How to Become a Math Tutor: Your Guide to Success
While many students dismiss math as something they'll never need later, the truth is we use math all the time and in so many ways. The problem is that most students lack a teacher or tutor who knows how to reach them and teach them in a way that sticks.
Tutors bridge the gap, providing tuition to students in need. More than that, they work one-on-one or in smaller groups so they can show each student more attention than a teacher in a classroom, which allows them to find the right type of learning approach for each student.
So, let's address the big question: how to become a math tutor.
Assessing Your Math Skills
Though you could be a math tutor in general, if you're interested in tutoring older children or college students, you need to determine your area of expertise. Are you a calculus expert, an algebra lover, a geometry giant, or a titan of trigonometry?
Once you've determined your area of expertise, you will need to identify the grade levels for which you can provide private tutoring. Is your level of understanding high enough to teach students who are studying at the highest levels? Or, are you in the sweet spot for the students just getting started with these concepts?
It's also worth considering whether you will meet with your tutee online or if online tutoring is a more appropriate approach for your specific instructional strategies. You can do both, of course, you'll just need to tweak your lesson planning accordingly.
Qualifications and Requirements
There aren't specific qualifications necessary to be a private tutor of mathematics, but it's important that you can show students and their parents why you are the right fit for math tutoring. The key is that you have a working understanding of the subject matter, whether your focus is on algebra or calculus. Experience is as big a part of this as knowledge because not everyone with knowledge has the necessary skills to ensure student success.
A degree is a good qualification to highlight your capability, but you can also improve your knowledge by undertaking math courses to brush up on techniques or learn new subjects to improve your knowledge. Ongoing learning should be embraced, especially if you're an educator.
Additionally, study skills are a key part of reinforcing the teaching you're trying to impart, so if you can teach your tutees how to study as well as the active work, you will be setting them up for success in every subject.
Developing Tutor Skills
Your math education is the hard skill necessary to provide adequate academic support for your tutees. However, you need a range of soft skills to ensure student engagement. Your communication skills are the top priority. How well do you communicate ideas to others? Are you a master explainer, able to break complex topics down into easier-to-digest concepts? If so, you're a tutor in waiting.
Tutors also need a high level of patience because they will likely deal with students in a range of situations. While one parent may enlist a tutor to assist their math maestro in preparing for exams, another may need you to get their math-hating child back on track. All it takes is one bad math teacher to derail a student's education, and you become the educational resource parents rely on. One-on-one tutelage allows you to create a positive and supportive learning environment because you set the pace and the tone based on the student you're working with.
Finding Students
Word of mouth is a major factor in building a successful tutoring business. It isn't just about tutees recommending you to friends, it's also about building strong relationships with tutors in other subjects so they can recommend you if a tutee or their parent asks for math tutor recommendations.
However, you can take active steps to market your services online, targeting social media platforms where your target audience spends time. Online marketing also expands your market because if you can video chat your learning sessions, there's no reason you can't have a dozen students on the other side of the country.
You can also reach out to local schools to become the name they recommend when parents ask. You'll need good experience under your belt for this one, but it helps if you tutor a couple of students from the school already, and the parents can vouch for your services.
Setting Your Rates and Policies
How much are you going to charge? You can check with other tutors in the area to see what they charge and flex up or down in response. It's a good idea to consider your specialty and how much demand there is for your work. If you're the only calculus tutor within an hour, you might be able to charge more than other math tutors. But online tutoring is available, so don't price yourself out of work.
As with any business, you need to establish policies before you start work. What are your rules around scheduling? Last-minute cancellations? Rescheduling appointments? Emergencies? Do you require a deposit, payment up front, or payment after every tutoring session? Hammer out the details and provide them as part of your initial consultation.
Resources and Tools
You'll need the right resources and tools to aid your students, which means having an understanding of the textbook they're working through, the worksheets, assessments, past tests, and even practice tests.
Final Thoughts
If you're passionate about math and want to share your knowledge, you're the perfect match to become a math tutor. Whether your degree is complete or underway, if you have the knowledge, the want, and the drive, work on developing your soft skills to enhance your appeal. Ongoing learning should be the standard, but if you do decide to be a math tutor, look at additional courses to boost your knowledge, increase your communication skills, and showcase your dedication to the craft of math.