How to become a private tutor

Learning online became the new normal in 2020, and the market for online teaching is set to expand even more in 2021.

Tutoring is a viable and often lucrative option for part-time or full-time work. Many teachers use tutoring as a means to supplement their income, or have turned to tutoring as a full-time role. University students often use it to make money alongside their studies and are highly sought after by students going through the UCAS application process.

As the demand for tutors has grown, the quality of online teaching has improved dramatically. Becoming a tutor is not as simple as popping a profile up on a website; you'll often be interviewed, asked to provide proof of your qualifications and illustrate that you have a genuine knowledge and love for your subject.

There's a few tips for what you'll need before becoming a tutor...

1. Educational qualifications

Most tutoring sites require their tutors to be educated to at least degree level, to ensure they have a thorough understanding of their subject and are able to properly teach it. But don't be put off if you're a current student! You can absolutely tutor as an undergraduate.

2. A friendly, empathetic personality

All students are different. Each student you teach will have a unique home life, personality and ability in the subject you're helping them learn. Whilst tutors are of course expected to maintain a professional distance, it's important to have patience and be understanding when teaching your pupil.

Children learn better when they feel that they are being listened to and recognised for their achievements. The best tutors are those that encourage and praise their pupils. A friendly tutor is more likely to get positive feedback and in turn more clients.

3. 5 star reviews

This leads on nicely to the importance of good feedback. On all tutoring websites, students are able to leave reviews for their tutors after completing a lesson. There are hundreds of tutors out there, and parents and students are more likely to favour those with five star reviews and positive feedback.

Remember to ask your students to leave you a review. The more reviews you receive, the more parents are likely to book with you again and recommend you to others.

4. Equipment

If you're teaching online, you'll need a laptop or computer. It can also be useful to have a headset, as this improves sound quality and makes your speech clearer. Most tutoring websites use an online whiteboard to host the lessons. In this space, you're able to upload resources and explain topics by writing on the whiteboard.

A stable internet connection is important; losing WiFi halfway through a lesson could mean that you lose work you've put on the whiteboard.

5. Communication skills

The obvious reason for this is that you'll be explaining topics to your students, so you need to have strong verbal communication skills.

Also, being a tutor can often require flexibility. Primary and secondary school students often have lots of extracurricular activities going on, so they might have to reschedule lessons at the last minute.

Finally, it's super important to reply promptly when students message you on your tutoring platform. Firstly, because there are lots of tutors available so if you don't reply within a day they might go with someone else. And secondly, a prompt response comes across as more professional and gives the customer the impression you'll also be a professional in the lessons.

Good luck on your journey to becoming a top private tutor! If you're looking for a teaching platform to get started on, check out Tutor House for top tutoring jobs in all subjects.