What Qualifications do you Need to Become a Private Tutor?

There are no standard qualifications for private tutors in the UK, so in theory, anyone who has good knowledge in a specialist subject can become a tutor.

• Some tutoring websites and agencies prefer tutors to be educated to a certain level.

• Having a Bachelor's degree, it's equivalents or higher in a subject area gives you a significant advantage.

• Having a teaching qualification and experience massively enhances chances of getting more business or charging higher fees.

• Undergraduate students make a significant portion of the tutoring industry. Most undergraduate students tend to tutor the subject area they are currently studying at university level. They also often tutor subjects they excelled in their A-Level / IB Diploma / Scottish Advanced Highers. Undergraduate students studying at top universities tend to have more demand and charge higher fees than their lower ranking counterparts. Similary, those with top-flight A-Level / IB Diploma / Scottish Advanced Higher grades are better placed to appeal to customers.

Private tutoring isn't just limited to teaching school kids either; there are lots of tutors out there who specialise in music, arts, business, marketing, computer coding and professional services.

Generally speaking, private tutors are likely to be seen as valuable in the eyes of a student or parent if they have first-hand experience in the subject they're tutoring.

As far as academia goes, qualified teachers often decide to become tutors and offer their services to supplement their full-time teaching job. Newly qualified or retired teachers also offer their services as tutors and are sometimes the preferred choice of educator as their previous experience clearly shows their expertise.

On the other hand, many students and parents consciously decide to choose a tutor who isn't a teacher, who may have a slightly different approach to learning. Out with educational establishments, those who tutor in more specialist subjects like online marketing, web development, html coding etc. tend to have experience of working in those specific industries. How qualified these tutors need to be is generally at the discretion of the student using their services.

Find out how qualified other tutorsare in your area

Because there are no standard qualifications for tutors, the existing marketplace tends to dictate how qualified you need to be. One way of determining whether you’re qualified enough to be a tutor is to find out how qualified other tutors in your area are. Are most qualified up to A Level or beyond? How many appear to be qualified teachers? How many don’t have any formal qualifications at all?

You should also put yourself in your students’ shoes. If you were looking for a tutor in a specific subject, how qualified would you expect them to be? How does this