How to be a good tutor. Tutor

  • Does a tutor need a license?
  • Tutor service cost

Quality education is the most important basis for success in almost any field. A student with good knowledge will enter the university more easily, a student will be able to easily overcome examination sessions, and a young specialist with additional and necessary skills increases your chances for rapid career growth.

Since the demand for tutoring services is high, there are ample supply of various schools and private tutors on the market. Most often, the services of tutors are used by students and pupils of schools. Some of them want to close gaps in certain knowledge, while others want to study a particular area more thoroughly. Often, adults turn to the services of tutors in order to learn a foreign language or take continuing education courses to learn a new profession.

However, the mere thought “I want to become a tutor” is not enough to be a professional in this field. Let's look at what is needed for this.

First, a good teacher should have considerable psychological skills. At the same time, the tutor should not be devoid of creativity. It is worth remembering that the teacher is primarily an assistant and colleague for his student. In this article, we will take a closer look at how to become a good tutor.

What does it take to be a good tutor?

Few understand that a tutor is a difficult and responsible profession. There is a stereotype that tutoring is a side activity of a school teacher or university professor. In reality, the true masters of their craft are neither the first nor the second.

Experience and higher education are the main requirements for a quality tutor. Skills in the field of pedagogy or psychology will not be superfluous. In addition, practical skills are also important. It should be understood that the longer a person is employed in this area, the more experienced he becomes and the better he does his job. Accordingly, its rates tend to increase over time.

In most cases, it is not easy to trace the duration of an experiment. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to ask each of your students for recommendations. Reviews are a kind of confirmation of your competence in this area.

In fact, anyone who has a higher education and a desire to teach can engage in tutoring. However, it should be understood that this type of activity is not suitable for everyone. In addition to knowledge, you need to have certain personal qualities that are characteristic of a good teacher. These include the following:

  1. Responsibility. It is this quality that will allow you to plan effective lessons and maintain academic discipline during class;
  2. interest in the subject matter. A good tutor always improves and supplements his knowledge, as well as improves teaching methods;
  3. Ability to present material in an accessible and understandable way. Despite the fact that many of us understand this or that issue well, explaining it to another person can be difficult. A quality tutor should easily cope with this task.
  4. Punctuality makes it possible to start and finish the lesson on time;
  5. Ability to build rapport with students. Personal charm and competence in their subject is the basis for building a trusting relationship with the ward;
  6. Patience and loyalty to the student's mistakes.

If you have the above qualities, you should immediately start looking for students, and as a practice and to gain some experience, you can start with lessons with the children of your friends.

What you need to know as a beginner tutor

How can a tutor find students?

Today, the network has resources where you can post your profile, which indicates the city in which you plan to work, the area where it will be convenient for you to go to classes, rates, your education, work experience and other useful data.

If you want to cut out the middlemen, you might consider placing ads online or in the press. It will not be superfluous to put up ads near schools and universities. An original and very effective solution would be to create a site for conducting classes via Skype.

Does a tutor need a license?

Tutoring is a form of individual pedagogical activity that is not subject to licensing. Qualification is confirmed by the corresponding diploma. It is important that the teacher can easily find contact with his students. This will help you skills in the field of pedagogy, psychology, as well as experience in an educational institution.

You need to understand that tutoring is an entrepreneurial activity. Therefore, it is necessary to issue an IP certificate. Naturally, this format of work suggests that you will have to pay taxes, thereby sharing your income with the state. However, this solution also has a number of advantages, among which is an increase in profits if you host students at home.

There is also another option. If the tutor has an entrepreneurial streak, he can organize his own training center. It should be borne in mind that non-payment of taxes by a legal entity, which is such an educational institution, is punishable by a fine in the amount of 20 to 50 thousand rubles. In this case, the organization needs a license to conduct teaching activities.

Tutor service cost

It is worth talking separately about the issue of tariffs for tutoring services. You don't need to make them very low as you won't be motivated to do your job well. Moreover, potential customers may have doubts about the quality of your services. If you are good at your job, be sure to demand decent pay for it. Lack of experience may cause you to lower your rates to a level slightly below average, but you should not overdo it in this matter.

There are no uniform methods for calculating the cost of tutoring services. There are the following factors that affect the price:

  • Profile education of a teacher;
  • Experience;
  • Region of residence;
  • Location of lessons;
  • The intensity of study;
  • Guarantees provided by the tutor;
  • The uniqueness of the taught subject.

