How to Become a Tutor: The Ultimate Guide
Tutoring can be a very rewarding experience, both monetarily and emotionally. It can also be a great way to help students learn and improve their skills – but do you have what it takes to become a successful private tutor?
In this guide, we will walk you through the process of becoming a tutor. Let’s get started.
Why Are Tutors In Demand?
The pandemic might be subsiding, but many students still struggle to keep up to date with their work. While some parents embraced the reopening of schools, others decided to keep their children at home.
Home-schooling continues to grow in popularity, and parents chose it as an alternative even before the pandemic.
By 2018, home-schooling had increased by 40% from 2015 (BBC), and it’s particularly popular for students with mental health and behavioural issues.
Whether parents want to give their child extra support out of the classroom or need a tutor to manage the more complex lessons, qualified tutors have plenty of opportunities.
How To Become a Tutor
The tutoring industry doesn’t require any specific qualifications, but many tutoring companies will want their private tutors to have a degree or be studying for one in their chosen subject.
English, Science and Maths tutors are more likely to need a degree than other tutors because these are the core subjects.
As the tutoring industry is growing, the government is stepping in to regulate private tutors, which will mean there’s a bigger focus on qualifications in the future.
Other Qualifications
A degree will always be the most important qualification for prospective tutors, but some other qualifications will set you apart from other applicants. They include:
- TEFL – Teaching English as a foreign language
- SEN – Special education needs
- B.Ed – Bachelor of education
If you’re not teaching the core subjects or modern foreign languages, you might not need a degree to prove your expertise. However, this ultimately depends on the tutoring company
Get Some Experience Under Your Belt
Having the right qualifications is great, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to effectively tutor students. Teaching is a vocation that requires commitment and patience, so it’s essential to get some experience first.
The best way to demonstrate your experience is through your background as a teacher or overseas tutor. However, some people offer tutoring services to other students or volunteer with a charity, and these are also good ways to show you can handle the job.
Most tutoring companies will require at least six months of experience before they hire you, but this varies depending on the company and subject you’re teaching.
Complete A Security Check
Most tutoring companies will require you to complete a security check before hiring you. This is because you’ll be working with children, and they want to make sure their students are safe.
The DBS check highlights whether you have any criminal convictions or if you’re unable to work with children and vulnerable adults. At Fleet Tutors, we require all of our tutors to have a DBS check, so it’s worth getting one to speed up your application.
You should also be able to verify your identity with a passport or driver’s licence, as prospective students will want to feel secure with their tutors.
Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Tutor?
You’re on the right track if you have the qualifications and security check. But there’s so much more to becoming a tutor, and it’s not for everyone.
Let’s look at the personality traits that make a great tutor.
Empathy & Understanding
The ability to see things from someone else’s perspective is crucial for tutors. You need to understand how your student is feeling, so you can help them in the right way.
Our students come from various backgrounds and might have special education needs. While you have to maintain professional boundaries at all times, you should also be able to connect with each learner.
Patience
Teaching takes time, and some students will progress faster than others. It’s essential to have the patience to wait for each student to learn at their own pace.
Tutoring can be frustrating at times, but you’ll see your students improve over time if you stick with them and offer encouragement.
Flexibility
Each student learns differently, so you need to be able to adapt your teaching style to fit their needs. You might need to adjust your lesson plans on the fly or switch up how you’re explaining a concept.
Being flexible will also come in handy when it comes to scheduling. You should be able to work around your student’s timetable so that they can get the most out of their lessons.
Commitment
Tutoring is not a casual job – it requires dedication and commitment. You need to be available for your students when they need you, and you should always prepare each lesson in advance.
Staying up-to-date with the latest changes in the curriculum is also beneficial because you can ensure your students are getting the best possible education.
How To Become A Fleet Tutor
As one of the UK’s premier tutoring services, we go out of our way to ensure our tutors surpass each student’s or parent’s expectations.
Working with us means you’re highly qualified in your subject area and are willing to commit yourself to help learners get the best possible experience.
If you’d like to become a tutor, we require you to:
- Have a degree in your chosen subject
- Demonstrate prior experience in teaching or one to one tutoring capacity
- Pass a DBS check
- Bring the right attitude to every lesson
Our tutors are self-employed but have the opportunity to work with learners from all backgrounds. We’re constantly onboarding new students, so you can rest assured that you’ll have plenty of work.
Final Thoughts
As classroom sizes continue to be a problem and quieter children often go unnoticed, the need for private tutors will likely continue to grow.
There are so many benefits of becoming a private tutor, including the ability to help others and enjoy more flexibility in terms of your work/life balance.
If you’re interested in applying, please fill in our application form, and we’ll get back to you.