Caregivers are increasingly being given more opportunities to offer their expertise in both education and child care. In addition to providing physical, emotional, and social support to a child, caregivers are creating lesson plans, assisting with homework, and providing education support appropriate to the child’s age. And with different school options being available to families—including virtual learning—parents have sought additional help from tutors to provide individualized instruction to their child to close the gap.
Helping children learn and grow is a common goal for caregivers and tutors. Becoming a tutor will allow you to share your expertise to help children with their academic needs. So if you’re a caregiver looking to establish yourself as a tutor and expand your services, consider these steps:
1. Find Your Niche
What’s your favorite subject? What age group do you prefer working with? How do you want to provide your services? While a degree is not needed to become a tutor you want to choose a subject that you’ve had some formal training and are most successful in.
Common tutoring subjects include:
- Math
- Science
- English
- Foreign Language
- Special Education
After you choose your subject, decide your age group. Something to consider is age-specific development. Taking that into consideration will help you determine the age you’re most comfortable with:
- Pre-School
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
Finally, once you’ve decided the subject and age group, decide the type of tutor service you want to provide. You can consider becoming a:
- Home-Based Tutor | Provides one-on-one attention to a child or group in their home.
- Online Tutor | Occurs in a virtual, networked environment from separate locations.
- Peer Tutor | If you’re in a similar status as the person being tutored (common in postsecondary education).
- Academic Coach | Someone who develops strategies, skills, and behaviors for the child to succeed.
2. Build Your Credibility
The next step in establishing yourself as a tutor is building your credibility. One way to do that is by becoming a member of an Association:
- National Tutoring Association
- Association for the Coaching and Tutoring Profession
- College Reading and Learning Association
When you become a member of an association you can become a certified tutor, access webinars, and learn tutoring preparation techniques and teaching methods.
3. Consider Your Approach to Tutoring
Just like a caregiver, a tutor has to use a combination of skills and techniques in order to cater to the child’s needs. Remember your transferable skills that you can apply while tutoring the child:
- Communicate clearly
- Use empathy to understand
- Listen to words and actions
- Practice patience
- Include adapting in your lesson plan
- Don’t limit your creativity
Every child learns differently and what works for one child may not work for the other so you want to familiarize yourself with the four different learning styles:
- Visual or observations using pictures, diagrams, or visual presentations.
- Auditory or sound using lectures, discussions, or tapes.
- Reading/Writing using internet research, reading books, handouts, and writing material.
- Kinesthetics or actual experience using moving, touching, and hands-on activities.
Lastly, when you’re planning your sessions consider using common tutoring strategies such as using The Socratic Method or The Drill Method. Using different strategies will allow you to identify the problem area, encourage participation, and raise self confidence in the child.
There’s no right or wrong way to learn something, so taking the time to understand each child as an individual will help you to become a better tutor.
4. Find a Job
Once you’re ready to make the transition as a tutor, remember the following:
- Set Your Rate
Be sure to factor in your location, experience, training, and additional skills in determining your base pay rate. - Market Yourself
Practice describing yourself, your experience, and your services to best showcase what you have to offer. That way, you can be consistent in the way you put yourself out there on each platform. - Expand Your Services
If you’re a current caregiver or nanny and you want to expand your service consider positions such as:
-Homework Helper
-Governess
-After school helper
-Educational Nanny
-Nanny Tutor
-Tutoring CaregiverIf you want to further your tutor service outside of caregiving, consider applying to:
-Schools
-Tutoring Companies
-Independent business
-Education Focused Agencies
Like a caregiver, a tutor provides a healthy and safe environment where a child can learn, grow, and gain confidence in their own abilities. If you love to make a difference in a child’s life by helping them succeed academically, then becoming a tutor could be a great role for you.
