Tutoring for 10-16 year olds - East Kent /Canterbury and surrounding areas - what do people think ?

[Kentmum1234]

Hi
Do people seek out tutors for their kids over the summer ?

I know that tutoring for the Kent test in particular can be controversial and so I am not sure how people feel about this - would appreciate some advice .

My son is the kind of kid that really enjoys helping other kids with work - and has always been encouraged by teachers to do so.

I was encouraging him to get a summer job (he'll be starting Sixth Form in Sept ) and he suggested he could do some tutoring of kids in the local area as he enjoys helping others and seems to be good at it.

He will be turning 17 in September and it seems like a fair enough thing to do if he's putting in the effort and enjoys it.

So I am wondering - Where do people look for tutors ? And what would be a fair price to pay ?

(I think he just wants to stick to our local area - East Kent).

I'm a tutor, though not in Kent.

I've never tutored anyone over the summer. I usually tutor from September until exams, or if the student is not doing exams, they stop by the end of July. So, I would say, unless you have a ready-made market (eg friends who have asked for tuition for their children), I wouldn't bank on tutoring as a summer job.

That said, your son could tutor next academic year. One hour midweek and one or two hours on the weekend (whether with the same student or different ones) would bring in some money and shouldn't affect his own studies in 6th form.

As for where to look for tutors, google "Kent tutor [subject]" and see what comes up. They'll be a mix of tutoring agencies and free tuition advertising websites, so get your son to sign up to the free ones (double check whether he has to be over 18 or not to use them). You'll also be able to see the "competition", and how much they charge. As your son is still at school, I would charge significantly less than other tutors, because he doesn't yet have the experience nor qualifications of others.

Thanks for that input.

I agree re charges - I was thinking he should charge about half the qualified teacher rate

You've also confirmed my thinking re the summer. I don't think many people are using tutors over the summer apart from Kent test / 11 plus.

Might get him to put an advert on Gumtree.