Becoming a private tutor- all questions here

BeautyandtheBeast_3

janey17 wrote: »

Hello Everyone!!

I have been tutoring now for nearly three years and its going well. Hiring a room out in a Church Hall is something I have been considering now for a few months. Having found a well priced room within an affluent catchment area I am starting to think of this new venture as something I could do.

I am thinking of teaching 8 to 14 year olds, separate key stages at a time in an interactive ( as will be bringing in laptops, brain training equipt) rewarding ( as will be celebrating their achievements every half term) environment.

Between 8 to 10 would be the class size per hour with a charge of £10.

Myself and a family member are CRB and ISA checked.

Have received quotes for insurance. Contacted the after school network in the area and am able to be included in the network.

Will have free ads placed in the whats on page in local newspaper as this will operate twice a week to begin with.

Having not undertaken anything like this before I would be greatful for any advice or suggestions you may have.

Thanks in advance

Hi, i think that is a great idea and something that i have been toying with for a few weeks now - so keep us updated! xxx

janey17

Thanks Beauty and the Beast

I will keep you posted am happy to send you my ideas or post on here. Would be very grateful for any suggestions ro advice that you may have too?

Thanks

BeautyandtheBeast_3

just wondered if you could do perhaps saturday morning math catch up sessions - are you covering all aspects of NC?
Because of my qualifications I would be looking at doing english, maths and science but upto KS5 (I personally cant see many KS5 wanting collective tuition but its an idea i have)
Could you open it to perhaps Adults (whom are weak within English and Maths?)

Adamb_3

therivierakid wrote: »

I'd like to earn some extra income by doing some maths tutoring. I have a maths degree and a masters degree in another subject. I also helped my sister through her maths A-level.

Does anyone have any advice or recommendations as to what I should do, how much to charge, where to advertise, whether I should get any further training...

TIA

Wow, this is a great idea! I agree with those who said you must get CRB checks. It is important that your records are clean so your potential client can see that your trustworthy. I also think that it will be a big help if you coordinate with some schools and probably ask them if they can refer you as a tutor. I know some parents will ask the school for someone who provides tutorial service for students. Good luck on your endeavor! Cheers! :T

Tulgey_Wood

Originally Posted by therivierakid
Thanks. I'll look and see if there's any agencies who are hiring.

dmg, are you studying for your PGCE part-time? I'm also interested in a career change and I've been thinking about going into adult education.


To Rivierakid
If you like the idea of teaching, and relish the thought of helping people to learn and fulfil their potential DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING INTO ADULT ED. I qualified as a specialist numeracy tutor (Had to study a Level 5 teaching qualification to get there) and it is without a shodaw of a doubt the worst job I've ever had in my life.....and I've sold Lada cars. The hourly rate is nice; about £22 an hour, but by the time you do all the preparation, paperwork, target setting, reviews, duscussing progress with your manager, agreeing targets for you to meet, abandoning your students to help the new person who's been squeezed into your class so the college can make an extra couple of hundred quid out of the government, but the student has missed around twenty weeks of your 30 week course......your hourly rate pans out to about three or four pounds an hour....pretty much half of what the cleaners in the college get paid to clear up after you eventually leave the building and go home, to start preparing for the next session.
You can only really do this job if you have a "take the money and don't care" attitude. For those of us who do care I would only advise DON'T DO IT!

BeautyandtheBeast_3

Tulgey_Wood wrote: »

Originally Posted by therivierakid
Thanks. I'll look and see if there's any agencies who are hiring.

dmg, are you studying for your PGCE part-time? I'm also interested in a career change and I've been thinking about going into adult education.


To Rivierakid
If you like the idea of teaching, and relish the thought of helping people to learn and fulfil their potential DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING INTO ADULT ED. I qualified as a specialist numeracy tutor (Had to study a Level 5 teaching qualification to get there) and it is without a shodaw of a doubt the worst job I've ever had in my life.....and I've sold Lada cars. The hourly rate is nice; about £22 an hour, but by the time you do all the preparation, paperwork, target setting, reviews, duscussing progress with your manager, agreeing targets for you to meet, abandoning your students to help the new person who's been squeezed into your class so the college can make an extra couple of hundred quid out of the government, but the student has missed around twenty weeks of your 30 week course......your hourly rate pans out to about three or four pounds an hour....pretty much half of what the cleaners in the college get paid to clear up after you eventually leave the building and go home, to start preparing for the next session.
You can only really do this job if you have a "take the money and don't care" attitude. For those of us who do care I would only advise DON'T DO IT!

