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Starting a tutoring business

Fancy becoming a tutor? Our tips will get you up and running.

Teaching has a reputation as a rewarding career, and if you’ve got a wealth of knowledge in a particular subject area then passing that on is a great way of making money from something that you already know plenty about.

So how do you go about turning it into a business? We give you the key points to get started.

Choose your specialist subject

The first step towards starting your own tutoring business is to decide which subject you’re going to specialise in. It should be something that you’re already well versed in, so go for a subject that you studied at A-level or degree, or that you have a high level of knowledge in.

That being said, you should also make sure that your specialist subject isn’t a niche that there won’t be much (or any) demand for. The most popular topics are maths, languages and the sciences, as these are the core subjects taught at school. You might be keen to tutor something like art history, but you’ll probably find that demand is thin on the ground.

Decide on location

Tutoring gives you the flexibility to choose where you work. So if you like the idea of working from the comfort of your own home, there’s no reason why you can’t do just that. Or if you want your students to learn in their own surroundings, you could offer a mobile tutoring service and visit clients’ homes. You could even tutor remotely over the internet, with conferencing apps like Skype making this easier than ever.

If you decide to go mobile, you’ll need access to a car or public transport to get you from place to place, which means taking into consideration how much this will cost. This is where working from your own home has its advantages, as it’ll save you time and money and allow you to book more sessions into one day – but you’ll need to find a balance that works for both you and your clients.

Get the right tools for the job

While you might hope they’d be prepared, don’t expect your students to come equipped with everything they need to learn. You should provide equipment like stationery, notepads and text books, and sample test papers if you’re working towards helping a student pass their exams.

For yourself, you’ll also need a computer and access to the current syllabus if you’re teaching children of school age. This will help you stay on track in terms of what you’re teaching, as well as make sure that it’s all relevant to what your students are already being taught at school.

Promote your business

As with any small business, you need to get the word out about your services in order to build a client list – and the best way of marketing your business is online. Set up a website advertising your prices and expertise, and provide your contact details or an online booking form to make things easy. You could also harness alternative channels like parenting or teaching sites to help you with word of mouth advertising that will really help you stand out.

How XLN can help

A fast, reliable broadband connection is vital for a tutoring business, whether you need it to teach remotely via the internet or to keep on top of client bookings and emails. Our Business Broadband packages are perfect for small businesses and start-ups, and we offer a range of packages to suit every budget and requirement.

Click here to find out more about our Business Broadband packages.

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