So you went to college, gained a degree in something you love, took ridiculous tests to become a highly effective, certified teacher, but now you're looking for something a little more fulfilling. With everything going on in classrooms in America it’s no wonder teacher’s are switching to tutoring full time. For the most part teachers love what they do, it's usually the nagging administration, the ridiculous parent request and dare we even talk about the pay. With all of the stress tagged to teaching, teachers are switching to tutoring.
Have you been thinking about leaving the classroom and wondering what else you could do with your degree? Well tutoring has become the new hot thing for teachers. If you love sharing what you know with others, but you’re not necessarily interested in the headache that comes along with the school system? Tutoring allows teachers to share what they know, set their own pay, hours while significantly reducing their stress levels. No wonder teachers are switching from the classroom.
Knowledge Sharing
Whether you have a degree in education, history, business or whatever you decided to study in college everyone has a wealth of knowledge. Tutoring allows you to share what you know with those around the world. You may have gained knowledge from work experience or a traditional academic setting, but anyone with a large knowledge bank on a specific topic may be able to share what they know. Some educators create content, some stand in front of the classroom, but as a tutor you are able to share as much or as little with your audience as you choose in a manner in which you choose. As a district teacher you are bound to the scope of learning established for your students. Well what if you had a unique way to solve fractions and you wanted to specialize in that area, you could! Sharing your knowledge is one of the most fascinating things on teachers' to do list, maybe not the planning, but rather sharing yourself with your audience.
Pay Rates
As a tutor you have a choice to work for yourself or to work for one of the many tutoring companies out there. If you decide to work for a tutoring company you can still reap most of the benefits as teachers who are leaving the classroom to tutor independently, but you may not be able to set your own rates. Working for a tutoring company may direct your learning potential, but it removes the risk of starting your own tutoring business.
Although tutors may set their own rates, rates are set based on the specific region’s going rate for tutors in order to be competitive. Cost of sessions are commonly driven by the topic, geographic location, and delivery method. Learning more on a topic or gaining additional certifications can help increase your rates.
Now if you are working for a tutoring company all these things will have an impact in what they determine is a good pay rate for you, but remember the company still has to make money so there will be a limit to the amount of money they will pay you. Most tutor companies pay more than your typical school district’s pay rate as individuals are charged more for specialized, private or small group learning. Of course when you set your own rate as an independent tutor you may soon forget the days you struggled to take care of your day to day needs as the teachers often do. The good thing about being a tutor is being able to adjust your hours. If you need to make more money one week you can simply increase the amount of hours you will work that week.
Setting Flexibility
Some teachers thrive in the online classroom while others love to see the smiling faces of their clients in person. The same goes for tutors, tutors have the opportunity to determine what is the best work environment for them. Some bloom thrive in the online world, all of the screens, tabs and features some are left feeling overwhelmed. With all of the online learning platforms online tutoring sessions have become commonplace. Fortunately, you have the ability to decide which options work better for your lifestyle. Some tutors even use a combination of both.
With COVID becoming one of the pillars of American education it is important to remember the safety of the instructors and clients. With each state implementing their own set of rules and regulations where mask wearing is concerned, it is important that educators are allowed to make their own decisions and do what is best for them and their family. As a tutor you are in charge.