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Working as a tuition teacher can be a great option for women who find it hard to work outside the home, but love teaching.
Working as a tuition teacher can be a great option for women who find it hard to work outside the home, but love teaching and would like an income of their own.
For many women, taking up a regular office job, toiling through a heavy work load and a long commute courtesy of traffic jams means that they are unable to hold a job for long. With every woman’s situation being different, those of us who are unable to have a full-time job, still would like an income of our own – besides staying mentally occupied and fulfilled.
So if you are one of those who wants to skip this flip side of jobs or earn an extra income to meet your growing needs, setting up a business from home is a wonderful idea. There are a number of ideas available today for such a business. One such simple and feasible idea is to start your own home tuitions.
These days, with a competitive society and students too driven to excel academically, the choice to be a tuition teacher can earn you some extra bucks to even be a long-term career change if all goes well. Read on for a few tips on how to start your own home tuitions; I’ve included the views and learning of people who are already working as tuition teachers and know what it takes.
Students at each level today, be it primary or high school, often need coaching of some sort to improve on their grades – or simply complete homework! So, choosing the age range of students and the subjects you will take up would be the first step. Students will have varying needs depending on their grade level. Make a quick assessment of your own capabilities and cater to the areas that need attention. Pick subjects that you have a deep interest in, if you want to do this in the long-term.
For a tuition teacher, having prior experience is not mandatory, although it would go a long way. You need not let your qualifications (or even lack thereof) limit you when choosing subjects, unless you are teaching senior grades. For lower classes, all that matters is your depth of understanding and the ability to handle the subject. Once you are done picking a subject to teach, move on to zeroing on the place.
Decide where to tutor: if you plan to start your tuition centre with almost no investment, then your own home is the best place to begin with. If you are comfortable having students over at home, then make sure you create a conducive place for taking classes.
No parents will ever leave their children behind without checking your setup. Assign a clutter-free, comfortable space that is bright enough and free of distractions like noise, T.V and other family members that might interrupt students’ focus.
Stock your space with basic stationary such as a box of pens, set of papers, spare notepads and other such stuff which might come in handy. As the business picks up, stock up some reference materials on the subjects you teach.
The fees structure and the charges depend on the number of hours you wish to devote and the subjects you take up, as well as the city you live in.
You can charge per hour for each student or set up a per head price if tutoring a group. This also depends on your decision whether to take up home tuitions as an alternative to generate a second income or as a full-time business from home.
If you plan to be a full-time tuition teacher, then you must also keep in mind your general living expenses when deciding on the fees structure. In case you wish to teach students at their homes in your available time, then you may want to consider your commuting charges if you have to go to far off places.
Get in touch with other tuition teachers in your city, just to get an idea of what other teachers with similar credentials are charging for their services. Always remember, the higher the grade level and more advanced the subject, the higher you can charge.
Once you are all set to begin business from home, make yourself known. Aim to catch attention. Advertise in your housing society to begin with, put up notices on the notice boards. Target locations with students and parents such as schools, day care centres, libraries and school supply stores. If you are part of local whatsapp groups, you could leave word on these.
If budget permits, opt for an advertisement in the local area classifieds. Go digital: social networking these days is a great way to market almost anything. Facebook groups revolving around a particular neighbourhood are a good place to participate and leave word (don’t be spammy, though).
Word of mouth and personal contacts are other effective advertising options. Whatever the medium you choose, make sure your language is professional and error-free.
I got in touch with two people who are into home tuitions currently, to share their journey and on how and why they opted for teaching as a business from home.
Reshma Sadwal, a B.tech student from Hyderabad says, “Even after finishing my engineering I was not lucky enough to get an appropriate job. I was placed in a small private company where I had to work for long hours and the salary was quite meagre compared to the work load.” As a fresher, she found her job very demotivating.
“That’s when I decided to quit my low yielding job to take up tutoring. I started small at my home with just three primary students, but now I teach students up till 12th standard,” says this 25-year-old. Stressing on the importance of maintaining a good web of contacts and keeping up the good work, she says,” I am happy the way my little venture has grown.
All thanks to my students and their parents, who believed in me and recommended me to others in need.” She is a registered tutor at Raga Tuitions, an online platform for connecting home tutors and parents in Hyderabad. (There could be similar options in other cities).
Sharing his views is another teacher, Sai Kumar, a full time school teacher in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, who gives part-time tuitions as a second income. “Home tuitions are an easy way to earn some extra money with less or no capital investment and what’s more, it’s a safe option with good earning and flexibility as per our choice,” says this 36-year-old.
He holds tuitions at his home after school and says, “The fact that it’s tuitions and not school makes the students feel relaxed and focus better, unlike school where they have the pressure to meet deadlines.” He thinks tuitions bring relief to working parents.
Likewise, he relates how his students’ parents feel less worried as both school and tuitions are there to take care of their children, though as he adds, “it is a little of a burden as they shell out extra bucks other than the school fees.”
To make your mark as a good tuition teacher, other than teaching skills, good people skills are equally essential. Parents will want to see some improvement in their kids’ work and might put some extra pressure. Dealing with them effectively and building good work really goes a long way. The clearer and more organized your work plan, the more convinced parents will be that your service is worth the investment.
Image Source: Vikram Raghuvanshi, via Getty Images, free on CanvaPro
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