Advice and ideas for starting a tutoring business.

[Tocs]

So I've pretty much given up looking for a job. So I am going to plan C and starting my own business . It shall be a tutoring business (and I have the correct certificate to do so). But the trouble is I actually have no idea where to start. I have the subjects that I want to teach all sorted (English Home Language, Biology, Physical Science, IT and maths for students up to grade 12 and geography, history for 8-9).

Any ideas for advertisement I could do? Or perhaps I could get support from the local community regarding these matters (be it referring someone or by getting tutored yourself, I do tutor over Skype too).

So yeah... I'm just kinda at a loss really at what to do so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

[Leeward]

You might want to try the agency route before starting your own business?
Check out these guys: https://www.teachme2.co.za/

[Tocs]

I have tried that already but they are constantly having issues with my application and despite me calling and sending in my details many many times, they don't get back to me or say they have received nothing.

[Leeward]

That's weird. Okay, then I would create a simple advert and put it up at your former school and see where that takes you?

[SnowDragon]

Yup, that's the best way to go about it. Download the curriculum for the grades and subjects you want to teach, download a textbook and some sample tests etc for the given subjects, contact the local schools and place an advert in thier weekly/monthly school bulletins - Doesn't have to be fancy with logos and shit, just something like this:

Private tutoring for maths, physics and biology
Grades 8-12
(whatever the current curriculum is)
Hourly rates apply (and whatever you charge)
Contact yourname at 0123456789

Try aim for times in the late-ish afternoons and Saturday mornings, that works out alright.

Stick the same ad on Gumtree and refresh it from time to time so it stays at the top of the list

[Obsidian]

I have done on off tutoring for the past 6 years on and off, I find it pretty cool to teach kids stuff. So I have had a lot of different experience with it.

I did tutoring part time for Master Maths last year and they are generally nice people so I would recommend trying with them as well. They recruit at random times during the year because their tutors are normally varsity students and they need to take off days for exam writing/studying so maybe try them out as well, http://www.mastermaths.co.za/find-tutor-job

I did part time private tutoring of my sister's classmates back in 2013 which was somewhat lucrative. I would say choose a girls school over a boys school because they are way more competitive and if you get a good rep among them then you should have a constant supply of kids wanting help. Boys schools tend to only yield guys who are failing or dudes wanting to get >95%.

I don't really do private tutoring so much anymore unless its as a favor for family friends so I am unsure what the current curriculum looks like. Benefit of working through a company like master maths is they keep up with the curriculum for you, which in my experience is a huge amount of work.

So if you want to do private tutoring find a family friend with high school kids and get them happy with you. The school they attend will be way more likely to advertise you and let you put up posters if a student of theirs is happy with your service. I would also say start your rates lower than any of your competition just to get your name out there and maybe do some student sniping.

[Tocs]

Oh yeah, with regards to subject matters, do you think I should charge different amounts for different subjects or not?

[Raven Song]

Sniping teens!!! I'm there like a be... oh wait... you didn't mean with a sniper rifle...