Private Tuition Guide and Advice For Private Tutors Providing Private Tuition -
Becoming A Private Tutor & Methods To Improve Your Existing Private Tuition Business
HOME TUTORS DIRECTORY: A MUST FOR EVERYONE!
"My experience with Home Tutors Directory began some twelve months ago when ICUT adopted its advertising programme.
Essentially, we sought a way of connecting between clients and tutors, and the facilities of the Directory proved wholly conducive towards this purpose.
Within three months our business turnover had tripled, and now has more than quadrupled as a result of the many new contacts that the Directory has brought
from all over the United Kingdom.
Home Tutors Directory offers a valuable platform by which tutors and prospective new students are put in contact.
It is simple, straightforward, easily affordable and of the greatest benefit to both tutors and students alike. By utilising the internet,
students are easily put in touch with individual tutors and agencies, with subjects categorised on a region by region basis.
This medium operates to the advantage of all, and deserves everyone's support both as users and advertisers.
From little acorns oak trees grow, and I feel that with Home Tutors Directory the best is yet to come.
Good luck for the future."
Dr Vincent McKee
Director - Institute of Independent Colleges and University Teachers (ICUT-UK) July 2007
See ICUT Advert
See ICUT Website
See More Testimonials...
Guidance, Help And Support For Private Tutors
So you want to start work as private tutor? We the owners of Home Tutors Directory began tutoring in the summer of 1993 and 1994 upon the completion of our degrees
After each working for four years in academic research, we started a business in private tuition specialising in GCSE Science and A Level Biology
and Chemistry. Our private tuition business is now in it's twelth academic year of trading and we have never looked back.
Because of this we would like to share some of our expertise with you to enable you to start work as a successful private tutor or if you are already a
tutor to improve your private tuition business so it will go from strength to strength. This is only a guideline but we hope it will help you. This guide is
primarily targeted at those wishing to be academic private tutors, providing academic tutoring, however most of the guide applies equally well to those of you wishing to tutor
non-academic/vocational subjects such as alternative therapies etc.
As private tutors we hope that you find it beneficial, whether you are a currently a full time private tutor or part time private tutor, new to tutoring,
or are considering setting up a private tuition service, or home tutoring business, and become a private tutor, as a supplement to your main job i.e you are an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher), supply teacher, retired teacher or perhaps a newly qualified graduate.We hope that you find the tutoring tips helpful
Who Can Become A Private Tutor & What Are The Qualifications Required For Private Tutors ?
Currently, there are no set qualifications to become a private tutor who wishes to provide tutoring for academic subjects. However, the majority of
clients and tutoring agencies require a minimum of a degree qualification
The individuals wishing to offer private tuition and private tutoring servicesgenerally fall into one of the following categories
- Graduates
- Graduates Teachers
- Supply Teachers
- Retired Teachers
- PhD Students
- PGCE Students
- NQTs
- University Lecturers
- College Lecturers
- Retired Lecturers
- Individuals involved in education and training
- The above advertising their services at specific times of the year for example Summer tutoring, Easter revision classes etc
What Are The Current Tutoring Rates Of Pay / Tutoring Prices & Salaries For Private Tutors- what Can I Earn As A Private Tutor ?
Please note these private tutoring rates of pay and earnings of what private tutors can earn from private tutoring jobs are only an average approximation. Currently the
rates of pay for private tutors in the UK are as outlined (as of August 2008):
- Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Primary Level - £15 - £20 per hour
- Key Stage 3, Secondary Level, Key Stage 4, GCSE Level - £20 - £25 per hour
- AS-Level & A-Level - £25 - £30 per hour
- Degree Level & University Level - £30 + per hour
Please note these prices that a private tutor charges are a guideline only, as it depends of the area that you are based in,
the amount of expertise, experience and qualifications that an individual tutor has.
Also if you are considering offering a private tuition service, costs of stationary, planning, past papers, travelling expenses must be taken into
consideration in the pricing of your private tutoring service.