there are some people who are under the illusion that teaching is easy when in mainstream education it certainly is not. To teach a specific subject at a secondary school is much different to adult education. You have to have a love of your subject area and be able to take the rough with the smooth, there are easy times (wind down towards summer holidays) but there are also the mad hectic times like now where i have coursework to get marked and annotated before next friday and revision revision revision for the final exams. BUT it is worth it.
I tried Primary school and it was not for me at all, but secondary, well something different - challenges and real teaching, real science - heart dissections, removal of the lens from a bulls eye, fantastic chemical reactions making jelly babies scream! thats ACE!!!!!
:j

dizziblonde

The job of teaching is fantastic... I get the same buzz from having a good lesson, getting a class going where I want them with a line of questioning etc, that somepeople say they get from a night out. I always said I'd quit when I didn't get that buzz. Plus I get to play with glue and glitter and have access to the art cupboard (primary)!

I walked away from full-time classroom teaching a couple of years ago now - basically, the extra stuff, coupled with the behaviour meltdown in schools did for me. Our school, led by the most wonderful, inspirational head you'd ever hope to meet (I'd seriously go to the ends of the earth for this woman) was good with very difficult disturbed children... sadly, too good... so the LEA placed more and more with us. It dragged the whole school down - the other kids got to see these kids kicking off, roaming the school with TAs in persuit, getting away with things they never would have done - and of course, kids being kids - they pushed the boundaries as well.

I ended up with a class that people were starting to realize were a very very difficult group within the school - whereas you'd expect 2-3 tricky characters in the average class - I think I had about 10, some very very volatile young men who'd regularly barricade themselves in places, lash out violently, tables and chairs got kicked most days - and then you had the endless parade of angry parents about incidents that had happened at breaktimes and similar with this group - every single morning, every single evening, plus the parents of these tricky kids coming in complaining their child had been told off for thumping three children etc... it wore me down to the extent I'd lie awake at night anticipating what could provoke a kick-off the following day, planning which way I'd take the class if I had to evacuate the room because of a really explosive outburst, wondering where I'd gone wrong and what more I could do to protect the great kids in the class who weren't getting an education, trying to find some strategy, some key that would make the change and turn this class around. Begged and asked for help - these kids were not behaving badly enough to get any support from outside agencies - no one in school could get anywhere with these kids.

At the age of 29, as a good teacher with excellent Ofsted feedback behind me, I was sobbing in the car, and I was a shell - I went to work, I came home crying, I lay awake every night - and I broke... hit such a point that my boss kicked me off the school premises with dire threats of what she'd do to me if I dared come back before I was better (bless her heart - it was what I needed at the time). Think I spent about 3 weeks sobbing in bed before I got on the mend, saw out my contract and I've done supply work ever since. I'm skint as hell most of the time (tutoring helps here), the supply game's being destroyed by changes - but I get the good bits of the job, and my health's back to where it was before teaching almost ate me alive.

It's a heck of a thread derail - but that's my story with teaching. Depressing thing is, so many teachers have their own tales of the day they finally broke - it's a job that can have such a heavy toll on you - I never ever expected to have a nervous breakdown before I was 30. I'd reckon it took me a good year+ to recover from how ill I was. Shame - because, and for someone who lacks self-confidence as much as I do it's quite a big thing to admit, I'm a very very good teacher.

BeautyandtheBeast_3

dizziblonde wrote: »

I'm a very very good teacher.

Yes you ARE otherwise you woul not have built up a portfolio of clients after this time. Its a shame that you have been through all that. Im mainstream secondary so its not plain sailing either, but we have a strong SMT who back the staff 100%.
Its a shame how certain individuals can ruin it for everyone else.
Perhaps you should try your hand again at full time teaching in a better school? unless you are happy where youare at of course.

OFSTED seem to love me - where ever i have been OFSTED have been sure to follow - mmmmmmmmmmm whats that make me?? LOL

Tindexcm

If you want to earn extra income as a tutor you can visit our site and you’ll surely find students who’ll be ready to take your services.

go4it

dizziblonde wrote: »

I walked away from full-time classroom teaching a couple of years ago now - basically, the extra stuff, coupled with the behaviour meltdown in schools did for me. Our school, led by the most wonderful, inspirational head you'd ever hope to meet (I'd seriously go to the ends of the earth for this woman) was good with very difficult disturbed children... sadly, too good... so the LEA placed more and more with us. It dragged the whole school down - the other kids got to see these kids kicking off, roaming the school with TAs in persuit, getting away with things they never would have done - and of course, kids being kids - they pushed the boundaries as well.

This is what annoys me - Ed Balls has the cheek to say standards in education are improving and are better than ever. The truth is good teachers are leaving. Schools are in crisis - stats and figures are one thing but Ed should really spend a week in some schools to see the truth.