How to Become a Tutor

Tutoring jobs focus on giving a student or a group of students academic instruction outside the classroom. As a tutor, you reinforce and supplement classroom curricula, creating alternate learning strategies for students as necessary. Some tutors work directly for public schools and universities, though the vast majority work either for private companies or on a freelance basis for individual clients. Tutoring relies on your own expertise, so most tutors specialize in subjects in which they hold a degree or for which they have particular qualifications.

One of the most straightforward ways to get a tutoring job is to register on a tutoring website. There you can showcase your talents and credentials to potential clients, and they can choose to hire you or discuss further options. You do not always have to be qualified via formal education to be a tutor, but some agencies will ask you to have some credentials you can display. If you want to get certified, look for exams from the National Tutoring Association or a similar group. Once you have formal certification, you can add it to your resume.

As a tutor, you can find work in schools, from elementary education through institutions of higher education. Many K-12 schools rely on tutors to provide extra support for struggling students, while universities often have tutoring centers where students make appointments to get extra help. You can also work for private tutoring companies and teach students of all levels in subjects ranging from phonics to standardized test prep, in person or online. Some local governments pay tutors to work with at-risk youth, or you may opt to work as a freelance tutor, seeking your own clients through marketing and advertising.

Tutoring is a good job if you enjoy interacting with other people and helping them learn new skills and information. To succeed as a tutor, you must be able to handle the responsibilities of the job, such as scheduling tutoring sessions, recruiting clients, collecting payment, preparing lessons, and assessing student progress. A major benefit of tutoring is that you get to teach others a subject you enjoy. Sharing your knowledge and skills with others is a rewarding experience.

A tutor’s job duties are to teach students outside of school and help them master challenging subjects. As a tutor, you can work with one client at a time or with a small group of students who are learning the same subject. At your first tutoring session, you evaluate a student’s skills and determine target areas for improvement. During the following tutoring sessions, you prepare individualized lesson plans to provide extra practice and instruction to your student, offering support and correction as needed.

An effective tutor has patience and excellent communication skills. For your tutoring efforts to succeed, you need interpersonal skills to build rapport with your clients. A student learns best from a tutor they trust and respect. You need qualifications in the subject or subjects you wish to teach, such as a bachelor’s degree. Previous teaching experience can also help you in your tutoring career. You must be well organized to manage your calendar, your communications with clients, and your ongoing lesson planning and assessment of your students’ progress.