How to Find Work as a Tutor

My senior year of high school, I convinced myself that I wanted to babysit for the entire summer before I went to college. For whatever reason, I told myself that the only opportunity for me to have a booming career in babysitting would be those three short months. So I did the whole shebang. I registered for all the free sign up websites, made flyers, and called families for whom I had previously babysat--and what d’ya know! I got jobs. I worked for a few families and made some good money. Guess what, finding work as a tutor is very similar.

If you have a teachable skill, then becoming a tutor may be a good way to earn some extra income or even a living if you can get enough interest and students. Reaching those potential students, especially starting from scratch, is the hard part. However you go about it, getting the message out that you are available for teaching a certain subject requires advertising, a lot of advertising. Here are some relatively cheap ways to get your name out there.

Trick #1: Write and publish what you know. Establish yourself as an expert in your field by writing informative articles (like I’m doing now) and sharing them online. When potential clients google your name, you want them to find articles about what you are qualified to teach, not photos of your beloved cat or a generic Facebook page. This will solidify your position and encourage clients to hire you. You know what you’re doing, you just have to prove it. Articles are one way to validate your expertise.

Trick #2: Advertise your personal profile or blog on relevant websites. LRNGO (this site) is not the only website with tutor profiles where you can write articles. Some websites are already writing articles about what you teach and will post your blog at the bottom for readers to get more information. If some sites charge a small fee for links to your other sites or articles, it can be a good deal and boost your site in search engines. Of course, sites like LRNGO that allow you to do this for free are a no brainer. This will bring visitors directly from the site the links are published on.

Trick #3: There are many sites besides LRNGO that will post your classified ad for free, find the right ones and you’re good to go. It can be a waste of time and possibly give you a bad rap if you post your information on Craigslist knockoff sites that sometimes harbor immoral or even illegal activities. Make sure that you will be safe and that you will be perceived as safe by potential customers on sites on which you post your information. Finding sites that are pandered towards and specialize in connecting tutors with students and students with tutors will be your best option. Some of these websites charge teachers and tutors a fee to “advertise” for students, or take a large percentage of the money you make tutoring. While this fee can be a wise investment in a service that is well managed and respected, sites that specialize in learning that allow you to create a profile and do business as you like at no cost are free advertising you should not turn down. Use your own judgement when paying fees or a percentage of your income.

Ultimately it may be difficult to find work as a tutor, but the above tips and tricks can help you find work more quickly, and although the initial hurdle might be challenging at times, finding the value in teaching is easy.


Photo Credit: US Department of Education