My summer job doubles my teaching salary
You read that right. I make more over the summer as a part time tutor than I do when I’m at school 8 hours a day as a teacher!
Have you been considering a summer side hustle? Maybe you are concerned about flexibility with your busy schedule, or nervous about losing time to relax and enjoy yourself.
I’m here to tell you that tutoring is your ticket.
I started tutoring the summer after my 2nd year of teaching. Fast forward a year, and I have already learned so much.
Here are the most important steps I have learned for getting started.
Choose a location
Decide where you want to host your tutoring sessions. I suggest a public place that will be easy for both you and families to access. I meet students at a library halfway between my home and the school.
You might consider
A coffee shop
The public library
Your school library
Some tutors also visit their student’s home. If this is something you feel comfortable doing, go for it. However, it could result in a lot of driving for you. I prefer the library because I can host sessions back to back, minimizing my travel time.
Be sure to check the hours at the location you choose. You also want to be mindful of any changes to hours on holidays, and have an alternate location ready.
Set your price
YOU are the one who decides how much to charge per session. Don’t sell yourself short!
When I was starting out, I lacked confidence. I thought to myself, Would people actually pay me this much money to tutor their kids? The answer, I learned, is YES!
I charge $40 per hour, or $20 for a half hour. I have teacher friends who charge between $30 and $50 per hour. Remember that you are a qualified individual. Your time is valuable. Consider that you will also spend some time planning and reflecting on sessions, so you want to make sure your time is worthwhile.
Get the word out
This may seem like the most obvious step, but it is really the key to getting students. At the end of the year, I send an email to the families of the grade levels I’d like to tutor. I attach a flyer with answers to questions I anticipate they will have.
Here’s what I include:
About me – Briefly describe your experience, educational background, and excitement to tutor
Contact info – Provide your phone number and email address
Subject areas – List the content areas you wish to offer
Availability – Give the times, days of the week, and location of where you will tutor
Rate – Decide how much you will charge per hour
Example of my tutoring flyer
You could also post or deliver flyers in your neighborhood, share them via social media, or use a website like Care.com to list your business.
Don’t forget, you can meet with students more than once a week. If you’re having a hard time getting students, this might be a helpful option.
In addition to the flyer, I include a link to a Google Forms survey where I can gather interest. I ask the following questions:
What is your name?
What is your child’s name?
Select the days and times you are available (provide a list)
Any days and times that definitely won’t work?
Select your preferred session length (1 hour or 30 minutes)
Select the number of sessions you’d like per week (I offer 1 or 2, but you could do more!)
Any questions or comments for me?
This gives me all the information I need to move forward.
Make that schedule
This is one of the best parts of tutoring. You decide what time of day you are meeting and how many students you are tutoring. You can schedule in an extra 5-10 minutes between sessions for a bathroom or snack break!
I create a Google Sheet to give myself an overview of the week. Then I plug in student names based on the times and days they are available. Once I have made a schedule that works for me, I reach out to families to confirm that the given time slot will work for them.
Since families have already told me their interests and availability on the survey, it’s pretty rare that I need to make adjustments.
Gather contact info
Once I have confirmed my students for the summer, I move to more detailed contact information. I send a quick and easy survey to parents.
The survey requests…
Your name
Your child’s name
Phone number
Email address
Would you like a text reminder from me the day before?
This is crucial to have in case of emergency. I also give families the option to receive a reminder text the day before we meet. I have had too many instances where I was waiting to meet students, and waiting, and…they forgot we had a session.
Stay organized & plan ahead
This was the biggest difference between year 1 and year 2 in my business. Everything I need stays in my Summer Tutoring Binder. It’s where I keep my lesson plans, materials parent contact info, calendars, tutoring reports, and more. Without that binder, I am lost!
You can reuse lessons to cut down on planning time. I also recommend investing in some sort of summer workbook or worksheet pack. My first year, I tried to scrounge up free resources or make my own, and it became time consuming.
This summer I paid less than $30 on materials from TPT and am saving so much time. I also use workbooks from my classroom. To reuse these, I recommend dry-erase sheet protectors. You will avoid printing so many copies, and kids love using dry-erase markers!
The only other thing I’ve spent money on is prizes for the kids. Who doesn’t love a reward for hard work? In the past, I’ve given out candy. This year, I got a pack of 100 trinkets on Amazon for 20 bucks. That will last me this summer and beyond!
Get started!
It may seem like a lot of hard work going into it, but trust me, this WILL pay off! This summer I am exceeding my monthly teaching salary. The best part is, you decide how often you want to work.
You can do it too! If I can help in any way, please feel free to leave a comments or send me an email. I’d also love to hear about your summer successes!