Venmo, Square, Zelle

Many of these services will allow you to send invoices for your students to pay. Paypal and Square will send you a card reader (for free) that you can use with your phone to accept credit cards in person.

We will stop here for now. I will continue the conversation on How to Become a Private Math Tutor in my next post. This should give you a good bit of homework to do before then. 🙂
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please send it along.