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Original poster

Would you hire a 16 year old maths tutor?

47 replies

Stevendude · 09/07/2019 21:02

Hi I am 16 and have been told time and again that I should try and go into maths tutoring.
I did my Maths GCSE a year early (though should have done it earlier) achieving a Grade 9 with 237/240 marks when only 200 marks was needed for the top grade. I have also sat my A level Maths this year with my other gcses and am expected to get all 9s as well as an A* in the Alevel.
Based on this do you think parents would be willing to hire me to tutor GCSE maths mainly and possibly Alevel or Primary school level?
Also what price would you be willing to pay: £10, £15, £20 or other?
I understand that I have no proper experience teaching however I have a good understanding of the new Mathematics Specifications/exams having gone through them and aced them.
Generally with tutoring maths I expect that the parent/pupil would have a particular topic they'd like me to help go over rather than have to make my own lessons and things - is this correct?

OP posts:
DadDadDad · 09/07/2019 22:32

You clearly find maths easy - that might mean you won't make a very good tutor. Sorry, if that sounds harsh, but how will you work with a weaker student who doesn't "get" a topic and find a strategy to help them become confident in it?

It may be if someone has a bright younger child who does pick things up quickly but is not being stretched at school that you could introduce them to new topics and provide that stretch.

Of course, it may be that you are really good at explaining maths to others. Did the people who suggested you try tutoring base that on your exam success or have they seen you helping a younger pupil with their maths?

By the way, your results so far are very impressive, so well done, and I hope you make a success of being a maths tutor!

BonnesVacances · 09/07/2019 22:47

Yes I would. I recently paid DD's friend to tutor her for GCSE Maths as DD was taking it a year later due to illness. We paid her £10 an hour.

We didn't expect her to know the spec inside out but were more looking for exam strategies they'd been taught in school, again which DD had missed due to illness, and to clarify certain parts which DD was struggling with.

I suggested she started tutoring too as she was really good at it.

MadameJosephine · 09/07/2019 22:50

I don’t think I would, I’d expect a tutor to be an adult

EmmaGellerGreen · 09/07/2019 22:52

A friend’s ds got A* gcse maths at the end of year 6 so is exceptionally good at maths. He is now 16 and has always been a lovely boy. My ds really looks up to him. He’s been doing maths with ds in the holidays for a couple of years now, started when they were 9 and 14. We pay him £10 an hour and it’s really worthwhile. He talks at ds’s level and writes maths problems around their common interests.

TeaForTheWin · 09/07/2019 22:53

Sure, as long as they have the grades and seem like pleasant, mature individuals. I would say £10 per hour, maybe some sort of deal if they want you to come back on a regular basis. So say £20 for a two hour session but if they want you to do a session every week you could say £15 each session and hopefully that way they will keep asking for you.

PurpleDaisies · 09/07/2019 22:54

No. I’m my experience, most people who want tutors want people with teaching experience. You shouldn’t be tutoring A level if you’re only doing A level now.

As a tutor, you should be identifying where pupils are struggling and helping them to make progress. That involves planning lessons, making resources, potentially setting homework.

You might also need to declare your income to HMRC (it might be different due to you being 16).

Finfintytint · 09/07/2019 22:56

My son would not have passed GCSE maths had it not been for a keen sixth former tutoring him. This was ten years ago and we paid £10 per hour for a couple of hours a week.
There were no particular topics to concentrate on though. With my anti- studying son it was more a case of general tutoring.
I agree you would have to be sympathetic of those not into maths so much and be very patient and understanding.

Teddybear45 · 09/07/2019 22:56

I am a tutor myself but find the best GCSE tutors are those who are closer to the students’ ages. You have invaluable experience in that you have sat these exams recently, you may be familiar with the curriculum, and maybe even the teachers’ style (if you stick to tutoring kids from your old school). You don’t need teaching experience (I am not a teacher) just the ability to set relevant problems in an engaging way. Many tutors who start out do so using revision guides and work with students to get their strengths / weaknesses.

TalkingAboutPride · 09/07/2019 23:01

Sorry, no. Excellent ability in a subject doesn't make a good teacher. I'd expect a tutor I hired to have suitable a level of qualification in teaching or coaching, be safeguarding trained and over 18 so I wouldn't be safeguarding responsible for them.

You are clearly very talented, and if teeing is something you want to do then I wish you all the very best :)

GreenTulips · 09/07/2019 23:06

How would you cope with dyscalculia or dyslexia for example?

What resources could you provide other than work sheets or books

Do you know the curriculum or grades system?

stucknoue · 09/07/2019 23:10

Being good at maths isn't the same as being a good tutor. That said you could teach yourself the requirements for entrance exam papers for example to teach it, but generally you need to be older than the kid you are tutoring

Teddybear45 · 09/07/2019 23:17

@GreenTulips - I am an experienced tutor with dyslexia myself and even I don’t tutor students with dyslexia (my strategies are no longer recommended). If OP is serious about tutoring she can register with companies / websites and state what and who she is willing and unwilling to teach.

