Calling all teachers who want to take their tutoring to the next level: This blog post is for you! There’s a lot to think about when establishing your own small business, whether you plan to tutor after school or you hope to leave behind your traditional role in a public school and become a full-time tutor.
I had many requests from Instagram followers to share the steps I’m taking to get my tutoring business established. I make no claims of being an expert, but I’ve collected a lot of information and strategies over the past two years and I’m happy to share them with you today!
This blog is essentially a list of considerations I made over the past two years. I had the luxury of time: I needed to finish a certification process before I could consider making the leap to small business ownership, so I researched various topics over a long period of time. Unless you’re urgently planning a change in your career, I recommend you peruse this list and follow what interests you at your own pace. You’ll get an idea of whether this is the right path for you, and you can take manageable steps toward pulling it all together.
At the end of the blog is a link to my goal-setting guide for teachers who want to become established as tutors. It will help you take what you’ve learned from this blog and determine your next steps.
Alright, are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Consider what services you will offer.
What’s your forte? Are you skilled at helping older struggling readers? Do you excel at helping younger learners develop number sense? In your ideal world, what would you teach? Besides tutoring, are there other services you can offer, like informal evaluations or special education advocacy? Draft a menu of services you can offer to families.
Next, think about why families will choose to work with you. Consider an imaginary customer who needs your specific talents. Try to imagine how you would communicate with this customer, what you would offer to her and her child, and what would make her choose to work with you. This will help you focus on your specialty as a tutor. It may also make you realize that you need some more training or knowledge to make yourself more marketable!
Consider where you will work.
Think about your community and some places that may provide the right setting for your tutoring sessions. Call around to ask if there are spaces available and if there is a cost associated with them.
Some options include:
- Your own school, but after-hours
- Your prospective students’ schools
- A local homeschool co-op
- Local libraries
- Your students’ homes
- Your home (check local zoning laws)
- A community center
Consider how much money you will need to invest in materials.
What materials do you need to assess and teach your clients? You may lose access to some materials if you leave your current position. You may need to purchase materials for your new clients. You’ll also need to consider how you will print materials and make photocopies.
Choose your tutoring rates.
Choosing my rates has been quite a challenge! It’s hard to strike the right balance between asking for what your expertise is worth and ensuring that your services are affordable. Ask around and find out what other tutors are charging. Search the reading-related Facebook groups for posts on the topic (but keep in mind that rates vary by location).
When deciding on your tutoring rate, consider your certifications and years of experience, as well as how hard it is to find someone with your specialty. An individual with decades of experience, specialized certifications, and deep knowledge of dyslexia will be able to charge more than an elementary teacher early in her career and without reading-specific certifications.
Your rates may also be dependent on your pricing structure. If a parent is willing to commit to a specific number of sessions by signing a contract or pre-paying, you can consider reducing your session fee. There are many ways to structure your pricing and it will be worth your while to read up on the options ahead of time.
Give your tutoring company a name.
What’s your business called? What kind of feelings do you want your company name to evoke? If you’re not feeling inspired to commit to a brand yet, you can simply use your name and promote yourself as “Jane Doe, Orton Gillingham Tutor,” or something along those lines.
Consider making a website.
When you meet parents, you can send them to your website for more information. If you’re not ready to commit to a website, make sure your promotional materials are detailed, attractive, and easy to give to parents, whether through email or in print.
Speaking of email, make sure you have a professional email address for corresponding with parents. If your personal email address is simple and appropriate, you might choose to keep it simple and use that. If you do choose to create a website, you can create an email address that goes with your domain, like Susie@BestReadingTutor.com.
Website tip: I posted a job on UpWork.com to find someone to create and maintain my website and email accounts. He sets up everything I need and is on-call for any issues that arise. I’d be lost without his support!
Learn to make pretty things.
Familiarize yourself with a website or app like Canva. Make yourself a logo, save your brand colors, and choose a couple of complementary fonts. Consistent branding will make your company more memorable! Use these elements (colors, fonts, logos) in all of your publications, including:
- Your visual resume (see below)
- Your menu of offerings
- Your social media profile picture and banners
- Your email signature
- Your letterhead
- Your website
Make a parent-friendly resume.
The resume you send to a school district is not going to speak to your ideal customer, who is most likely a parent. Instead, take your resume and morph it into a visually appealing, parent-friendly resume. Canva has lots of templates to get you started. Try searching for “visual resume” and then choose one to customize.
Wondering what to include on your visual resume?
- Showcase your credentials, including your teacher certification and any additional certification you hold, like OG or Wilson. You can also list any relevant training, like LETRS.
- Highlight your experience. Your years in the classroom will assure parents that you have the know-how for working with their children.
- List your offerings.
- Include a friendly, smiling photo of yourself.
- Include your contact information.
- Consider including a quick personal bio to tell people who you are as a person. A fellow parent? Passionate about cooking? A runner?
Consider gathering some testimonials. If you haven’t worked with private clients yet, you can ask a colleague to write up a couple sentences to vouch for you. Another option is to include the phrase “References available upon request.” Speak to coworkers or friends to ask permission to share their contact information if a parent would like to check your references.
Get quotes for professional liability insurance.
Professional liability insurance “protects your business if you are sued for negligently performing your services, even if you haven’t made a mistake.” I learned about insurance through a Facebook group for tutors and most folks agreed that this is a non-negotiable when you establish a private tutoring business. I obtained my private liability insurance through the agent who also takes care of our home and auto insurance. I went with the company Hiscox, which is frequently recommended in Facebook groups.
This may be a tough topic, but one to consider when you plan to work 1:1 with children. My insurance agent recommended that I consider how parents can be sure that their children are safe within my care. One solution is to require parents to remain in proximity throughout the session. They can sit at a table across the room or perhaps they can view the session through a doorway. If the parents can see or hear the session, you will be far less likely to ever need to use your liability insurance!
