Teaching over the internet is a common way for teachers to earn extra money. However, for many it can be intimidating to face the uncertainty of finding their first student or advertising. Teachers often do not know how much to charge for their services. Nor do they know where to find customers. Find out how to become an online tutor and run an effective distance learning course with Mathema Online School.
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The main role of a tutor is to provide extra tuition to students. This tuition may be needed to deepen understanding of a subject, to prepare for tests or to improve academic performance. The majority of Mathema’s maths tutors fall into the following categories:
Any other subject, such as English or physics, can be categorised in a similar way. This means that tutors are most often approached with this request. Of course, there are individual cases where a child does not like the teacher or has a problem with a particular subject that needs to be worked on. But these are not so often the cases.
The first thing you need to do is choose your specialisation. If you have a good understanding of the NMT syllabus in your subject, you will probably want to focus on exam preparation. Or maybe you base your profile on the school curriculum. Then focus on working with the topics the student is currently studying.
It is also worth considering the age of your students, whether they are in primary school, secondary school or university. There are all-in-one teachers, but we advise you to determine your own preferences. This is a must for a good description of your services.
Analyse the market. If you are looking for a job as a tutor for the first time, you may have the question: “How much will my services cost?” The best way to find out is to look at the prices of other professionals. Analyse classifieds sites, aggregator sites and tutoring marketplaces. Find tutors with similar specialisation and experience and generate a price in the same range.
Also have a look at their payment method and pricing policy. The first few trial lessons with a tutor may be cheaper. Or the tutor may be required to report to the parents on a monthly basis.
Analyse the way tutors in your field describe their services, the words they use and the contact details they provide: phone number, messenger, email. It is better to be a member of several social networking sites and to have several ways of staying in touch with your students’ parents.
Prepare a description. It’s best to have a universal text because you’ll probably want to place your ad on different platforms. The things that parents are interested in when they look for a tutor on Mathema are the following:
Your service description should include information for these requests. You can also mention what you like most about your job, what you have achieved and what your expectations are of parents. It is a good idea to add photos to your post if the platform allows it. Posts with photos are more likely to be trusted.
Remember that your text is likely to be read by parents, as children are not looking for tutors themselves. So be honest – if this is your first experience of tutoring, don’t try to hide it. Many parents will probably pass you by, but with others you will build a more lasting relationship if you are honest.
Make a work plan. Most educators see tutoring as a source of extra income. Plan the number of hours per week you are willing to devote to your classes based on your busy schedule. Try a minimum number of hours first. This will give you an idea of how the process works. You can then increase your workload if necessary.
Advertise on websites where parents look for tutors. There are dozens of websites in the United Kingdom that help parents and tutors find each other. There are classifieds sites such as Vivastreet that reach a large audience. However, not all of these people are really interested in finding a tutor.
There are also subject-specific websites that act as online schools. Mathema, for example, differs from Vivastreet in that it only collects maths teachers, recruits them and takes care of the process of finding students for them. This takes the pressure off the tutor. You can become an online maths tutor with ease. Choose the method that suits you best, or try several to compare.
Create content. There are a number of ways you can add value to your tutoring service if it is more than just an extra income for you. The first and foremost thing is content. You can create your own blog on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. Starting a blog is not easy, but if you can attract an audience, you can solve several problems at once.
Firstly, your audience is a potential customer to whom you can sell services. Secondly, a media image allows you to raise the cost of your services somewhat without fear of losing out to your competitors. Thirdly, blogging allows you to sell advertising and have another source of income.
Study child psychology. Parents are often looking not only for a tutor, but also for a mentor for their child. Knowing how to reassure a student before an important exam, or how to keep their attention longer, will give you a competitive edge. Read literature about children. Learn more about the issues that affect them. This will make it easier to understand the students, be more like them, speak the same language and get better results.
Be flexible and interactive. There are many tools that can help make learning more interesting. For example, Mathema teachers often use Bitpaper.io. This resource replaces the traditional whiteboard and provides a convenient place for students to collaborate during video lessons. Experiment with these tools and personalise lessons for each student to get an extra edge.