BlueJag · 09/07/2019 23:18

I would as kids relate to other kids fairly well. I'll say £10 per hour to start.
Best of luck and very well done.
Our son could do with maths tutoring Smile

MyDcAreMarvel · 09/07/2019 23:19

Primary yes ,not GCSE.

DontMakeMeShushYou · 09/07/2019 23:24

Yes. There is a very highly recommended maths tutor in our village who has just turned 17. She's been tutoring for several years.

toomanypillows · 09/07/2019 23:27

Your age wouldn't put me off. My DS has a Spanish tutor who is 18 now (from when he was 17) and he is phenomenal. We pay £15 an hour, but that's just gone up. We trialled him on one free lesson and then a month at £10 an hour
Some of the PP comments are really helpful, - methods of tutoring and getting to know the child. Perhaps you could offer a discount or free lesson so that you and the tutee's family can see if it's a good fit?
Otherwise I would say £10 an hour is a good rate.
I find the £15 rate for our Spanish tutor a touch expensive but we don't want to lose him and DS is doing so well

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 09/07/2019 23:35

I did a bit when I was 17. There was a huge shortage of maths tutors (like none) and people were desperate.

A 17 year old sitting on a Cambridge offer who had finished double maths A levels was better than nothing.

The first one sort of fell into my lap (my mum was a primary tutor and dad mentioned how desperate he was for a tutor for older child to my mum in case she knew anyone).

I managed to get him from “failing so badly about to be chucked off the course” to “predicted a C or D” within about 2 months.

Then other parents wanted to know how. And I had my own little business going.

Truthfully it also helped that I was pretty and able to explain mathematical formulas in how they related to nights out. Meaning that the students (who were generally about the same age as me) liked me.

Can’t remember what I charged - I think about half what my mum charged for primary tuition at the time. It was more than I earned waitressing - I remember that.

VirginiaCreeper · 28/07/2019 09:49

It's true that being good at something doesn't necessarily make you a good teacher, but it can help and clearly you like the idea of teaching.
I would suggest you practice for free on some friends and see what they think.
If that goes well I would suggest you advertise tutoring at £10 an hour.
My son was brilliant at Maths at 16. He did some maths "coaching" for friends who were struggling and their parents were very impressed, in fact one gave him a job reference. He then got a job at Kumon maths - they did all the DBS checks for him. He got all A*s at A level, a first at Warwick uni and is now teaching A level Maths in a job he is passionate about.

Floralnomad · 28/07/2019 09:53

If you were the son / daughter of a friend / colleague that I knew well I would possibly hire you , if you were just some random 16 yr old even with your obvious abilities then definitely not .

candycane222 · 28/07/2019 10:11

I second the idea of a free session for them to weigh you up. A lot of the skill is about empathy/judging where the pupil needs just a nudge to 'see' it for themselves. Which you may also be good at, but as you aren't trained, parents might be doubtful until they have seen you in action.

Fwiw my dcs have both tutored the same student in different subjects. The student rated my dc who is less passionate about their subject, but very methodical and empathetic, higher than the enthusiast (despite also saying the enthusiast was 'great fun'). Methodical dc was better at explaing things apparently. If you can combine those skills you will be highly valued by someone Im sure.

Are you using a tutoring website to look for customers ( they did, tho best 'customer was child of a neighbour) or do you need to be 18 for those?

Aragog · 28/07/2019 10:14

It would depend on the needs of my child.

For a primary age child quite possibly yes, but probably only about £10 an hour simply as there's no experience and guarantee from yourself just yet, no results from your 'students' to warrant higher.

We did pay £25 per hour for a gcse Maths tutor for Dd mainly to aid her confidence. Another 16y telling her how to do it would not have helped her in that aspect. We paid £25 for a qualified and experienced teacher, currently working in a local secondary school teaching gcse and a level maths.

Oblomov19 · 28/07/2019 10:20

Don't see why not. I would want you to teach my ds's the 2/3 or 4 different methods for attacking a question, so they could use which worked for them best.

Pipandmum · 28/07/2019 10:25

Absolutely! My son really needed help to ensure he passed his gcse math and we hired a classmate’s 18 year old brother who is doing math at uni. Paid him £15/hour and the one to one really helped. He made over £300 over Easter break just by word of mouth.
I think at your age £10/hour more appropriate and probably tutor younger students - not sure if my son would have liked someone the same age as him but I may be wrong. A professional tutor here would cost £25/hour so there would be plenty happy to hire you for the extra bit of help.
You really only need to find the first few handful of clients then get the rest by word of mouth. Offer your services to younger siblings of your friends at school through your friends parents? Ask your own parent to offer your tutoring services in a group parent WhatsApp? That sort of thing. You need to make sure the parents know you are 16 but have really good math. A lot of kids will relate much more to you than an adult teacher.

sashh · 28/07/2019 10:27

Not a chance.

Do you really understand the subject enough to explain it three different ways?

What safeguarding training have you got?

Do you have a DBS?

Sooverthemill · 28/07/2019 10:29

No. Too young. Maybe an undergraduate but I think you are too young.