Subjects & Number Of Subjects Private Tutors Can Offer Private Tuition In ?
Although this is a guideline, private tutors usually provide private tuition in subjects that they majored in for
their first degree and also subjects that they studied at A-level. There are not hard or fast rules for this, so it really depends
on the private tutor and what their comfort zone is. For example our first degrees are in Biomedical Science & Biochemistry,
so we specialise in AS-Level & A-Level Biology & Chemistry. When we set up our private tuition business in 1997,
we also offered tuition in GCSE Maths & GCSE Science, however due to the demand for Biology & Chemistry we decided just to
concentrate on tutoring A-Levels.
Private Tutors & Home Tutors - Do I Work From Home Or Should I Travel ?
Whether private tutors or home tutors travel or work from home again depends on the individual tutors circumstances. As with all working
situations both working from home or travelling as a private tutor has advantages & disadvantages. These are outlined below
Advantages Of Working From Home For Private Tutors
- Tutoring Materials, books & tutoring resources at hand
- Because the tutor is not travelling, there is more time available to possibly book in more clients
- No travelling costs
Disadvantages Of Working From Home For Private Tutors
- If you are renting an office than costs for rent etc. must be considered. Alternatively if you are working from home,
cost of utility bills, refreshments etc. must be considered Offering a private tuition service from home may cause disruption
to those sharing your home, so you will need a separate room as an office or study to provide tutoring from
Advantages Of Travelling For Private Tutors
- Flexibility, as a tutor you are not discounting those students who are unable to travel to you
Disadvantages Of Travelling For Private Tutors
- Tutors will not have books & resources at hand
- More travelling time, however it is possible to book in students who live in the same locality. Travelling costs,
Costs of public transport or car expenses also need to be considerd by the private tutor.
How Far Should Private Tutors & Home Tutors Travel To Provide Private Tuition
If you have decided to offer private tutoring and decided to travel to your students, how far a tutor is prepared to travel depends on several factors.
The number of clients you wish to obtain, and also the demand for private tuition in your area, .i.e. if you live in an isolated area,
you may wish to travel to some of your students. What subjects you are offering tuition in - the more subjects you offer private tuition in,
the more clients you will obtain. The times you are offering private tuition in your area. If you are only tutoring on set days, then your work is
limited, again consider travelling flexibility. When a home tutor first sets up a private tuition service, we advise that it is best to keep all
options open. The more flexible you are as a private tutor, the more quickly you will build your client base. Again it may be wise to consider
travelling.
What Are The Best Days & Best Times For Private Tutors & Home Tutors To Provide Private Tutoring ?
This depends on the individual tutor, the amount of clients a tutor requires, if the tutor has another job or commitments, if the tutor if willing
to travel. If you are offering a tutoring service for KS1, KS2, KS3, GCSE, IGCSE, then most students are of school age, which means that you as the tutor
will have to offer tuition after 4.00 pm weekdays and weekends. For private tutors who also offer tuition for A-Levels, BTECs, Degree Level, vocational
qualifications, arts, languages, hobbies or crafts and tuition to those students studying GCSEs in tertiary education, you will find that many of these
students are much more flexible and you can tutor throughout the day as well as weekends.
Current Demand For Private Tuition In The UK
We as the founders of Home Tutors Directory have 24 years combined experience of offering full time private tuition. We can reassure you that the
demand for private tuition across the board is increasing, and is required throughout the year. We advise that advertising your private tutoring service
should be consistent. Whilst the demand throughout the academic year for private tuition varies per subject and level, factors to consider are do you want
to provide tutoring throughout the year, number of subjects and levels you tutor, if you are wishing to travel and how far you are prepared to travel if
at all. To increase your client base you need to advertise. The longer you advertise and the more advertising avenues that you exploit. the more tutoring
work you will obtain.
Starting Up As a Private Tutor
There are several factors to consider when first starting up as a private tutor and starting a tutoring business. The first of which is you have the necessary skills to make a success
of private tuition.
What skills does a private tutor need?
