Unlock the potential of growing your tutoring business with 10 tips to attract more students. Expand your reach and achieve greater success today!
Being your own boss, making all the decisions, and striving to reach your goals - entrepreneurship can be a lot of fun. Running a business might sound exciting, but it can be incredibly challenging. Do you know how difficult it is? More than 50% of startups fail at the early stage. However, the best part is starting a tutoring business can be gratifying, exhilarating, and engaging.
Do you enjoy handling kids? Are you looking for ways to expand your passion for education? Then try your hands in the tutoring business.
With increasing demand, the industry is booming and is estimated to grow by $201.8 billion at the rate of 8% from 2022 to 2026. But how to start a tutoring business?
Starting a tutoring business will allow you to share your skills and experience with students and help them achieve their goals. To grow a tutoring business, you'll need knowledge, confidence, and a desire to share your skills with others. Like any other business, expanding your market reach is a continuous process. While it may seem daunting, we have curated a few tips to grow your tutoring business and attract more students.
Benefits of Starting a Tutoring Business
Starting your tutoring practice is an admirable undertaking. In addition to shaping the next generation's future, you're investing in your success and growth. A tutoring business is one of the simplest small businesses with minimum investment to set up and start. There are several benefits of starting a tutoring business. However, it’s always worth doing the research.
- The flexibility of location (WFH or Online)
- Nominal upfront cost
- Variety of subjects
- Be your boss
- Opportunities for growth and expansion
- Flexible hours
You don't have to put yourself in a box and follow all the instructions when working in the teaching field. Further, remember to have patience and give your business time to grow.
Steps to Start a Tutoring Business
If you're looking to get heart surgery, you'll search for a heart specialist. If you're looking for website design, you'll search for a UI designer. Do you grasp the concept here? Tutoring is a trendy field. To grow a tutoring business, ensure your name appears at the top of every search for teaching classes. Striking the right balance is the key. If you get too specific, you may not have many visitors. Spreading yourself too thin can lead to not connecting with any particular student. Are you feeling lost? Fret not. And read ahead to learn ways to attract more students.
Assess Your Skills and Qualifications
Having expertise in a subject will help you grow your tutoring business faster. With new courses, new streams, and evolving teaching methods, parents have ample choices available. To build trust, present yourself as a professional. Regardless of the market status, focus on the area you have mastered. Whether you already have experience, expert knowledge will build your name in the industry. Pick any stream - English, Science, Fine Arts, Maths, Philosophy, Social Work, Journalism, or others. Having command over a particular subject will amp up your tuition center. Here are a few easy ways to assess your skills:
- Pick the subject that you have expertise in academically and professionally.
- Stay updated with the revised syllabus and new methods of teaching.
- Add the subject that is not available at other tutors within your area.
- Offer STEM subjects specialties.
- Explore competitive tests if they fall under your expertise.
In addition to a higher qualification, you'll need to be a patient, empathic, active listener, and forthcoming.
Research the Local Competition and Find a Niche
Understanding the source of your clients is crucial for the success of any business, be it a food stall or a fashion store. A thorough analysis will reveal which subjects are most in demand and other facts. It'll also shed light on other well-functioning tutoring services that offer courses similar to yours. You'll also discover facts about your target market, including their location, age, school or university names, educational background, previous performance, contact details, etc. Defining your target market will help you decide the course type, subjects, and pricing. A definite niche will give you a clear vision and understanding of the students.
Invest in Quality Tutoring Resources
Whether you're a language tutor, math expert, or coding guru, your work shouldn't be hindered by any barrier. How about we handle all the administrative tasks, and you focus on what you do best?
Sounds like a plan? Then sign up today for free - Picktime. A cloud-based appointment scheduler for tutoring lessons. Part-time or full-time tutor, one-on-one or group study, discussion with parents, or student review sessions. Be it any, Picktime is available to help you out 24Hrs. With automatic reminders, it will save you time and resources from getting affected by no-shows and cancellations. It can be accessed at multiple locations. Its user-friendly interface works on any device, even if you aren't tech-savvy.
