There are many reasons you may chose to become a private tutor. As a tutor you are in charge of your own time, you can teach on a one to one basis and you know that the person you are tutoring wants to learn. You can also make more money as a private tutor, if you are successful, and demand for private tutors is increasing.

So, now that you have decided that you want to become a private tutor, how do you get started?

Preparation.

Before you even start, make sure you have prepared properly. What subjects are you going to teach? It may be tempting to go for all subjects and get as much business as you could, this would be a mistake though. You will be far more successful if you just specialise in a few or even just one subject. Reputation is very important to a tutor, as word of mouth and references will help you get your next job. If you are teaching a subject you are not passionate about or you are not really that good at, your reputation will suffer.

Make sure you know your subjects inside out. Even if you have a degree in your subject and you have been teaching it for 20 years, just go over everything again. Tutoring is different to teaching in a classroom. An eager student may start asking questions that are slightly outside of the standard curriculum and you don\’t want to be stuck for an answer.

Lessons.

You are responsible for all resources and equipment. You should have workbooks which are relevant to your students. If you are teaching different levels and ages, make sure you have workbooks or worksheets to match. Make sure you have stationery. Although your students will probably be prepared with this, it is always good to make sure. If you teach IT and from your location, you will need a computer that students can work on and maybe one for yourself too. A laptop maybe useful what ever you teach. It will allow you to make notes and show presentations or videos to students. If you plan to teach remotely via the internet, obviously a computer or laptop is vital.

You will be in control of your lesson plans. If you have previously been a teacher, then you are probably used to this. Before you start a lesson make sure you know what you intent to work on with the student and what you want to cover in the allotted time. You don\’t want to be twiddling your thumbs thinking of what to do next. It may also be a good idea to rehearse these lessons before you start. This will give you an idea of what works and what doesn\’t and you can get some feedback from a friend.

Promotion.

So you are ready to go, you know what you are going to teach and how you are going to teach it. How do you get your first student? Promoting yourself is just as important as being able to do the job, you may be the best tutor in the world but if nobody knows you exist you wont get any clients.

You could try a leaflet drop around your local area or put adverts in your local post office or shop window. If you are teaching children you could also contact your local school and advertise your services. A small advert in a local newspaper may also attract some new business. Perseverance is the key.

Author Bio: TutorWave
TutorWave allows you to add a detailed tutor profile which will get promoted across the internet. This promotion is highly targeted to your specific area and subjects making it visible to many many potential students.
http://www.tutorwave.com/tutor_guide.aspx

Category: Education
Keywords: tutors,private tutors,become a tutor,become a private tutor,how to become a tutor