To make a good tutor you need several skills which include:-
- Personal and Social Skills
- This depends upon the subject you are tutoring, however the more of this criteria that you fit, the more likely you will succeed.
- An ability to work with people, especially children.
- Remember that in private tuition you do not only come into contact with students under the age of eighteen you need to be able to
communicate with parents / guardians, advertisers etc.
- Good communication skills and an excellent standard of literacy.
- Being able to deliver private tuition so the student can interpret and grasp the subject is of paramount importance. It helps to engage the
students and can also make learning fun.
- Enthusiasm & Dedication.
- The catalyst to good learning is to instil confidence into the student. Enthusiasm and dedication gives this.
- Excellent Organisational Skills.
- This is one of the essential skills of private tutoring. You need to devise a scheme to keep track of all your students and a plan that
will allow you to cover all the topics that a student requires. You also need to keep track of any work you have given your students and any work
you may have set that is outstanding. You also need good time management skills to make sure that you arrive at each appointment on time and have
with you all the information you need to tutor that lesson. You need to be self motivated as you will usually be working alone unless you take work
from a private tuition agency. It also pays to have information on each student, that you can find quickly, as quite often you may get parents
phoning to chat with you about their child's progress, often when you least expect it. Whilst you could always ask them to phone back later it looks much
better if you can instantly tell them that their child got 87% on an exam paper they did two weeks ago.
Advice and Guidance - Qualifications & CRB Checks for Private Tutors
Most private tutors have a degree or equivalent. Some have PhD degrees whilst others have a degree and a Post Graduate Certificate In Education (PGCE).
You do not require a PGCE to be a private tutor. This qualification is an extra certificate to qualify you to teach in schools and colleges.
From our experience all individuals with the above mentioned qualifications each bring a wealth of experience to private tuition.
Criminal Record Bureau checks (CRB) have to be carried out by law by some employers and for those whose employment involves working unsupervised with children and vulnerable adults a more rigorous check called enhanced disclosure is required. It is not mandatory for a private tutor to be vetted. Understandably, some parents have concerns about CRB checks especially if their child is young. There will be a cost implication for a private tutor to gain a CRB enhanced disclosure check, but if you tutor mainly young children then we recommend that you pay for a CRB check to be carried out. You then have documentary evidence to show prospective parents and guardians and to reassure them of your suitability to work with young children. It is important to realise that as a private individual you cannot apply directly to the CRB to have yourself checked. Your application has to be endorsed by a registered body such as a school or tuition agency. However some registered bodies will endorse applications of private individuals, these organisations are called CRB UMBRELLA BODIES and further details including addresses of CRB umbrella organisations in your area can be found on the disclosure web site. For further information regarding CRB checks and enhanced disclosure we recommend you visit the CRB web site. Both CRB and Disclosure web addresses are on our links Page
Advice and Information - Costs & Overheads For Private Tutors
There are several costings to consider if you are to become a successful private tutor
- Where will you carry out private tuition?
- If you just want to tutor from home, you must have a room where you are able to tutor. This needs to be free from distractions.
You must take into account extra expenses such has electricity, decor any new furniture you may have to buy etc. The up side to
tutoring from home is that all your resources are at hand and you do not waste valuable tutoring time travelling between your students
and you also do not incur travelling costs.
Obviously it may also be in your interest to purchase a mobile phone.Nowadays there are many UK mobile phone providers who offer good business mobile deals.Before purchasing a mobile phone it may be advisable to compare business moble phone tarriffs to choose the best business mobile rates and business mobile phone packages for you.Also if you have a PC and mobile phone you may want to consider the good mobile phone and broadband deals on offer.
If you wish to travel to your students you may wish to purchase a car if you are able to afford one. Remember you have then to consider
petrol, car insurance, MOT etc.
- What times and dates will my students be available?
- This depends on several factors. The more flexible you are the better. Most private tuition is carried out after 4:00pm weekdays and
weekends due to the nature of schools finishing at around 3:30pm. However most post GCSE courses allow students free periods where private
tuition can be carried out during the daytime. Also you must account that most students do not require private tuition during the summer holidays
These factors will effect your earning potential.
