Tutoring

[Stygimoloch]

I’m an English teacher. I would like to do some extra tutoring this year. Anyone have any ideas about how I go about this? Are there good websites etc that I would need to join?

Does anyone tutor? Is the extra time worth the money?

Thanks

I have been tutoring for the last 5 years as it fits perfectly around my childcare needs. I used Personal Tutors to start with and still get the odd referral through them. However, word of mouth generally brings in my new clients now. I charge £25ph for KS1/2 and £30ph for KS3/4 and that covers the provision of everything, plus my time and travel expenses. It's not a massive money earner, but it does bring in a bit of extra money for us without needing to pay for childcare and it's still working with children but without the stress of teaching! You will need to register as self employed and complete an annual tax assessment but it's fairly straightforward. Using an agency to start gave me the opportunity to get a DBS certificate for tutoring and a starting reputable client base. There are loads of agencies, Tutorful get mentioned a fair bit but I have not used them yet. Also if you can offer 11+ or entrance exam tutoring you will be in great demand!

Whereabouts are you? As a qualified and experienced teacher I charge £40ph for KS3/4 science and maths tuition in my home (SE England) but charge more if I need to travel. To be a tutor you don't need QTS so make sure you advertise that if you have it. I haven't registered with any agencies but found that an ad on Facebook local groups generated a fair bit of interest. Good luck - I really enjoy it - the money does make the time investment worthwhile, and the students and parents are more grateful than in a school setting!

As a parent I have always found great tutors through first tutors online

Depending where you are I have paid between £50-75 per hour although I’ve just been quoted £85 per hour for maths I’m in London

There are many online platforms and they are all different - some charge the student, others charge you as the tutor. I got most of my first students through Tutorful but I rarely get enquiries through them now. Tutor Hunt and UK Tutors throw up the most for me now but there are others. I refuse to travel which I think makes me unusual but I always seem to have enough students to fill the time I want so it works for me. I don’t advertise locally or have my own website but I know a lot of tutors do. It pays OK, is a lot less stressful than teaching and offers more of a variety - I currently have a 4 year old and a couple of adults as well as GCSE and A Level students which makes it interesting. You do really have to be honest with parents about what you can realistically achieve, particularly when they call you 3 weeks before the exam and tell you there performing at Grade 3 genius needs a Grade 8 for their choice of uni course in a couple of year’s time!

As other’s have said, advertise your QTS and mention exam marking and the specs you have worked with. I think senior positions impress - HOD or SLT experience makes parents think you know your stuff so mention it in profiles if you have this experience. There are lots of people out there who are tutoring and many of them are not experienced teachers and sometimes don’t even know how to find a spec (and I know this because I have just recruited a couple of tutors for my lazy year 11) so making a parent feel you understand what’s required is what they want as a paying customer. Good luck!

Ive wondered this before but surely youd be doing it when your children would not be in school so would need extra childcare at odd times?

I have been tutoring for years. Also with personal tutors. You are not allowed to use the fact you are a marker when advertising-most bpards put this in your contract.
I get loads of word of mouth clients these days. I also teach English.

*exam boards.

£40-85 is an awful lot to charge for tutoring if you are outside London!!

I charge £30 for A level.

I use Tutor Hunt and First Tutors which, combined with recommendations (I’ve been tutoring for three years now) means I always have a waiting list and constantly turn people down. I have a personal preference for Year 11 and A Level tutoring and since I am my own boss I can choose this above less interesting KS3 tutoring (although incidentally I adore teaching my Year 7s and 8s at school, much more than my stroppy Year 11s).

I used Tutorful (previously called Tutora) when I first started out but they are really awkward to work with and take a 25% cut of every lesson, plus take over a week to pay you which I find completely unacceptable. Tutor Hunt and First Tutors both charge one off introduction fees but then you take payments direct. Some tutors offer free first lessons to offset this but I stopped doing so 18 months ago as, quite honestly, I didn’t need to.

The vast vast majority of the time the parents and students have been fantastic to work with. Tips to avoid any issues - be discerning with parents during initial contact. If they seem like they are going to be difficult before you’ve even started make your excuses. Don’t be afraid to stop tutoring unreliable/flaky students (some tutors take payments upfront - I only tend to do this where I’m doing intense courses as I can offer a slight discount, I’ve done a few of these over the summer). Let the student guide you - I used to try and plan lessons but now I tend to ask what they’ve been doing in school and either consolidate that, extend it, or prepare them for what is logically going to come next.

Finally; I charge £30 an hour in the South East which I think is quite low for a qualified teacher (I also have several positions of responsibility at school). After my maternity leave I intend to raise this for new pupils. However, financially I do very well (I normally have around 16 pupils, a couple after school each day and then full days on a Saturday) although I am taxed quite heavily - you need to register as self-employed. Once my baby is here my tutoring will easily cover my nursery costs if I choose to go back to work; if I don’t I will just keep tutoring as my husband will be home in time to take over childcare.

That’s all really helpful, thank you. I’m intending to do this after school and weekends as you do Given. I’ve recently stepped down as Head of English and this seems like a way to make up a little of the pay decrease.

I second first tutors and tutor hunt. Equally good although I find first tutors to be more user friendly. Yorkshire I charge £30-£35 for a core subject A level. Be strict with how for you will travel. Limit it to a 10 minute drive if you can, I’ve regretted not doing that