How to start tutoring

[druth]

I know there are others on the board who do this as their side gig, and I'm just wondering how you got started.

Craigslist ad?  Kids of friends? Other?

I coach a couple academic teams at a couple different high schools, so I could leverage that somewhat but most of my students aren't the ones that need tutoring.  My presence in the schools might be an asset in some way though.

I would be willing to tutor just about anything at the HS level, and I have a BA in both a soft and a hard science.  It's mostly just a matter of advertising.  So does anybody have advice on that or just in general?

[PowerMustache]

I used WyzAnt. They handle all the  logistics of the business of tutoring and in my area it has been easy to find jobs through them. They take 40% which is a big cut, but for me their services are worth it mainly because I am very picky about students, only looking for students only on the direct bike route home from my regular job and unlikely I could find those students reaching out on my own through craigslist. Also I enjoy tutoring and the enjoyment makes the pay less important.

[druth]

Thanks for the suggestion.  Yeah, I also don't mind if they take a cut, especially if it is a common enough service that there is a good client base already.

[Kaikou]

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[AllieVaulter]

You might also consider contacting teachers of the subjects you'd like to tutor and let them know you're willing to tutor. 

And yes, I would also consider a Craigslist.  People might actually be posting on craigslist looking for tutors. 

[Nudelkopf]

Definitely consact schools to let them know you're available. I normally get contacted by their teacheer, and we exchange contact that way. Facebook is another easy way - local community pages, or homework-help pages are the most useful in my area.

I tutor in the public library. It's neutral, central, quiet, and... well, it's public. They pay me cash ($40/h).

[druth]

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[AllieVaulter]

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I assumed that meant "following".

[Kaikou]

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I assumed that meant "following".

thanks for clarifying for me. I realize you can get notifications without commenting at the top right of each post.

[socalteacher]

My district has an approved tutor list. Basically you call the district office and fill out an application and they put you on it with your tutor preferences. We have 39 schools in our district and if you request a tutor we hand out this list. I am not sure how much business they get. I am sure if you do a great job it leads to referrals.

When parents ask me for tutor requests I always send them to one of our impact teachers (instructional assistant/ not credentialed). She makes more money as a tutor than she does working for the school but that is her connection to all her tutoring jobs. In the summer she tutors at the library for $50/hr and she has lessons lined up all day long.

Another option is to look online. My brother is a physics student in college and makes side money tutoring (instaedu.com). He basically makes himself available and people sign in looking for help and pick him. There is a review system so the more reviews and better ranking you have funnels traffic your way.

[Learner]

I advertised on kijiji (similar to, but more popular than craigslist here).  I normally had to take down my ad after a couple of weeks due to schedule filling up.  Location typically wasn't too difficult as I chose public libraries as well the vast majority of the time.  A couple of times in a pinch we used a coffee shop because the library was closed.