- What age group and subjects do you wish to specialise in?
- The more subjects you are prepared to tutor and the larger the age range the more your earning potential, although a word a caution
on this one quantity does not necessarily mean quality.
When you have decided what levels and age groups you have decided to tutor it is advisable to invest in books, stationary and national
curriculum resources. It is essentials that you have up to date textbooks. You also have to remember that the education system in the
UK is constantly changing so you must always be aware of the appropriate syllabi that you wish to tutor. You may also be required to
supply past examination papers to your students.
- Cancellation Fees For Private Tutors
- When you start carrying out private tuition you always have to prepare for cancellations. When we began we found some students would call us half
an hour before their booked session began to cancel. This is made even worse when you are very busy and some of your students have asked for extra
bookings and you are so booked that you are unable to book them in. Often you may find that some clients do not even bother to call you and when
you arrive for the lesson they are not there. A simple solution to this is to charge a cancellation fee. We ask for forty eight hours notice.
We know of some tutors whom ask for payment in advance and if the student cancels that lesson then they forfeit the advanced payment.
However we advise that on initial meeting you must state your terms clearly.
- Business Cards For Private Tutors
- Always invest in a good set of business cards. This provides the parent/student with your contact details that they can have at hand.
We have also found that if we give several business cards at the initial meeting, the cards are often passed onto prospective clientele.
- Advertising As A Private Tutor
- See advertising.
- Public Liability Insurance
- See legal issues.
- Data Protection Act
- See legal issues.
- Tax and National Insurance Contributions
- See Legal issues
- Business Accounts
- Most business accounts offer free banking for the first year. However after this you will have to pay bank charges. The main problem here
is when payment is made by cheque. We advise that if this is the case then to explain to your client that you are paying bank charges on cheques
and ask them to add this amount to their fee when writing out the cheque.
- Advice For Private Tutors Providing Private Tuition Regarding Accounts
- We advise that when you start your private tuition service that you keep upto date with your accounts. This can simply be set up by using a spreadsheet on your PC. If you do not like using your PC, you can alternatively buy book keeping / accounting books from most stationers i.e. Partners, WH Smith, Staples etc very cheaply. Save all your receipts for items that you have purchased for your private tuition business such as advertising invoices, stationary, books, photocopying, petrol etc.
Depending on how busy you are we advise that you enter your total earnings and costs per month into your accounts, to stay on top of things. This way when you come to fill in your Self Assessment form, sent to you by the Inland Revenue at the end of the tax year, you will have a breakdown
of your total figures to enter straight away.
Advertising As A Private Tutor, Advertise Your Private Tuition Service
The trick with placing your private tuition advertisements is to advertise in as many places and in as many types of media as possible.
Some forms of tuition advertising are better than others but if you want to make a profit from private tuition you must not rely on just one
form of advertising. Some of the different forms of tuition advertising that you may consider are outlined below.
- Word Of Mouth.
- This is the best way of making a success of private tuition. The longer you are a tutor, the more experience you gain and the quicker your
clientele will build up. As with any business personal recommendations count. The draw back with word of mouth though is that some clients
are reluctant to tell anyone they have a private tutor. This can be rather frustrating, however you will always find every year that a fair
few of your students got to hear about your private tuition service by word of mouth. We do not rely on this, but take it as an added bonus when
past clients recommend our work.
- Tuition Agencies.
- Although commission is taken, providing you fit the criteria i.e. qualifications and CRB Checks,
you may obtain work from them.
- Online Directories (such as this one)
- Tutors pay no commision to online directories. If you are seriously considering providing a tutoring service and wish to increase your
student base please consider Home Tutors Directory. We will guarantee that advertising your services with us allows your
tutoring advert to be seen predominantly and consistently for all major areas within at least a 25 mile radius of your
advertising area.
