How to start tutoring in English?

Advantages and disadvantages of being a tutor

So, the profession of an English tutor: where to start? From studying the pros and cons of the job.

People who have chosen a career as an English tutor usually highlight the following significant advantages:

• Flexible work schedule and the ability to distribute the workload independently.
• The ability to choose students for yourself, as well as stop classes if they do not bring results, or contact could not be established.
• The absence of a strict boss and a variety of inspection bodies.
• Complete freedom in choosing a teaching method, as well as the ability to change it in the process if it turned out to be ineffective.
• A large network of contacts from parents who can be useful in various life situations.
• High income.

But let's be honest, tutoring also has enough difficulties and negative aspects. Among them:

• A long period of adaptation to a floating schedule - especially for beginner tutors.
• Non-standard weekends in the middle of the week, because usually students can find time for extra classes on Saturday and Sunday.
• The presence of a "dead season" - in the summer it is not so easy to find those who want to study, teenagers and students are on vacation, and adults are on vacation.
• Income instability faced by a newcomer, associated with the need to look for students on their own.
• Lack of paid vacation and social guarantees.

However, experienced teachers who have been tutoring for several years and have an established base speak of their profession as the best.

Indeed, as in any other undertaking, sometimes only the first step is difficult, and difficulties are a component of any profession. So, you have decided to become an English tutor. Where to begin? From students!

How and where to look for students?

The very first step is to create a personal profile on social networks:

• instagram,
• facebook,
• LinkedIn,
• In contact with.

You need to check whether it is clear from the profile that you are a tutor and, if necessary, supplement the information. It is also necessary to supplement the account with a photo. Photos with children in a work environment will increase the level of confidence of potential students. You must specify:

• surname, name and patronymic;
• education, titles and merit;
• the name of the subject and additional nuances - perhaps you specialize in a certain category of students or type of service. This may be practicing pronunciation or preparing graduates for admission to a university;
• duration of classes and their price;
• the form of services provided - remotely, at home or where it is convenient for the student;
• contact phone number or email address.

Next, you can compose a recruitment announcement with all of the above information and post it on an online bulletin board. These sites include:

• avito.ru,
• tiu.ru,
• irr.ru,
• russia.dorus.ru

In addition, we recommend posting reviews and recommendations from friends and acquaintances. This is due to the fact that the services of tutors today are not cheap, which means that people will want to receive at least minimal guarantees that their money will not be wasted! Is it worth submitting a degree? In any case, it is still worth having it at hand, for example, in eternal stories or pinned posts - such a document confirms that you have the necessary preparation.

Now it remains to place your ad and wait for calls and messages.

Where to start as a beginner tutor?

Study your possible audience and your expectations from the profession. In the course of work, you will encounter the following types of students:

1. Adults - they are distinguished by a very strong motivation to learn the language. However, such students are very often constrained, shy, painfully perceive criticism. From pluses: they have no problems with discipline, from minuses: sometimes a student can be skeptical about different methods. You have to be ready to adapt to the mode of operation, especially the perception of information and the nuances of character.
2. Students and high school students - as a rule, there are no problems with motivation here - they realize that intensive language learning opens up wide prospects for them, gives them the opportunity to see the world, work or study in another country, so such students are ready to fulfill all the requirements of the teacher. But you can also run into those whom parents want to educate, then be prepared for frequent absenteeism, yawning in class and the lack of learning outcomes.
3. Schoolchildren of the middle classes are divided into diligent "nerds" who are already thinking about entering a university and "rebels" who perceive any additional classes as school "hard labor". A lot depends on your ability to hold attention and present even difficult material in an accessible form.
4. Children, as a rule, are friendly if you immediately pick up the right key for them. Classes with children will require a huge supply of patience and will force you to invent original options for presenting educational material. But on the other hand, the requirements for knowledge fade against the background of your ability to calm down the baby at least for an hour. Read more about how to teach English to children here.

When you decide on the age, you should think about the venue for the lesson, on which success depends significantly. Before deciding where you will teach a language, explore the options:

Tutoring at a student's home

Such classes are more suitable for schoolchildren whose parents would like to control the progress of their child achieved in the learning process.

In addition, the teenager will not have to look for you at the other end of the metropolis in the evening.

We strongly advise you to find out in detail what types of transport will help you get to the place of classes without delay. The teacher must be punctual! Also find out if there are any pets you are allergic to or small children that might interfere. This will come in handy when choosing the material for the lesson.

Tutoring at home

If your home and your family allow, you can set up a practice space in your home. There are several advantages here:

• no need to waste time and money on travel;
• there is no need to carry textbooks and didactic material with you;
• there is an opportunity to use technical means - a projector, a computer, etc.

This method of organization also has a “minus” - your family will have to create conditions for fruitful activities, and this is not so easy.

Rented apartment or office

If funds allow, you can rent a small apartment or office space for your studies. This option is often used for classes with an adult audience. In this case, you will be able to create an environment in which you will have everything you need for effective learning. In addition, numerous visitors will not create discomfort for your household.

Online training

This is one of the most popular forms of individual tutoring today, which has many advantages. Online learning is cheaper - neither the teacher nor the student needs to leave a comfortable environment and waste precious time on the road. However, such classes are not effective enough for younger students.

So, before thinking about tutoring, we advise you to familiarize yourself with all the possible pros and cons of this profession. If you have any questions about the teaching certificate or any other questions, you can always write to us in any format convenient for you.

Some more tips

Here are some important tips to help you get started in English tutoring with pleasure:

• Start working with each new student with a trial lesson, during which you will not only test the level of his preparation, but also discuss all the important points - the literature used, the availability of necessary textbooks, teaching methods, discipline issues (what will happen if you do not do homework) and tuition fees.
• Find your approach to each student. For children, classes in a playful way are suitable, maintaining a balance between the severity of requirements and encouragement. But many adults need to be helped to believe in their strengths and abilities.
• Keep records, carefully prepare for each lesson.

And the last thing: you should not make promises that after the training course your student will certainly pass the exam or easily translate any, even complex text. In your work, not everything depends on you. Sometimes no effort will make a lazy person learn the necessary amount of knowledge, and excessive excitement at an exam can prevent a medalist from translating a simple text. Remember this!