For example, services Physics tutor in Samara will cost less than similar lessons in Moscow. At the same time, since this area is less common in comparison with English language, the cost of lessons will be slightly higher than the rates of a foreign teacher.

If at the end of the lesson your student does not remember the payment, you can remind him of the fee. You can ask how it is more convenient for the client to pay - for ten lessons or separately for each, and then clarify that the second option is preferable for you.

Asking yourself the question of how to become a successful tutor, you need to understand that hard work in this direction will allow you to achieve considerable heights in this area. You must have a good understanding of the subject, have considerable work experience, make the lesson interesting and effective, and constantly update your knowledge.

In addition, you must have a desire to enrich your student with new knowledge. Become a mentor and friend for your ward. Practice the principle that there are no hopeless disciples.

To understand that What does it take to become a tutor use the following tips:

  • Choose one narrow area and become a quality tutor in it;
  • Practice an individual approach to each student;
  • During the first lesson, try to assess the level of knowledge of the student, the goals pursued, the load that he can withstand;
  • The main goal of the teacher is to make the subject interesting for the student, without forcing him to learn anything;
  • In the process of classes, the student should be given the opportunity to express his opinion and be allowed to talk more often about the subject being studied;
  • Make sure that the student respects you, as this is the basis for building effective business relationships. In the event that this is not possible, you can safely refuse to work with the student. Remember that you can always find more effective and productive use of your skills and abilities.

It's not enough to know how to become a tutor. Remember that reputation is the foundation of a successful career for any teacher. You need to understand that one negative review of your services will cost you more than three positive recommendations. This is especially true for teachers who have a full-time job and attract students for additional training in a particular subject.

These tips will help you overcome a lot of difficulties on the way to building your own business. By following them, you can quickly achieve a good level of income and gain an excellent reputation in your field.

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  • Before getting to know a student, it is very difficult to understand what level of knowledge he has, what teaching aids to use, and so on. Therefore, it is important to ask as many questions as possible before class. If you have a lesson with a schoolchild, ask the parents how long the child has been studying English at school, what grades he has, whether there are difficulties in doing homework, whether he has ever studied with a tutor before. Be sure to ask what textbooks the child uses at school, this will help you figure out which topics the student is currently studying at school, and which have already been completed.
  • If you are going to study English with an adult student, the most important thing here is to find out the purpose of the study. Maybe a person got a job or is going to get a job where English is required, perhaps even preparation is needed to pass some kind of certificate. In this case, you will need to focus on grammar and writing. If a person just wants to improve their language a little for traveling, then the main time of classes should be devoted to speaking practice.
  • When preparing for the first lesson, try to pick up as many diverse tasks as possible in order to test the student's knowledge in various aspects. You can even make a small test, with tasks for listening, reading, writing and grammar. Then you will be more likely to understand the level of knowledge of the student.
  • At the first meeting with the student, try to immediately get in touch with him. Be kind and considerate with your child, ask him what problems he has in learning English, look at his textbooks and notebooks to understand how the child is doing at school. With an adult, you can start a lesson with a short interview, during which you can find out more about the person’s work, hobbies, and the goals of his education. This will help loosen up, and at the same time give you more information to prepare for further classes. If the student's level of knowledge allows, it is better to speak English, at least partially.
  • If your student is a preschooler or elementary school student, try to prepare the first lesson in such a way that it contains more interactive material: educational videos, songs, cards, games. Grammar assignments for students of this age should also be submitted in a playful way, explain the rules using cards, books with beautiful attractive pictures. So the child will immediately form an interest in the English language.
  • At the end of the lesson with the child, be sure to give him homework for the next lesson. Immediately explain to the student how important his independent work is, and that in this way he will be able to achieve success in learning English much faster. Adults can print out a book to read, for example from the Cambridge English Readers series. Usually these are either detective stories or short fascinating stories. In the next lesson, it will be possible to discuss the read chapter in the form of a retelling and questions on the text. This is a great conversational practice and the opportunity to learn new words.
  • A properly conducted first lesson will create a positive impression of you. Further in the learning process, the main thing is not to lower your bar, continuing to select interesting materials for both adults and young students.

