Tutoring Business-How to bring in money during the summer

[Blessedbethefruitcakes]

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas that might help! I work part time as a self employed private tutor and then also have a part time job for a university.

During term time I'm really busy with my private tuition and have lots of students each week. I teach a lot of GCSE students (Maths and Science) and A level students (Biology). I also have some younger students (usually English and Maths) who are late primary and early secondary.

What I'm really struggling with is the seasonal nature of the work. In the half terms, Christmas holidays and Easter holidays I usually work a couple of days each week, but many of my students are away or don't want lessons. All of my exam students (years 11 and 13) finish by mid-June. Then most of my remaining students don't want to have lessons over the 6 weeks holidays and often don't want lessons during the last weeks of term in July.

I'm finding that my income from tutoring is pretty much non-existent over July and August. I still get paid for my other job but it doesn't cover my basic monthly living expenses. I can sometimes pick up new students over the summer, but usually when I advertise for summer holiday tuition I get lots of messages from people only wanting to book in for September.

I always save money to help cover my expenses over the summer, but I'm finding it really hard to save enough to cover so many weeks of reduced income. I also feel under pressure to work as many hours as possible during term time because I'm worried about how I'll manage financially in the summer.

Does anyone have any ideas for how I can entice parents and students to book lessons over the summer? I could reduce prices but I'm wondering if that will just make parents reluctant to pay my normal fees during term time. I have also thought about putting my prices up for the rest of the year so it is easier to save, but I'm worried that this might mean parents want fewer lessons in term time. I currently charge £35 per hour which is in line with what other tutors in my local area with similar qualifications and experience to me charge.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.😀

Offer Mon-Fri childcare with maths/English activities during the summer holidays?

Babysitting in the evenings for existing families?

I agree that offering reduced tutoring rates is a bad idea long term.

Offer ‘catch up weeks’, with a session every day at a fixed time. A block of lessons at a slightly reduced price.

Some things off the top of my head:

You could increase prices over the summer: signalling increased demand for your services and FOMO with parents fearing their kids fall behind if others are using your services.
Offer a combined tutorial and trips for groups e.g. A level biology, visit Manchester Museum of Medicine and Health.
Outdoor group sessions (probably afternoons for teenagers!). Encourage kids/parents to refer friends to join them.
Produce lower-priced, but scaleable, online content (videos or worksheets) for a small subscription with appealing titles e.g. Keep up: Summer A level Maths. Offer to existing term time clients and get referrals.
Set up a referral programme: discount for groups - get parents to pool kids together for sessions for a lower price.
Offer workshops to develop skills - if the kids want a break from the subjects, you could offer to teach skillsets in the summer: study skills, exam technique.

The 11+ is early September so if you're near a grammar area or can tutor online that's likely to be the best summer market.

You could work for a summer school - some of this work is incredibly well paid if you can find it.
There are also definitely people who pay for tutors over the summer holidays. I would target biology alevel students who did badly in their end of lower 6th exams.

Are there any tutoring agencies who offer online tutoring to overseas students about to start a science degree in the UK? Or does your university do orientation sessions for overseas students, I know our local one does.

Resit tutoring? There is a tutor near me who seems really active on social media. She posts little tips and things they are working on.

There were alot about prepping for the autumn maths / English resits.

Agree if you are near 11+ that's a summer market.

What about revision skills classes - my DD had her revision techniques nailed and did well in exams - a lot of people may not have that knowledge. You could market them as prep for y11 - my daughters school were full on focus on GCSEs from day 1 of y11.

Can you develop some sort of transition to secondary package?

Given that 6th form colleges are struggling to cope with the numbers required to take resits, that would be an obvious target market.

Obviously you need to be competitive locally but 35 ph sounds cheap. Its 40-43 ph around here so just wondered if there was a bit of scope to increase.

Target year 12s, sometimes they will have realised at the end of the year that they are behind where they need to be for upcoming ucas application. Have also seen tutors offering courses for post GCSE students to get a head start with A level. Look online with some agencies for international students. Do you have enough experience to mark GCSEs or A levels? That can bring in extra income at a quieter time.

Offer GCSE Booster camps and Exam Questions camp. 5 daily sessions going over the important topics or going through exam questions.

I think the catchup weeks suggested by a PP are a good suggestion.

Also if you get yourself familiar with Functional Skills that could be a good extra.

A level flying start tuition?

Back to school refresher week?

Or Summer Boost camps for younger kids

What about maths courses online for like Mensa children who are already brilliant at maths if your own maths is up to it?

Maths really jumps between gcse and a level- something to bridge the gap?

I agree something online? Maybe in small groups?
So based on higher level paper one week y11 algebra revision over Christmas holidays and following week trigonometry. £20 each or £35 for both? It is more affordable but as you can have more students it would make you more money? As it’s a one off commitment you may also get people who can’t commit to regular classes.

I pay £28 an hour for tutor from an experienced teacher. I think a lot depends on the area of the country.

Study skills/ exam skills
English as a second language tuition
IELTS prep
citizenship exam prep
11+
UCAS prep

Tuition for November resits English and maths GCSE

Transition to a-level maths for kids taking it from gcse - this is a big thing.

Resits would be a post-gcse results market - they normally come out late august m.

Could offer a weeks' course boosting maths/science for kids with poor end of year 10 grades? Get y11 off to a flying start kind of thing?

How about linking up with a college and offering a summer course?

Send me a PM as I would potentially be interested in holiday tuition.

I'm late to this thread, but one thing my mother always did at the end of the summer holidays, was take students in the week before school went back (sometimes 2 weeks), to get them back into working mode. Mind you she then didn't teach most of them in the first two weeks of term, so they had time to adjust to being back at school. Now a lot of her work was remedial work with primary and lower secondary students, so a bit different, but I'm sure you could sell a lot of your students on the benefits of a couple of lessons at the end of the summer holidays to be school-ready.

Definitely agree with "holiday intensive" courses that will probably target a slightly different market to your regular weekly clientele.

Could you produce your own YouTube revision videos? Particularly 'walling, talking' exam questions and how to answer them and go for lots of subscribers to bring in advertising revenue?

Walking, talking.