Tutoring

[BG2015]

Anyone moved from classroom teaching to tutoring?

Pros and cons?

I'm retiring at the end of the year and need a bit of a boost to my pension. I've been looking at Civil Service jobs, NHS roles etc and it's jumping through hoops for very low pay.

I don't want a 'career' I just want a part time job and earn £200-300 a week.

Tutoring may be the solution.

Round here (Kent), that would be easily doable. 11+ is the most consistent / lucrative but there's demand for all sorts. You can earn £25-£45 an hour depending on experience and demand. Good luck.

I love tutoring. I work mainly with children with additional learning needs and I love being able to go at their pace and seeing them grow in confidence. I don't offer SATs prep or 11+, I mostly tutor younger children in years 1 to 3 or 4, specialising in early reading, phonics and maths. I find there's plenty of demand, I don't work for an agency or anything, I just have my own Facebook business page, Google maps business listing and now a website as well. Most of my families come via word of mouth. There are some great, really supportive tutoring groups on Facebook, I'll find the details in a moment. Depending on your area you should be able to charge £40+ for 50 minutes.

These Facebook groups are all really useful:
Katie's Tutor Support UK
Twinkl private tutors
Tutors who thrive - grow your tutoring business
Katie's tutor chat
Tutors supporting tutors

These pages are good ones to follow:
Bay tree tutoring
Maths corner
Bedford tutor
Phonics family
Primary tutoring with Catherine
Lottie Rimmer tutoring services
Primary tutoring solutions
Sam's classroom
Katie's tutoring
Mrs Gleeson tutors
Bright minds tutoring service

@BG2015
I haven’t moved from teaching to tutoring but I have left teaching and top up my income with tutoring. I agree with the previous poster, the FB group is really helpful. It will depend on subject, age range and demand in your area but I would think you’ll be able to achieve that easily. Good luck 😊

Thanks 🤩

I left proper classroom teaching in 2015. I'd got as far as UPS2 and would have been heading down the SLT route if it were not for the work place politics.

I now tutor 11 plus and do occasional supply at my old primary. It's not perfect but I don't think I will ever go back to being a properly contracted class teacher.

i now have a much better work life balance, am my own boss and my income exceeds what I'd earn in school by teaching around 20 hours a week and running some holidays courses etc.

The downsides are working evenings and weekends and having to deal with parents and payments etc. As teachers in school, we are expected to meet the demands of parents and put up with a lot of crap! As a private tutor, you'll need to be more business like and develop a more assertive approach or you'll end up being treated badly by some parents.

Make sure you decide what you're willing to offer and stick to it. Also, have proper terms and conditions in place to protect yourself and stick to them. Parents using a private tutor can be very demanding of your time and flexibility and will try to get round your terms and conditions in a variety of ways which may make you feel resentful if you're not careful. It's a business relationship, no matter how much you may enjoy working with their child!

My terms and conditions have evolved and are now pretty tight. This has been necessary due to the way some parents behave but I find that I'm now attracting far fewer mickey takers and can concentrate on teaching their children and getting great results, which is what I enjoy.

Yes completely agree with the above poster about making sure your terms and conditions are tight, especially around cancellations and payments. I have had to get much stronger around boundaries since starting tutoring. Decide on your ideal days and times - eg you may just want to do 4-6pm Tuesday to Thursday or 4-7pm two days a week - and stick to them. Take payments 48 hours in advance or preferably monthly in advance - if payment isn't received don't teach the lesson

These are all excellent points to consider. Thanks