We are also one of the longest established online private tuition directories with recommendations by established educational websites, educational bodies and media including Schoolzone and have been quoted in TES (Times Educational Supplement) Magazine and mentioned in a recent study carried out for the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
TES Article mentioning Home Tutors Directory
Report For Department for Children, Schools and Families By The
National Centre for Social Research
Unlike some free directories your advert can be found 365 days a year, not only half the time or less.
Also be aware of directories that limit you to postcode searches, be realistic and ask yourself how many tutoring enquiries will you recieve,
the more searches that your advert is seen the more enquiries you will recieve.
The high volume of private tutors advertising on free sites, means less chance of recieving tuition enquiries. Also there are many
tutors on these free advertising sites who charge very low hourly rates - some even less than the minimum wage ! It will be these tutors
you are competing against for work.On Home Tutors Directory you do not need to consider reducing your hourly tuition rate because you are not competing with tutors who are charging much less than you, which you more than likely will have to on free directories.If you have to charge less because of this, you will lose out financially and will be underselling yourself.In effect the advert may be free, but your earning potential will be much less than on Home Tutors Directory. By all means try the free sites but we strongly recommend that you also pay for an advert on a long established, well optimised site, such as ours.
- Local Paper/ Local Directory Advertising.
- This also a good way of finding clientele. The drawback with this unless you have the resources to pay for this all year round it
can prove to be very costly in the long term.
- Cards In Local Shops/ Supermarkets / Post Offices.
- This is cheap and often effective and can cost as little as 50p /week per advert. However do not expect a flood of phone calls,
but you will always obtain some students from this.
Advertising When A Private Tutor Has Enough Work - Speculating To Accumulate
After tutoring all these years, and that the majority of our tutoring work is from refferals, we still continue to advertise.
Why? The answer is because we always remain prepared. If a tutor becomes complacent and thinks why do I need to continue advertising
for potential students when I have already enough students Or x number of people have said they require my services next month so I will not advertise my private tuition service for a while, you are running a risk that the tutoring work may end or not materialise. We strongly advise that you advertise in as many places as possible. For what it costs to advertise your tutoring services online, with us, other paying directories, and in shop and supermarket windows, the annual cost will probably amount to less than than cost of two to three lessons. It is better to have the enquiries and not need them, than to have too few enquiries and need the work. Always keep your options open
When Should Private Tutors Advertise ?
The trick with advertising is not to put all of your eggs in one basket. One form of advertising will not fill your bookings.
It is best to cast your net as wide as possible.
We find obtaining clientele is constant all year round. Although often the best times to ensure full bookings is from September
to July. The very busy pick up times for clients is September up to December and January then March to June. However this
is only a guideline and depends on the subject and age range you wish to tutor. Even after trading twelve years we find
that the most unpredictable happens and we are inundated with calls at certain times when we find in
years that we have not been!
Legal Issues Involved In Private Tuition
This again is only a general guideline but we advise that you seek legal advice from a qualified professional first.
- The Data Protection Act 1998.
This is important because your business will be effected by the records and information you store about your students.
You can obtain more information on this by visiting www.informationcommisionar.gov.uk.
Becoming a private tutor involves a degree of discretion. At all times you must make sure that you make no guarantee of the
student's results and exam results that you prepare them for.
- Trading Standards.
You need to be aware of and understand the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 ( as amended 1994). You can obtain more
information on this at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk.
- The Children Act
Because you are working with children familiarise yourself and be aware of the Protection Of Children Act 1999 and
Children Act 1989.
- Public Liability Insurance
- Tax & National Insurance Contributions.
If you are a private tutor you will be classed as self employed. With regards to this you must contact your local Inland
Revenue Office for more information.
When a Student is Interested in Your Service
- Initial Contact.
We find even now, we sometimes get tongue tied on initial contact! So we have found that having a card near the telephone
with the main points that you wish to get across listed on it really helps.
These tips may help when you get those phone calls.
- Speak clearly
- Explain who you are
- Ask the prospective client,
- Their name.
- The tuition they require (if they have not already informed you of this).
- Where they require tuition. i.e. their home or your home.
