Starting a Tutoring Service
What rates to charge as a tutor
Key to successfully starting a tutoring service is knowing the right rates to charge clients. Pricing can be a challenge when setting up a tutoring business and tutors often undervalue
their services to start with. The goal is to set a rate that is fair and reasonable, comparable to similar tutoring services in your area and that lets you
grow a profitable tutoring business.
Here are
some practical guidelines to help you set the correct rates for your tutoring service.
- Do some market research. Find out what tutors are charging in your area. Rates vary from city to city. You will need to find
out the going rate for a similar tutoring service to the one you are offering. Consider the level you are tutoring, your tutoring credentials, whether it is a group or one-to-one
situation, whether you are travelling to the client's home and the demand for the subject area you are tutoring. You can conduct your research using
tutor directory listings on the web, viewing ads on Craigslist and similar sites, asking around, visiting online forums for tutors, viewing ads on community bulletin boards, checking with local schools. Base your rates on
those charged by other tutors in your area with comparable skills.
- Set your rates. Set an hourly rate, a half hourly rate, a group rate and a one-to-one tutoring rate. Include travel costs where relevant. Be careful of offering discounted rates if asked. When starting
a tutoring service it may be tempting to offer a small discount to land new clients but it does not make good business sense. You will be
stuck with tutoring at a lower rate than your service is worth. If you are tutoring different subjects take into consideration the preparation
time required for each tutoring job and the demand for tutoring in that particular subject.
It is quite acceptable to charge different rates for different subjects and levels of tutoring.
- Get your payment up front. Ask for payment in advance. A client should not object to paying up front for
the number of hours you will be tutoring in the month. Collecting the money every time you tutor the student is time-consuming. You can have a short contract
that you ask parents to sign when you start tutoring their child, this often prevents payment problems later on. You can find a good example
of a tutoring contract at Tutoring Contract.
Use these free guides to help you with starting a tutoring service.
Starting a tutoring service can be a profitable and rewarding home business income opportunity
Return from Starting a Tutoring Service to My Home Business Ideas