With automatic time zone conversion, you can effortlessly conduct virtual classes, ensuring a smooth scheduling experience for your students across different time zones.
- Waitlist & Attendance
- Approve Bookings
- Reports
- Easy Integrations
- Booking Forms
- Customizable Emails
Picktime gives a customizable booking page with a unique URL to accept bookings 24/7. Not only this, using Picktime, you can also leverage social media. Integrate the Picktime book now button with Facebook and Instagram business profiles and turn your visitors into students.
Charge Prices that Reflect Your Skills and Experiences
Based on your qualifications and skills, determine the course fees. As a result of the high saturation rate of the tutoring industry, it is highly competitive. With many others competing with the same audience, keep your prices lower to have an edge over others. For instance, if your competitor charges $50-$60 per hour, consider setting $35-$45 for the same course in the initial days. You can easily earn $2000 - $6000 per month, depending on your geographic location. Competitive pricing is a great way to make your tutoring business stand out.
Promote Your Tutoring Business
Promotion and social media branding is the ultimate strategy to attract more students. A legit way to boost professionalism and credibility is to make your social media presence consistent. You should have a dedicated plan to reach the target audience.
- Build a Website
- Maintain Your Social Media Handles
- Try Blogging
- Go For Classified Ads and Online Directories
- Offer Free Counseling Events
Join forums and groups related to education and training. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter each platform has their advantages. Utilize your industry connections and promote the tutoring business on every platform.
Advertise your tutoring classes on social media considering the "Where" factor.
Facebook - I like cupcakes
Twitter - I am eating a #cupcake
Instagram - Here's a heavenly photo of a cupcake
Linkedin - In personality skills, eating cupcakes single-handedly
Youtube/Pinterest - Here's a recipe for making delicious cupcakes
Setup Your Space and Classroom
When it comes to choosing a perfect space for your classroom, it's essential to think strategically. Whether physical or virtual, deciding on a workspace is vital. Consider your costs and location depending on what's more convenient for you and your students.
- Renting a classroom
- Teaching at the student's house
- Offering online classes
- Setting up a home office
You can consider any of these options. However, do you know 84% of students find online classes more effective?
Build Genuine Relations with Parents
Having healthy relations with your client is the strength of any business. Cultivating good relationships with parents is necessary to gain their trust and attract more students. Parents always value teachers who understand their needs and offer tailored courses accordingly. Keep parents informed about their child's progress and have regular meetings with them to discuss strengths and weaknesses. Focus on result-based coaching rather than solely hourly-based instruction, demonstrating your commitment to their child's development rather than just financial gain.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to become a freelance tutor?
There are all sorts of jobs that can be turned into freelance gigs. Working as a freelancer will offer you more flexibility and better income. A survey conducted by ZipRecruiter, freelance tutors can earn $28 per hour. Various online freelance teaching options are available, such as Tutor Me, Chegg, Skooli, Upwork, Indeed, SimplyHired, Care.com, and Guru.
What does it cost to start a tutoring business?
Tutoring is a lucrative business. Your income and cost of starting a tutoring business will vary depending on the subjects, area, market, and skills. It will cost you a minimum of $62 to $12,272. It includes the supplies, marketing budget, software, and travel expense (if there will be any), and required licenses & permits. On the other hand, if you're looking to start reasonable coaching classes, it'll cost you much less than the above-shared digits.
With all-time high demand, the teaching business is a great industry to invest in. If you're thinking of becoming a tutor or starting your tutoring business, it has enormous potential to be profitable. After the Covid pandemic, the demand for online tutoring businesses has also been boosted. Technology has made it possible for education to ace the digital place. You can work on informed and effective business strategies with the above-shared knowledge. Implementing these strategies can easily attract more students to your tuition classes.