- The times they are available.
- Ask which syllabi they are studying and the areas they are finding difficult.
- Where they saw the advert. You can keep a record of this so you know which forms of advertising work best for you.
- Then explain a little about your service, your qualifications, experience and your fees etc making sure that you specifiy your terms, before the meeting The reason is so that you may not be wasting the clients time and yours also.
If the client appears interested you may perhaps wish to arrange a convenient time for you and the parent /guardian
and student where you will be tutoring them.
Always remember to have a pad and pen handy so you can write down contact details & phone number along with other
details you have been given.
Do not be disillusioned if they inform you that they are only enquiring because 50% of the time this happens.
However still ask for contact details because if they call back, you will then be familiar with their requirements.
- Before You Meet The Student
- Familiarise yourself with the syllabus.
- Research any of the student's area of difficulty
- Have two copies of the student's syllabus.
- Have a pad & pen to take down details.
- Have your business cards at hand.
- Have your diary.
- Have a copy of any relevant details the parent/ guardian may wish to see i.e. qualifications, references, CRB checks etc.
- Make a list of any questions you may wish to ask.
- Dress smartly
First Impressions Count!
- Initial Meeting Of The Student.
- Introduce yourself with a handshake.
- Give a copy of the syllabus to both student and parent. Even now we find many students and parents are not fully aquatinted with their syllabus.
- Go through the syllabus & make a list of any topics the student is having difficulty. Ask the student their previous exam grades if any and what grades they need to achieve.
- Allow the parent/ guardian / student to raise any questions / queries they have i.e. showing them copies of any qualifications etc.
- Ask any further questions from your list and state your conditions i.e. cancellation fee.
- We also advise that you ensure the parent/guardian that you will give them a regular update of the student's progress.This way if any problems arise you can lease this. Also most of the time the parent/ guardian is paying the fee and it is only courteous to give them an update occasionally.
- Ask the parent & student / guardian if they have any further queries and answer them.
- Clarify times available and the number of lessons per week as well as the venue for tuition.
- Arrange a time to start tutoring.
- Other Factors To Consider As A Private Tutor Before Your Initial Meeting or Tuition Consultation
- Free Trial Lessons For Private Tuition
If a potential client asks for a free trial lesson before they decide to committ to regular private tutoring sessions with you, it is your choice wheter to proceed or not. If you agree to this, then you need to be aware that after the free lesson, the parents may decide not to proceed with a course of tuition with you. Therefore you have prepared, possibly travelled and spent, your time tutoring for
no gain.
Whilst we don't offer free trial lessons, we know tutors who do. If you advertise in enough places and/or join agencies, you will have enough enquiries and students who require your tuition service already. Therefore we don't reccomend offering the first lesson for free. We do however
offer a free consultation service to potential students and parents. This involves a short informal 30 minute meeting (no tutoring) which allows you to meet the student and get a feel for what they may require from the tuition and their expectations. The student and parent can also then raise any questions they may have. We usually conduct this at our address so as to mimimise our travelling time.
If a potential client tries to barter you down on price, or tries to impose conditions i.e. that you have to travel to them etc or that the tuition must be carried out at certain times or days that may not be convenient for you. We suggest that you decline their offer. Most clients are prepared to be flexible about times and travel etc. It is important on intial contact that you are open and honest about your terms of sevice. This will avoid much wasted time and frustration. Declining work is always difficult but you have to have confidence that you will pick up students that are more flexible and are available at times that are more convenient for you.Believe in your service.
- Further Tips for private tutors once your tuition service is established.
- Records.
We advise that you keep a record for each student of the topics covered, exam questions set etc.
This will give an indication of the work you have covered and the future work you need to cover.
From this you can then tailor your tutoring time schedule to the more specific topic that the students finding difficult.
Also there is nothing worse than having several students whom you are tutoring different syllabi to and confusing yourself over
which topics you have and have not covered. Also this record will build a larger picture to pinpoint how the student is progressing.
- Remain professional at all times
- Remain enthusiastic.