Draft a tutoring contract.
This was a multistep process for me and I will likely continue to update my tutoring contract over time. I read other people’s contracts and looked at templates online. I made note of specific things I wanted to include in mine. Then I asked ChatGPT to make me a contract that included my must-haves and it delivered a beautiful one! I took what ChatGPT gave me, added in anything it missed, removed anything I found irrelevant, and personalized a few areas.
You may also consider having a legal professional look over your contract to make sure there are no concerns about the terms you’ve decided on.
Get listed on websites.
Add your name to directories of local tutors. The organization that granted your certification is a great place to start. Learning Ally, Wilson Language Training, the International Dyslexia Association, and the Center for Effective Reading Instruction all list tutors who can provide evidence of their reading-specific certifications.
You can also do an internet search for “find a reading tutor near [your town].” What websites come up? This is how you’ll find local websites that you want to be listed on. You may find lists of local tutors on the websites for counseling practices, homeschool support groups, and doctor’s offices.
Establish a social media presence.
Despite the fact that Keep Reading and Learning is 95% Instagram activity and only 5% Facebook activity, I find Facebook to be a far better way to reach parents with my tutoring account. If you only have the mental space for one social media platform, I’d recommend Facebook.
That being said, you can easily link your two accounts. Create your Facebook and Instagram tutoring accounts and link them with the Meta app or website. This allows you to post and schedule to both Instagram and Facebook at the same time. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy peasy!
On both platforms, I suggest following local businesses that are oriented to families, private schools, childcare centers, and kid-focused businesses like dance schools, art studios, etc. Invite your friends to like your page and share your posts.
On Facebook, join community groups and learn their advertising rules. Introduce yourself and offer your services. Whatever you do, don’t get kicked out for posting too much or advertising on Tuesday in a group that only allows Marketing Monday posts! I made a list in my Notes app with all the rules: A list of groups that allow posts at any time, groups that allow you to post on the first of the month, groups that allow you to offer your services in the comments if someone asks for a recommendation, and so on.
What kind of Facebook groups should you look for? Some options include local moms’ groups, parenting groups, homeschool groups, small business groups, and school district groups.
Meet people!
If you’re hoping to tutor after school while you continue to work in a school, you may be ready to roll. You already know lots of teachers and parents who are willing to sing your praises and recommend your services!
If you’re not currently connected to a school or you want to exit the public school community for the homeschool community, you have some networking to do. While social media presence can get your name out there, I was told by the owner of a homeschool enrichment center that no amount of advertising can beat personal connections and word-of-mouth referrals. Get out there and meet people!
Six months ago, I knew exactly zero people in the local homeschool community. Then I met three women opening a drop-off enrichment program and decided to partner with them. Little by little, I’ve met more parents, tutors, and business owners in the community. My network is expanding each week!
Here’s a list of people you can reach out to to get your name out there:
- Teachers (your colleagues, your kids’ teachers, acquaintances who happen to be teachers, any local teachers you know!)
- Librarians in any town you’d be willing to travel to for tutoring sessions. The library may allow you to hang up a flyer, too.
- Homeschool co-op owners
- Other homeschool service providers that are not your competition. For example, if you’re a reading tutor, befriend a private speech/language pathologist or an executive functioning coach.
- Doctors who provide neuropsychological evaluations
- Counseling practices
- Owners of child-centered businesses like dance schools, martial arts studios, art centers, etc
You can send these people your visual resume or direct them to your website. Be sure to include your email address or phone number!
Consider what will happen when you or your children are sick.
This will vary from person to person. If you’re a parent of young children or a person with frequent medical issues, sick days and family sick days will be inevitable. Consider who will watch your children. Consider how to word your contract when it comes to illnesses or medical issues.
Consider how you will collect payment.
For tax purposes, you’ll need clear documentation of your income. Look into websites and apps that allow you to create and send invoices. A tax professional can advise you on ways to collect payments and track your income.
Read about the benefits of becoming an LLC and getting an EIN.
This was an area where I had a lot to learn! Do some research on your own and come up with some questions you still have. I found this book helpful (Amazon affiliate link). Your local library likely has similar books for small business owners, if you’re not ready to purchase one yet.
After you’ve done some preliminary research, you can consider speaking to a registered agent, a fiduciary, and/or a tax professional to choose the right options for you.
Plan for a change in your income.
Your income is going to change! If you haven’t been working or you’re adding tutoring hours on top of your full-time job, lucky you– your income is about to increase!
If you’re leaving a stable job to become a full-time tutor, there’s a good chance you’ll see a dip in your income until you fill your schedule. Make sure you have the savings required to pay your bills until you get established.
Remember that some families don’t want services in the summer or on vacation weeks. Many tutors lament the decrease in tutoring sessions around the holidays. Families are canceling sessions because they are busy celebrating but you need to pay off your Christmas spending! Consider how you will get by during those common times when families may cut back on sessions.
Consider your bank accounts.
Do you have a business bank account? Are you earning decent interest in your savings account? How will you contribute to your retirement accounts? Meet with a fiduciary to discuss your wealth management strategies. A fiduciary can help you plan for retirement and choose accounts for checking, savings, investing, and more.
Meet with a tax professional.
It will be helpful to meet with a tax professional to discuss self-employment taxes so there are no surprises in what you owe come springtime. A tax professional will be able to give you a game plan as far as paying estimated taxes, how much to set aside, how to track expenses and income, and more.
Ready to set some goals?
If this blog has you buzzing with ideas, download my free goal-setting guide for tutors! I’ve taken the topics above and turned them into a workbook that will allow you to choose short- and long-term goals that will bring you to your intended outcome: becoming established as a private tutor!