Lesson planning is an integral part of teaching English. It gives you and your students structure, continuity, and confidence in the quality of your services. There are as many variations of planning as there are teachers and students. What you will find in this article is an example of practices that can be used and adapted to achieve the goals set by the tutor.

Choose a system

Whether it's PPP (Present, Practice, Production) or ESA (Engage, Study, Activate) or something else, then choose a system that suits your learning style and philosophy. This will allow you to figure out what works, reduce the waste of time. Whichever system you choose, you need to include the following steps:

  • Theme view
  • Controlled Practice
  • Practice in free form

Note : The steps can be interchanged, but ideally they should be included in every lesson.

Use technology to your advantage

Some sections of the plan may be repeated (headings/student information, etc.). Such records take the most time, so it is better to use technical methods to process them. To do this, select or create a template that you will be comfortable working with. Try using EverNote for lesson planning. Then you can go to the records both on the Internet and offline from a computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Sections you can add to your lesson plan:

  • Name and age of the student
  • Name of material or textbook used + level
  • The topic of the lesson (a section of the textbook or a topic at the request of the student)
  • Each stage (approximate time) and details of what you intend to cover
  • Notes

Take notes for yourself

Leave a comment box in your lesson plan, try filling it out right after the lesson. Include what worked/didn't work and why. If your student makes comments or you notice that he is bored or does not understand, write it down. Don't trust your memory, the information will be lost as soon as you get home. Notes will be a valuable indicator of professional progress and parents will appreciate that you are actually working with each student individually.

Redesign and adapt

If you're determined to work for a grade, a textbook, or an exam, consider naming your lesson plans accordingly and sorting them in your notebook or Evernote. This doesn't mean using the same 10 plans for the rest of your career, but it does give you the opportunity to rework and improve some of them through notes.

Don't Plan Your Lesson at the Last Minute

Even if you are working from a textbook, don't tie it to the lessons - use the planning process to tailor the material to your students' needs by changing the order of activities. At first, planning classes takes a lot of time - this is normal. Over time, the process becomes shorter, and you will create lesson plans with incredible ease. Do yourself and your students a favor. Give yourself time to think carefully about activities that suit the student's learning style and interests. Such an experience will be the best for all participants in the process.

Always carry extra materials with you

Sometimes, even with a well-planned lesson, nothing works. This can happen to the best of tutors. Understanding this will play into your hands in the long run. If this happens in the middle of a lesson, a couple of extra pre-prepared materials will save your lesson, and you will not fall into a stupor and frantically look for something to fill the time. You will maintain confidence and finish the lesson with dignity.

Not every person who knows English can teach it to other people. But if you set yourself the goal of becoming a tutor, then this is quite possible to achieve if you follow some rules and make some efforts.

A tutor is significantly different from a university teacher or a school teacher. His teaching methodology is based on the skills and knowledge of the student he has taken on at the moment. Since all students are different, a lot of nuances in the work come from here. Therefore, today we will try to understand them and answer the question of how to become an English tutor.

At the beginning of your journey, you should not offer a bunch of programs for everyone. Beginning tutors can usually prove themselves well in working with school students. But if you like working with adults, then start working only with them.

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Each of the age categories requires an individual approach. Children, for example, cannot concentrate on learning for very long. And adults really don’t like it when they are corrected, criticized or point out mistakes. And almost everyone hopes for a quick result. This is one of the main problems.

business man in start—racing position

All methods must be used. By the way, the word of mouth method works with a bang. Post the news on your social media page. networks that you recruit students. Offer the first free lesson, arrange promotions, etc.

People are inherently inert, so they are unlikely to write to you asking you to teach them English. But literally every one of your friends or their friends dreamed of learning English at least once. If you want to learn how to become an English tutor, you first need to learn how to advertise your own services.

You can send messages to your friends like: “Hi. I started giving English lessons. I would love to be your tutor! The first lesson is free =) Also, do you know any of your friends who would like to learn English?”

Ask your acquaintances, relatives, friends, let's advertise in the newspaper and on your page in the social. networks. And if you plan to work on Skype, then you have a lot of opportunities to advertise yourself on the Internet.

As practice shows, almost no one is interested in your diplomas and titles. Even many years of experience does not inspire such confidence as a simple recommendation from a friend. If you know how to present the material, then a diploma is often unnecessary.

