With the school year ending, many of you may want to use your free time tutoring over the summer. Yet it’s difficult to know how much to charge or what average prices are by city. The following are several pointers and statistics to guide you, so that you can jump in ready and prepared at the start of summer.
1. What subjects do students look for most?
The most common subjects year-round are K-12 math, English, and (as a bit of a surprise) computer programming. For high-schoolers preparing to take SAT or ACT exams in the following school year, summer is also a popular time to seek test-prep tutoring. Many students also want to learn fun, recreational subjects – try teaching music, cooking, a foreign language, dance, or art.
2. How much should I charge?
In the end, this number is really up to you, but you should use the average prices in your area to gauge your final price. The cities that charge the most are New York, San Francisco, and Palo Alto at approximately $55/hour. If you’re in one of those areas, you can probably raise your price a bit. Meanwhile, Los Angeles averages just above $30/hour and Boston, a little more than $40/hour. The absolute minimum we’ve seen is $10/ hour. Take a look at the in-depth breakdown of average tutoring prices.
4. Where should I go to find students?
Because of the messy word-of-mouth system, it is usually difficult for students and parents to find a great tutor. Yet the reverse process of tutors looking for students is less complicated. It’s easier for tutors to showcase the wide range of subjects they can teach, than it is for students to look for specialized help on one subject. Having your tutor profile on tutorspree.com makes it easy for students and parents to find you, look through your skills, and get in touch.
4. Where should the lessons take place?
It’s very common for lessons to take place in the student’s home. Other options are the local library, coffee shops, or whichever location the parents prefer.
5. How often should lessons take place?
One of the advantages of tutoring is that the day, time, and hours are built around your schedule. Some students may want to meet weekly, some only on weekends, some every other Tuesday. It’s best to decide on a fixed schedule and location (re: #4) from the beginning to prevent lessons from falling out.
6. A final pointer: Individual tutoring vs. teaching to a class
It’s important to note that building trust with an individual student is easier and quicker than if you were teaching to a large class. From the start, it is important to get a picture of the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Tutoring then allows you to follow up continuously for student and parent feedback, and tailor your curriculum accordingly. You can also take note of what type of learner the student is (such as kinesthetic or auditory). Finally, as you would for a class, don’t forget to have fun! Incorporating jokes, funky-colored stationery, laughter, and stories are just some of the ways to make your lessons something to look forward to over the summer.
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This guest post comes from Iris Yuan is an Education Consultant at Tutorspree.com, a website that works nationwide to rebuild the tutoring system and make it more transparent. For more information, you can reach Iris at iris@tutorspree.com and follow @Tutorspree on Twitter.
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Anyone have any plans to tutor this summer? If not, how are you planning on filling your days?
