Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Why a Tutor, Not a Teacher

Why didn’t you just become a teacher?

Becoming a tutor is different from a teacher. You don’t get to write your own curriculum. You need to help the student with their own school work and their teachers’ curriculum. So why would anyone choose to do this instead. While I don’t have the “power” to create my own curriculum, I have the power to set my own schedule. I am free to do other things with my life and create a positive work-life balance according to how it fits me best.

Another good, and not bad reason is—I get to choose my own students. As a tutor, I can select whom I want to work with, and whom I don’t. I understand the grimace some people may have, but I know me best and compatibility is a key to my success, as well as the students’. Some students and instructors just don’t fit well together, and being with someone who has compatible learning-teaching skills as you do ensure success on both sides of the road.

I get to focus on one student at a time. Students all learn at different rates, and if enough students learn a concept, teachers generally move on because they have a state curriculum to stick to. That can lead to many bright kids falling through the cracks.

How do you schedule enough students to make a profit?

This is up to you. Planning is key. There are different types of client contracts you encounter:
1.     Scheduled, everyday, same time everyday, same subjects, same pay rate, same payday
2.     On-call as needed, if time slots are available
3.     Set number of hours per week, but day and time subject to change.

There are others, but in my experience, these are the most common types of clients I have encountered.