If you are confined to your home and want to get some extra revenues, remote tutoring is a viable option. I asked Beatrix Potter to write this post about the details of such tutoring. Possibly it applies to coaching and some other job opportunities. Hope it will help you.
These days pretty much anybody can start their own tutoring business from home, so you can get a leg up on the competition if you’re already certified as a teacher. Regardless of your reasons, whether you’re between jobs, want a bit of extra cash, or you’re throwing yourself into a freelancing career, it’s certainly a doable venture. With the growing restrictions in place due to the spread of COVID-19, increasing numbers of people are turning towards online teaching solutions. It’s important to have the right marketing strategy for yourself though, so you can be successful and stand out from the crowd. We’ve compiled here the top suggestions to help you successfully market your business of being a private tutor online.
Why Set Up Online Tutoring Now?
The Coronavirus crisis has led to a big move across all industries online. As growing numbers of people are forced to work from home, being able to access quality online content easily has never been in greater demand. If you’ve hesitated to step into the world on online tutoring, then now is the time to take the risk.
As a result of school closures, many parents are trying to work from home, whilst at the same time keeping on top of their children’s education. Although there are plenty of websites and resources available online for parents to access, knowing what to do with these or how to deliver quality teaching can be particularly stressful. Many parents are also worried about not having sufficient knowledge and time to truly devote to their child’s education.
This is where your skills as an online tutor are extremely attractive and necessary. Being able to offer children one-to-one tutoring and ensuring that children are still able to access the school curriculum and continue to develop in their learning whilst at home is an essential service at this time. It can greatly help to ease the burden and worry of many parents.
Why Should Parents Hire You?
There are plenty of online tutoring websites and individuals around already, so why should parents hire you? What makes you stand out? Consider all of your skills and experience that you might have, as well as what specific subject areas you specialize in.
Try to market your online tutoring service towards these targeted focus areas. For example, are you a trained teacher in a specific subject, such as Science, Math or English? Are you particularly skilled at scaffolding learning to help pupils access the teaching using visual prompts or practical equipment and demonstrations?
Think outside the box too with regards to your wider experience. Do you have experience working with pupils with special educational needs? Do you have experience working with children who are typically reluctant learners? Do you know sign language? Can you speak another language?
List all of your key skills and then narrow this down further to four or five which you feel more confident with. When you market yourself and your online tutoring services, you can list these key skills and subject areas on your profile. It will allow you to tap into a niche within the wider market and this in turn, will help you to stand out from the crowd.
Research Pricing
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen new tutors make, myself included, is failing to research pricing. It’s worth spending some time online researching other tutoring services and making a note of how much they charge for their services.
Setting the right price is important. It will give prospective customers an idea of the quality of tutoring they can expect and, to a degree, your level of experience. If you set your price per hour too low, parents will be suspicious. It will come across as desperate and will cause parents to question how much you actually know and whether you are worth the time and money. Setting your prices too high, however, (even if you have plenty of experience and knowledge) can simply be unaffordable and put potential clients off. In the long term, you won’t actually make as much money.
The key is to set your prices reasonably. Aiming for the lower end of the average going rate, I’ve found to be the most effective. It means that you are affordable and will be more likely to get more clients, which in turn will allow you to earn a higher monthly income. Over time, as you build your customer base, receive positive testimonials and build up your reputation, you will be able to increase your price per hour accordingly.
Getting Started
One of the best aspects of online tutoring is the flexibility it offers. For me, the ability to work from home and around family commitments was the biggest incentive to give online tutoring a go. Secondly, it is easy to do if you are on a budget. You simply need to have access to a computer, a stable, good-quality internet connection and access to technologies like instant messaging, Skype, and VoIP services.
You may choose to start by offering tutoring only to children in your own country, where you might feel most confident and familiar with the learning style. Personally, I found this helped me to build my confidence and hone my tutoring skills.
Once I was confident enough, I branched out to international tutoring. The beauty of online tutoring is that it opens the world to you. You can tutor pupils worldwide, meaning that you can also work at hours (e.g. early morning or late at night) which might be most suitable for you and your needs. If you speak another language, then you stand to double the amount of work you can be doing and earning.
Social Media is Your Friend
Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are people’s go-to sites for information and content these days. People who are looking for a private tutor for themselves, or parents who are trying to get private schooling for their child, will be mining social media looking for recommendations or a tutor’s social media page.
It’s important that you have a social media presence, so create a profile on Facebook which accurately and clearly describes what services you offer, prices, and how you deliver the tutoring (e.g. via Skype or Zoom). Publish it on Facebook and ask your friends and families to share the profile to get the buzz started.
Sandra Williams, an educator at BigAssignments and SimpleGrad, says that you should “update your profile regularly with posts about interesting or informative content that will keep you relevant and keep your followers engaged. Once you get comfortable with this platform, consider doing the same with other social media platforms too.”
Start Your Own Blog
Prospective students and parents are always interested in knowing a tutor’s background, their experience level and knowledge of certain topics. An easy way for you to show this is by having an online blog. This will make you more transparent and trustworthy and will showcase your knowledge of the subject material. You can post anything you want on your blog that will meet these criteria: informational, instructive, and even fun content like how-to guides for writing essays, studying, and more. Provide instructions and guidance to parents about how to get involved in their children’s schooling and homework, and you’ll see that new clients will pour in, impressed with your knowledgeable and respectful content matter.
Become a Guest Author on Blogs
If you don’t think you have time to start your own blog at this time, consider writing guest content on other blogs. The important thing to be successful in digital marketing is to produce content that is high quality and engaging. There are already so many blogs and websites out there, which are targeted to students and parents, and these are perfect platforms for you to share expertise and discuss what services you offer.
According to Abby Rivers, a tutor at AustralianHelp and Coursework Help, “by creating guest posts that are interesting, engaging, and informative, you can shine a spotlight on your tutoring business, bring more clients to your websites, and increase your client base. This isn’t too hard to do but what’s key is fostering positive work relationships with well-known bloggers.”
Old-Fashioned Marketing
We also can’t discount good, old-fashioned marketing techniques which are tried and true methods for promoting your tutoring business. Ask your clients to leave a testimonial on your website, to share an e-flyer or digital advert with their family and friends on their Facebook pages. You can also send e-flyers and digital adverts/business cards to education groups and children’s centers and shops, and ask them to include these or links to your website and blog as part of their newsletter in exchange for return advertising on your own site.
It can be difficult starting your own business, especially in a busy field like private tutoring. By following the suggestions listed here, you’ll be able to successfully market yourself and give your online tutoring business the boost it needs to succeed.
Beatrix Potter, a freelance writer at Essay Help and Top USA writing services, is passionate about engaging her audience on marketing and business management topics. She wants people to improve themselves and create meaningful connections with others at Best Essay Services.
