For those who are considering becoming a private tutor or have recently qualified, the good news is that hourly tutors in London have the potential to generate pretty impressive income. As for the bad news, there’s never been greater competition across the industry as the Internet has made it easier than ever before for those with the relevant qualifications and experience to market themselves as both full time and part time private tutors.
While it may once have been a relatively niche and rare service provided for comparatively few individuals, research suggests that as of right now, up to 25% of all school pupils will receive private tuition at least once during their education. This in turn means there are indeed plenty of clients out there to be found, though with so many private tutors gunning for the same business, it’s a case of having to stand out from the crowd and make sure you yourself get noticed.
So with this in mind, what follows is a brief introduction to just a few of the most important tips and tricks when it comes to winning jobs and making a name for yourself as a new private tutor:
1 – A Killer Website
Trying to operate these days as a tutor without a website is a little bit like a mechanic trying to operate without a garage. Not only is a website crucial in order to help those in need of your services find you in the first place, but when and where you advertise your services by any other traditional means, chances are any perspective clients interested in you will check out your website long before getting in touch. As such, your website needs to speak volumes for who you are as a professional and the way you carry yourself and your business, while at the same time being search engine optimised in order to ensure you can be found with ease. Of course, if you are unable to build and operate such a website yourself, you’ll need to hire the professionals to do so on your behalf.
2 – Embrace Social Media
Along very similar lines, it’s important never to underestimate the power and reach of social media. Again, a strong social media presence is important not only to ensure that prospective clients are able to find you in the first place, but also to ensure that when they do find you they get a solid a cross-section look at the kind of professional they want to work with. As you become more successful, your social media presence will be of crucial importance for keeping in touch with clients, answering questions and generally being part of a much wider community.
3 – Established Agencies
While it is inevitable that working with an established and reputable tutoring agency will attach its own specific fees and charges, the fact that they can give you such crucial help in getting the jobs in the first place makes it a worthwhile investment. Even if you intend to set out completely independently long-term, you’ll still need to get a good amount of experience under your belt before you can hope to appeal to potential clients on a wide basis. In terms of getting up and running, working with an established agency is something of a must.
4 – Offline Advertising
Another tip you should also try to bear in mind is that the Internet is not the be all and end all of things when it comes to this kind of advertising, so be sure to spread the word far and wide using somewhat more traditional techniques. From business cards to advertisements in local supermarkets and colleges and the old standard of going door to door, there’s plenty you can do offline as well as online.
5 – Contact Local Schools
There’s also every chance that you could get work with the help of a local school or educational facility of any kind in your local area, simply by getting in touch with those in charge and letting them know who you are and what you do. Or in other words, rather than waiting for the business to come to you, it’s often better to be proactive and to go out there and find it.
6 – Be Available, Be Cheap
Last but not least, you simply cannot expect to start out at the very bottom of the ladder and charge the same kinds of prices as those who have been in business for many years or decades. In the first instance, what counts more than anything financial is the development of experience, a strong track record and the kind of feedback that will eventually build you a solid reputation. And just as soon as your reputation begins hitting its highs, this is the time you can think about increasing your prices and practicing on a more exclusive level.