The Challenges of Starting a Private Tutoring Business

Working as a private tutor can be very rewarding. The opportunity to improve people’s learning whilst being your own boss is an appealing prospect for many. However, there are a number of challenges that go with the territory of being a private tutor, some of which, we’ve outlined below.

Finding Enough Work

Possibly the biggest challenge for tutors, finding enough work to sustain a long-term career can be difficult at first. For many, Tutoring is often a seasonal occupation, with busy periods dictated by upcoming exams. It can be challenging to remain pro-active during quiet periods but rest assured, there are many tutors out there who manage to maintain a steady stream of students all year round. Considering that 1 in 4 students in the UK now use or have used private tutors, the demand is definitely there, it’s just a case of marketing yourself in the right places.

When it comes to promoting your services, it’s important to cast your net far and wide to see what works well for you. In today’s industry, the first place students and parents turn to find a tutor in their local area is the internet, so make sure that you’re making the most of your online profiles.

Working Alone

One of the biggest differences between working as a teacher (or almost any other job) and working as a private tutor is the absence of your peers on a day-to-day basis. One aspect of private tutoring that some people find difficult is the lack of interaction with colleagues.

Whilst part of your working week is spent interacting with students, tutoring can mean spending a significant amount of time working alone, preparing lessons, marking assignments or marketing your services. Such feelings of isolation are common among people who work from home on a freelance basis but there are ways you can make yourself feel a part of something bigger.

Giving your day some structure can really help combat feelings of isolation. For example, you may want to plan to leave the house at certain times during the day when you start to feel demotivated and interact with people. Arranging lunch dates with friends who work nearby or spending a couple of hours in a cafe can help make times when you're alone more productive and enjoyable.

Managing Student and Parent Expectations

There's a lot of responsibility that goes with being a private tutor. Not only do you need to ensure that what you’re teaching is relevant to your student’s coursework, but you need to make sure that they’re progressing as a result of your help. As a tutor, it’s important to manage both students' and parents' expectations from day one. You can’t be expected to achieve the impossible; however, with a little cooperation from all parties and some understanding, you can help improve a student’s learning over time.

Finding a Work/Life Balance

Sometimes, the biggest challenge for tutors is knowing when to say 'no'. The very nature of being self-employed means that you won't always know where your next pay packet is coming from, however, it's important to recognise when you've reached your limitations. Many tutors are lured into private tutoring with promises of less work and more pay, and for some, this turns out to be true. Others, however, sometimes find it difficult to switch off from their work, given the irregular, often unsociable hours of the industry.

At such times, it helps to look back on the reasons you became a tutor in the first place. For many people, becoming a tutor means having more control over your workload and the flexibility to choose when you teach. Remember, being selfemployed has lots of advantages but you need to allow yourself the free time to enjoy them.

Action – Consider how you will overcome each of these challenges

The challenges listed above will be significant to some tutors more than others. However, each of them are very real and most tutors will face them at some point in their tutoring career. The following thinking points may help you find practical solutions to overcoming these hurdles:

• How much money will you need to make from tutoring in order to sustain a comfortable lifestyle?

• How much savings will you need to help see you through slow months?

• Are there other tutors in your area that you could make contact with to ask for help and advice? Are there any meetup groups in your local area for freelancers that you could join?

• How will you handle difficult students/parents? Will you outline your expectations in your contract document?

• How will you ensure that you take enough time off from work?