But it should be borne in mind that a diploma is a confirmation of your knowledge. If you are going to prepare people for an international exam, but have never taken it yourself, then most likely the students will be disappointed in you. Therefore, to teach complex English courses, certain papers will still be needed. Well, a diploma will always be a definite plus for your authority in the eyes of students.

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Tutorials

The good old "Bonk" of 2001 is simply a wonderful textbook for all time. But often (especially adult students) are indignant: “Why do I go to you and pay money, but they teach me according to the old program, just like in a regular school?” It is worth noting that such claims do exist.

A tutor differs from a teacher in that he must bring variety and original ideas to the educational process so that the student really sees that he is buying quality services. For some, Bonk is enough, but for others, Murphy, Upstream and others will be much more interesting.

Many of us are able to teach other people something. The desire to transfer knowledge usually encourages people to become teachers and work in schools or universities. But you can go the other way. For example, to become a private teacher - tutor.

A tutor is a rather free person, he does not have supervisors in the form of, say, a head teacher or a vice-rector. However, in such a seemingly free and creative job as tutoring, there are all sorts of nuances that should be considered and prepared for when deciding to teach someone at home.

If you decide to become a tutor, first of all you need to place an ad.

Take care of the absolute literacy of the text, even if you are going to teach pottery, and not even the Russian language.

Indicate the area - this way you will weed out obviously unsuitable customers. It is advisable to write your name in full, and not just "Lalya" or "Anya". Add a last name, and the level of trust of potential customers will increase. It is also advisable to attach your own photo, and not a picture of a schoolboy sweating from zeal.

Now let's figure out what you need to be prepared for when you undertake to help someone study science, even if this science is mathematics in elementary grades. Let me give you an example of teaching students.

  1. Immediately explain to the parents of the students that you are not a magician and cannot instantly turn a three-year student into an excellent student. Or maybe you won’t scrape up a B in a year, because much, but far from everything, depends on the teacher. This must be stated clearly so that there are no complaints later. There are people who sincerely believe that since they paid the money, they bought knowledge at school as well.
  2. Not all students will like you, but they must like you otherwise they will just run away. Therefore, you - the free sculptor of the child's mind - will have to work hard to find an approach to each of them without showing negative emotions. Of course, it is necessary to suggest to a child if he does not do his homework or is late, the main thing is not to overdo it. Do not humiliate students, be friendly, joke, and they will respond in kind.
  3. Always keep in touch with your parents. Even if, in your opinion, the training is going smoothly, there is progress, parents may have a different opinion. In addition, it is not known what the child tells about you at home. Call, communicate, share thoughts, praise or scold the child (however, express dissatisfaction very tactfully). In general, let your parents see or hear you. They need to know that their money is not going into a dumb void.
  4. Prepare diligently for classes, make a plan. You do not need to rely on improvisation and your own pedagogical talent. In every case, discipline and consistency are important. In, perhaps, especially. Do not worry that you may not know something, do not understand the question. Tell the student to clarify this point. Of course, do not forget to sort out the issue after.
  5. If a student behaves very badly - whines, does not complete tasks, looks at his watch every two minutes, snaps and so on - say goodbye to him. You don't have to torture yourself. As a result, you can break loose on the child, and then you will fly from your parents. Why spoil the image? Politely explain to parents that the child may not yet be ready for individual lessons.
  6. Schoolchildren, especially younger ones, are physically unable to sit through an hour of classes, and even tete-a-tete with a teacher. If a child, who is generally responsible and quick-witted, begins to yawn and slow down at the end, reduce the time of the lesson. Be sure to tell your parents about this, they most likely will not mind. Accordingly, the payment will decrease, but for us, the main thing is the result, isn't it?
  7. If after the lesson the student forgot to pay - do not hesitate to remind him. Don't think about what he will bring next. Suddenly will not bring? You never know: forgot, lost, spent on nuts. And at home they may not know about it.
  8. Get ready for what Your class schedule will be constantly changing, you will have to adapt to the students. Moreover, pupils will be late or skip classes altogether, often without warning. It is advisable to remind about the lesson the night before by calling or texting.

In tutoring, as in any other job, responsibility, diligence and focus on a good result are important. But, above all, a teacher is a creative profession, sometimes devastating even a significant reserve of spiritual and physical strength.

Respect your work and the work of your students. And remember: teaching someone is sometimes harder than learning.

Do you have experience as a tutor? Share it in the comments.