- Remain organised.
- Prepare ahead
- Do not worry about competition.
- When A Private Tutor Feels They Should Decline Private Tuition From A Student
Here are some solutions to some problems which may materialise just before you begin tutoring or when you have already started tutoring a student.
Again these are just some suggestions, the final decision lies with you the tutor and varies for differing situations.
- Unrealistic Expectations of Grades
Unfortunately like any service some people have unrealistic expectations.
We have had calls to tutor students who require one to three grade increases in very short spaces of time!
Each individual situation varies and also the number of sessions required. From our experiences we believe the honest approach is the best. Often if the parents then push us to go ahead with the tutoring we explain and stress that from our experience half a dozen lessons or so will result in little improvement, and we find that it takes at least a couple of sessions for the student to become aquainted with your tutoring style.
We also diplomatically suggest trying the exam, but perhaps prepare also for a resit at a later date.
If you have not warned them first of the possibility that their expectations are too high it may damage your repuation when the student doesn't achieve the result they were expecting. Also the student and parents will be prepared should the worst outcome materialise, and suggesting perhaps a resit at a later date, will be less of a blow to the student's confidence (if the case is that they can resit).
- The Student Is Always Cancelling The Private Tuition Sessions
No one benefits from this. The parents are losing money, the student will not make sufficient progress and it is highly frustrating for the private tutor. After all you as the tutor want to see the student achieve their goals. Secondly you have probably denied another student your time and expertise who will value your service, who you can help achieve their potential. Perhaps it may be best to raise the issue with the parents early on as soon as they have missed a couple of lessons.You may also wish to consider asking for payment in advance so that there is a potential financial penalty if the student cancels a lesson again.
- The Student Often Refuses To Do Any Work That You Set Them Out Of The Lesson
Believe us, some of the excuses that we have heard over the years are as funny as "My dog ate the work that you gave me"
or "My Mum put the completed work in the washing machine and I was unable to retrieve it" to less amusing comments as "I did not have time, my social life is so hectic at the moment." Again have a polite word with the parents raising your concerns.
- Clients Who Refuse To Pay Reguarly
One way to deal with this is to ask for payment in advance. Also if a student books your time with block bookings then again ask for payment in advance.
Sometimes the above advice may not work, in which case, we advise that you rely on your instinct. There are no real answers to these problems, as each individual problem can vary. However as a guideline we believe diplomacy and an open and honest approach is required to prevent any difficulties arising and also if you feel very unhappy about tutoring a student then it is probably best for everyone all round that you decline or stop the tutoring sessions.
No matter how you look at this there is always going to be private tutors in your area who tutor the same subjects as you. You always need to be aware of this. There will always be private tutors who offer a cheaper service whom you may believe are costing you business. So What? You will find that the longer you are a private tutor the more known you become. We find that price does not necessarily come into it within reason. Reputation and the fact that you deliver the goods will always outweigh a couple of pounds an hour less in fees. The fact that you are offer a first class service and are helping so many students fulfil their full potentials will always speak volumes.
Never lose sight of this.
This guide to becoming a private tutor, was written and published in 2005 when www.hometutorsdirectory.co.uk
went live.It is one of the original guides to be be published on a tutors directory.It is based on our combined 25 years tutoring experience. We are sure that this straight to the point, no nonscense guide will help your tutoring service.These methods have been tried and tested and rest assured they work. We hope that they also work for you.
We hope this guide has helped you. Good Luck & Happy Tutoring!
For more guidance regarding private tuition and to see another recommendation for Home
Tutors Directory see Tutors Frequently Asked Questions, regarding online tuition advertising.
If you are a private tutor or tutoring agency looking to place a private tuition advertisement online, Home Tutors Directory allows
private tutors adverts to be seen, not only in the specific town where they tutor but also for several areas within a 25 mile radius.
For more information click on the frequently asked questions button below or click here to return to the
Tutors Intro page.
Article in the Times Educational Supplement
Report Commisioned By The Department for Children, Schools and Families
