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Could you be a tutor?  Tutoring is not the first job most people think of when they are out looking for employment, yet it makes a for a great profession as an independent business person.  Consider the businesses that have been launched on the idea of offering tutoring to those in need.  Examples such as Sylvan Learning Centers are in even available in small to medium size towns.

Few people would say that they qualify to be a tutor in any field of education, citing a lack of teaching credentials or professional tutor experience.  But what does it mean to be a tutor?  In the real world, few people who train others have actual classroom experience.  People who are job trainers or supervisors have tremendous tutor experience, it’s just not called that. 

The bottom line is that just about any adult with a high school education or more has the ability to tutor someone else in at least one subject area.  You may not be a math wizard who is capable of doing algebra or trigonometry, but you can probably tutor in areas of basic mathematics. 

Others may find themselves to be better than average writers or have capabilities in areas of science, or even just a love for a particular music instrument.  Regardless of what you recall from high school, if these were areas that you did well in and love, refreshing your knowledge in these areas can give you the basics for being a tutor. 

Other qualifications to start a business in tutoring would include the patience to work with people who don’t find this subject quite as interesting as you do or those that have fewer capabilities to perform the tasks.  People’s brains work better in specific areas than they do in others.  The person you are tutoring in math may just not get the concept of numbers as well as you do, but they may be a phenomenal reader.

As a tutor, you will need to be able to determine where your student is in their learning process, what their capabilities are, offer a lesson plan, and give lots of patience and understanding, and even offer other ways of learning subjects.  Encourage success with praise.

Becoming a tutor isn't necessarily something you can just launch into tomorrow.  Depending on your level of information and knowledge, you might have to refresh yourself on some concepts or bring yourself up to speed on information that has been acquired since you were in school last.  Others may not require as much.  Most areas of math all the way through calculus haven't changed much in the last thousand or so years.  New information about early American history hasn't changed much, but there may be some new things that have been discovered.  Conversely, areas of science are constantly changing and much of this information could be relevant at least in the high school curriculum. 

How much money can I make as a tutor?

Being a tutor isn’t generally considered a high paying job, but there are exceptions.  What your income will depend on is your ability and success.  The more successful your students are at accomplishing their goals, the more credibility you will have as a tutor with other people who are seeking your services.  Your personality will also play a role in how much money you can make as a tutor.  If you make people want to sit under your tutorship, they will happily pay you more than if you don’t make them feel good about themselves. 

On the low end, most tutors make at least $15 an hour.  On the upper end where special expertise is involved, some tutors can make $70-100 per hour, though that is rare and usually in specialized subjects.  Check other local prices and start just a little bit lower to get your client base in place. 

Geographical limitations/differences

Anywhere there are people, you will find opportunities to develop a tutoring business.  The more people there are and the fewer other tutors there are in an area, the greater your potential is for landing clients. 

That isn’t to say that there aren’t possibilities for landing remote clients either with new opportunities offered by technology.  Programs such as Skype, Google Talk, or other communication tools offer extended opportunities, though the hands-on abilities tend to decrease.  Much more planning would go into developing lesson plans for remote learning.  This may even be an incredible opportunity to offer tutor services to potential clients who are limited in their ability to access personal hands-on services.  People who are incapable or find it hard to get to a tutor such as those with physical handicaps or live remotely themselves may find that such an offering appeals to them.  Supply and demand of other tutors and your ability to specialize or differentiate yourself as a tutor will have tremendous impact on your success in any tutoring business. 

Competitors

The obvious competitor to any tutor business are the other tutors in the area.  These competitors can be visible or not.  They may work off a referral basis and not be easily found.  Being a tutor probably has on of the least problems with offering services outside the big name brands.  Tutor services such as Huntington’s Learning Center and Sylvan Learning Centers will get the lion’s share of new business simply because of their brand.  You can differentiate yourself from these big-box tutorial services by offering a more personal approach, a home environment, or coming to the student instead of making them come to you. 

The big-box tutorial services haven’t gotten that way by being impersonal though.  Students work one on one with teachers who understand their needs and have a skilled staff and developed methodologies.  They are good at what they do.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t be just as good or better.  Their prices must also take into account business overhead, profits, and salaries of tutorial, administrative, and management staff.  What that means is that they are probably much more expensive than you need to be to make the same kind of profit. 

License Requirements

There are no license requirements to tutor, though you should definitely make it known if you have a teaching license.  That can be just one more feather in your cap.  if you don’t have a teaching license, this only means you can’t offer your services as a licensed teacher without committing advertising fraud. 

Financial Requirements

One of the beauties of starting a tutoring business is that it can be done on a shoestring budget.  You need to get your name out there of course, but there are many low cost and free services to do so.  Start by advertising daily on Craigs List.  Put together some business cards and a website would be nice, though certainly not necessary. 

Beyond that, it’s up to you and where you are starting from with regard to developing your business.  If you have no background in teaching, you will probably want to invest in some books on teaching techniques and some subject books to go from.  You must have an established base to work from.  The subject books will also come in handy if you are developing your own curriculum instead of working with the students.  Many tutors also make a few extra dollars by selling books that they work from.

What to do next

It would be time prudent to work on several fronts to develop a new tutor business.  Get yourself up to speed on the subject you wish to tutor.  You must have something to offer and be able to talk the subject in order to attract new clients. 

Start the business end of things by developing your business front.  Many tutors make the mistake of thinking that clients will just start to call as soon as they are in business.  If the clients don’t see you or you don’t look professional, they won’t call.  A website, your credentials, your offering, sales promotional materials, and your pitch will make a difference in bringing potential clients to you and helping you close the deal. 

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