If you want to get your tutoring business off the ground now, right from your home, you have come to the right page. Tutoring business is a very lucrative way to earn money by following your passion for educating others. Currently, tutoring is almost an $8 billion industry, and it is just going to grow in the coming years. Tutors are always in demand as there is no end to education and studies. Today, we will walk you through the steps involved in starting a tutoring business and the mistakes that you can avoid as a start-up tutor.
You can start a tutoring business with just one or two students as your part-time hobby. However, once you decide to grow it, you will need some amount of planning.
The business is ideal for current or former teachers. However, if you are a people person and love teaching one-on-one, this is a great career field. Home tutoring needs diligent planning as you will have the responsibility to manage many students from different batches, collect and make notes, keep track records, market, and have excellent time management skills.
A typical schedule of a home-based tutor involves conducting pre-scheduled classes, reviewing emails, correcting student’s progress sheet, keeping yourself updated with latest learning tools, and interacting with your students to develop a rapport.
Typically, home tutors charge clients per hour wise fee. Your education experience, the subject, and the average market price will determine your price. The scope is, and you may eventually end up hiring more tutors as an expansion strategy, provided you can follow the steps thoroughly.
There are different types of tutors; what you want to be, the choice is ultimately yours. You either can help struggling students to cope up with their classes or help students prepare for special examinations or advanced studies.
You need to have a visible degree or certificates in your chosen subject. Your credentials will help you advertise yourself better in the market. Other skills that are required to start a tutoring business include effective communication, interpersonal skills, business management to tackle your business solely, and time management skills to maintain a set schedule.
There are different niches you can focus on tutoring. You can become a teacher for special subjects, like German or Hindi language or Mathematics for all grades, specialize in the primary, secondary, higher secondary or UG students, or focus on teaching students with special needs. Your rates and opportunities will vary depending upon the choice you make.
The best part of starting a home-based tutoring business is you will not require a lot of money to start this. You don’t have to buy or rent anything. All you will need is a computer for research and marketing purpose, good internet connection, a telephone line and a spacious room where you can teach your children. Since it will be a one-on-one class, you probably may not need a blackboard as well.
Most of your capital fund will go towards marketing and promoting your business. You may have to hire a marketing team to do your job. You will also have to possibly invest in bookkeeping software to help keep track of your accounts payable and receivable. You should be able to start this with a meager budget and can break-even in 2 – 3 months.
To make sure your business legally is compliant, follow the steps mentioned below one after the other:
Your target market should be the local families around you. One of the best ways to promote a home-based tutoring business is through word of mouth advertising. Reach out to schools, children’s libraries, kids’ sports clubs, and other relevant places to tell them about your services. You can also leave flyers and business cards with them.
Start a blog and focus on offering tips on tutoring, coaching, and educating children. Share the links on social media. Offering tips and information will make you seem like an authority in your field to parents and families.
Tutoring is all about investing in people who are in need, so it becomes essential that you build a community via your social media handles and spend more time convincing how your services can help students learn and grow.
Start-up business owners often struggle and so will you. Making connections and connecting the dot is very important in home-based businesses. You have to put yourself out there and voice your services. Although tutoring has its own challenges, you can sidetrack them graciously if you understand how to avoid the common mistakes tutors make:
The rewards are amazing, but only if you put enough efforts and stay consistent. If you have any questions that need to be discussed, mention them in the comments below.