In-Home Tutoring

Earn $30k to $70k as A Math Tutor Part Time

Hopefully you can make things easy for yourself and work with kids who are currently in a math class. This way you don't have to create content and bring it to the session. The main thing you need is a car to get around to your sessions.

There are some benefits to in-home tutoring. For one thing, going to someone’s home helps you to build a long term relationship. It's more sticky than an online session. Going in-home is superior because you're physically there, making a connection not only with the student, but with the parent. And tutors might think the client is the student, because that’s who needs help, but the client is really the parent. Because they pay for it.

When you meet the parent at the door on the way out you can talk to them after the session. Save time for this. Tell them how it went, what you worked on, what you went over, and what they should work on before the next session. It’s like a session recap. So you’re really demonstrating the value for the parent this way. But with online you don’t have the opportunity to do that. From what I've seen, these clients can be very long term. Even when the kids don't really need help anymore, they want you to keep coming. It's habitual, routine. Every Tuesday and Thursday at five, you show up.

When you go in-home you can build a strong relationship with the family. You meet their dog, and the siblings. This way you have more to go on when you're having phone calls with the mom later on. You can say, “Hey, how's Chelsea doing? And how's Roxy?” Things like that are underestimated but they play a large role in forming relationships with clients.

There is not much you need to bring to the sessions. But it’s good not to show up completely empty-handed. If you're teaching algebra or geometry, you can find a $5 textbook that kind of goes over some of the standards in your state. Find some resources you like, and bring those. Maybe you have a workbook you bring and then you can even show the parents and add some value by saying, “This is the material I like. I've tried them all, and this one's really good. So I'd recommend you pick that up.”

It’s also important to build a relationship with the student too. The parent is definitely going to ask the student how it went. You want to establish a connection. But realize every family is different. Even some of the best tutors aren’t going to hit it off with everyone equally. So don't take it personally if once in a while you get rejected or it doesn't work out. Even with my top tutor who everybody loves, I had one family who said, “We're just looking for someone a little more outgoing.” Now, I know this tutor is phenomenal because literally every time I send him out people love him. But I didn't argue with them. I said, “Okay, I hear you. Sometimes students want that, and we can get that for you.” And I found someone else who I really didn't think was as good of a tutor, but they liked him.

You can develop a network of referrals as well. If you’re a mathematics expert, and you have clients asking for SAT you can say, “Oh, yeah,I happen to know this guy, Joe Schmo down the street.” Then let Joe know you sent a referral his way. Eventually some leads will start coming back to you if you send them out. That's how business works. By being there in the client’s home, you're going to get even more referrals. The parent is thinking of you more, because they see you there in the home. And they say, “You know, I was just talking to Nancy the other day and she was saying she needs a tutor. Maybe I'll connect you guys.” Whereas if you’re tutoring online, you're not being triggered as a memory. So that connection is less likely to happen.