Becoming a private tutor- all questions here

therivierakid

Got another student from firsttutors - that's two from there now. Plus another student who saw one of my online ads. After the initial introduction fee to firsttutors, I'm not paying anyone any commission!

anitamarie

therivierakid - I'm pleased you're meeting new clients and making money through our site and sorry you're not with us any longer.

I think I should point out that the fees on First Tutors are pretty low (i.e. less than a tenner for 99% of people) and only payable in the event of your ad being successful - pay as you go advertising. The client traffic is good - that's why several thousand tutors are registered.

Otherwise, I'd advocate signing up wherever you can (agencies, local paper, etc) but please do be careful where you submit your details online. Some sites are clearly accountable, others are anonymous. The tuition industry is unregulated and that is worth remembering. See The Good Schools Guide chapter on tutoring if you want to know what different agencies pay.

Thanks to all the people who've PM'd me with questions, happy to help.

therivierakid

Anita, I think you've misinterpreted my previous post.

After the initial introduction fee to firsttutors, I'm not paying anyone any commission!

I just mean that once I've paid the initial fee to FT I don't then have to pay any more. Some agencies charge a flat fee (e.g. £3) for every session delivered. FT's one-off fee for the introduction is excellent.

I am still with First Tutors and would happily recommended them to anyone here. I have paid the fee for both students on time and I have followed all of the rules of the site.

egweimai

hello,
I had a few general question about private tutoring.
a) what is the average rate for a private tutor. I know that it depends on qualifications but what is the market average
b) does a tutor set extra work to the student or does it depend on the demands of the parent? if so how much preperation does it take and are there any good places that offer any help/guidence? (websites..?)

Thanks

anniestar

Just done a huge post and lost it:mad: . I have been working as a tutor for 8 years. I enjoy the work but at the moment it is dire. Families simply cannot afford to pay. I have had quite a few cancellations over the last few weeks and I am being asked if I can on on alternative weeks in some cases. Not good.
My DH is an English teacher and has been tutoring since 1999. The GCSE work does seem to be holding up. Additionally he is an senior examiner and for OP's with English qualifications that may be worth considering. Bad points are work comes in all together(in June) tight deadlines and can be very pressurised, Good points are getting around £1,000 in early August.
Regarding the CRB I get mine via a supply agency as I am a qualified teacher I do a few weeks supply every year. Individuals cannot apply for a CRB check.
I started with three tutoring agencies- it very soon becomes apparent which ones are decent. you need to look for agencies that advertise regularly in the area you want to work in(one of the three agencies kept sending me work in Stoke for some reason- 60+ miles ago-don't think so!) have a good reputation, and a fair scale of fees.
When I go to a new child the first lesson is ALWAYS an assessment and then I talk to the child and parents to find out what they WANT(not always clear) normally I plan and deliver the lesson but you should be flexible-sometimes something comes up that they didn't understand in school. Its always pupil led.
As to advertising I don't do that anymore. Parents (particularly in areas where tutors operate already)are somewhat reluctant to go with someone "cold" so to speak. All of my work is now word of mouth.
There was loads more but I can't remember what else i was going to say plus I am freezing. If anything else crops up i will post later.
As for fees mine vary for the first child I charge £22.50 with reductions for additional children but, I also have loads of repeat work (one family I go to I am on child 5 now!) for those I charge a reduced fee.
Hope that helps. Its a nice job-you will never get rich and never ever bank on money-parents have a knack of cancelling just when you need the cash! (Forget cash at Christmas!)
Good luck. Hope it goes well for you.

therivierakid

I currently charge £20 an hour across the board, with travelling expenses on top of that if I have to leave my town.

In terms of workload, I have 6 students on the go at the moment: 2 Yr8s, 2 Yr10s, 1 Yr11 and 1 Yr12. I have had to turn work down recently - due more to distance than anything. I'm expecting a few enquiries in January from GCSE students starting to panic. I've only had one cancellation in ten months of tutoring (80 odd sessions).

In the sessions I always have a past exam paper as back-up but I'm very flexible on what we cover. It's very much up to the pupil really - if they want to go through homework exercises or something they've done in class but didn't understand then that's fine. If they want me to teach them some new material then I can accommodate that without much fuss. As such I don't spend a lot of time preparing every session down to the nth detail. If I do think a student would benefit from extra focus on one particular subject then I'll do a bit more preparation work. Doing what they want and making them feel the benefit from it is very important as a tutor, I believe.

I would say that patience and clear communication are the most importance skills/attributes to have as a tutor. You must also be honest with parents when they ask how their child is doing. If they're doing really well don't be afraid to say so.

Good luck and any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

anitamarie

Fees vary massively across the country and depending on your specialism - e.g. posh London 11+ tutors can charge £30-£60 per hour, whereas in other areas tutors charge only £10 per hour, so you really need to see what the going rate is in your area and weigh up your experience in comparison to the competition to set a rate. Our national average is £17 ph.

theriveriakid - I owe you a thank you for speaking so kindly of us and an apology for getting the wrong end of the stick.

Interested to hear about a drop in demand - has anyone else noticed an emerging trend? We've always seen a wobble around Christmas as people remember how expensive the festive season is, but I wonder if the word is that it is a big or little wobble this year? It would be nice to hear from real people rather than media hype.

NothingExpert

A colleague of mine has recently created a blog and she recently posted an article listing some of the most popular private tuition websites:

11 Top UK Private Tuition Websites

I've personally only used personal-tutors but i hadn't realised there were that many out there.

Hope you find that useful.

anniestar

anitamarie wrote: »

Interested to hear about a drop in demand - has anyone else noticed an emerging trend? We've always seen a wobble around Christmas as people remember how expensive the festive season is, but I wonder if the word is that it is a big or little wobble this year? It would be nice to hear from real people rather than media hype.

Hi anitamarie I wish it was media hype. It is desperate at the moment. I am really struggling and it is getting worse. It always drops off at Christmas and I have always budgeted for that but this is different.
Work is almost non existent. As I said in a previous post I have been doing this for over 8 years and have lots of repeat work. I have a good reputation and very loyal and supportive parents.
In the last few weeks I have had various things happen- some have started the Christmas "break" early; some have asked to go to alternative weeks; one family want 1.1/2 hours per month(used to be an hour a week):eek: and I have had 7 cancellations. Not great.
It is really bad. I don't think advertising will make any difference people just don't have the cash to spend.
Hopefully, things WILL improve but won't bank on it.
Sorry this sounds so negative but given that I used to have a waiting list It's really shocking and I can't see it getting better any time soon. Hope I'm wrong though!

draven_girl

Check out the Open University website, im not sure whether they do Maths but you can apply to be a part time tutor working from home, the credentials are you must have a degree in your chosen subject. The fact you tutored your sister through her Maths A-Level will count as great experience too...plus you have a masters too! Can't you become an actual teacher with all those qualifications????

Im sure theres another link on this forum, can anyone help???

If not see below, I've applied, but I only have a BA Hons in the Media field so I don't know whether I'll be what there looking for but thought what the heck!

http://www3.open.ac.uk/employment/job-details.asp?id=4230

Good Luck