The advantages of home tutoring – for tutors

Why home tutoring?

Home tutoring offers so many benefits. From establishing a face to face relationship with a student’s family, to creating a clear division between work and home life, home tutoring is on the rise. Families appreciate getting to know their child’s tutor in person, and tutors report high levels of job satisfaction when they work with a child one-to-one in a home environment. The pandemic has eroded the line between work and relaxation, and home tutors often state that leaving the house to deliver tuition has a positive effect on their levels of wellbeing. Tuition rates are also higher to reflect the need to include travel time and expenses, and with careful planning this could result in a full-time level of income on part-time hours. 

Home tuition – teaching lessons from your own home

For tutors to operate successfully from home and invite students to their property, they will need to consider whether they have not only a suitable space but also the right atmosphere. This doesn’t have to mean a dedicated office or classroom, but needs to be a quiet room which is not a bedroom. A dining table in a downstairs space can work well if there is no one else coming and going for the duration of the lesson, or a spare room upstairs which has been set up with a desk and chairs. For those tutors who live with other adults, there will need to be a level of understanding that noise should be kept to a minimum during the lesson, and that it is not appropriate for those adults to use unacceptable language at that time. Please do see my other blog for further safeguarding considerations with specific regard to home tutoring, and please do ask if you would like any advice on this. 

Home tuition – travelling to teach at the student’s home

If you are considering taking a role which requires travel to a student’s home, think carefully about the length of time it will take you to enable you to arrive in the close vicinity of the location at least ten minutes early so you don’t feel rushed. Test the journey out at different times of the day; think ‘worst-case scenario’; plan for different modes of transport if needed. Once a relationship has been established between you and the student’s family it is much more likely they will tolerate the occasional late arrival, but in the early days it is essential to arrive ‘on time every time’. Factor in this travel time to your rate as much as you can, but also accept you may have to travel further than you would like whilst you build up your reputation in the local area. 

The flexibility of home tuition

With an established home-tutoring relationship, families are very likely to recommend Owl Tutors to other families in the local area, and, more importantly, to specifically recommend you. If you are semi-retired or have access to flexible working hours for other reasons, you can very quickly create your own loyal following and be ‘in-demand’, meaning you can work around a timetable of days or hours that suit you. If you are able to be at a family’s house as soon as the student returns from school, you can avoid late evenings; if you manage your weekly timetable well, you can teach in the same postcode area every Saturday rather than spending time driving around. Especially if you live in London, you are unlikely to be short of work!

Become a local expert

By providing home tuition within a defined local area, you will start to become an expert on local schools and, where applicable, their entrance procedures. Naturally, many parents are keen for children to work with in person tutors. Given that demand is currently outstripping supply, you could have an area all to yourself!

Want to find out more about home tuition?

Here at Owl Tutors we are currently recruiting for home tutors to work in specific areas, and demand is high. If you have the flexibility to home tutor, even for a day a week, please do get in touch to find out more.