What are the requirements to be a tutor? | Essentials of becoming a private tutor in the UK

Tutoring is a popular and profitable practice among teachers and educators. Tutors can teach various subjects to different students at different levels. In other words, the job is exceptionally flexible, giving the tutors many choices and options. However, there are certain requirements to be a tutor. This article will take you through everything you need to know about tutoring. If you want to know whether you qualify as a tutor, keep reading.

• Vast and thorough knowledge of the subject you want to tutor
• Possessing tutoring soft skills
• Familiarity with pedagogical practices and teaching methods
• Relevant teaching experience
• Having a DBS check
• Compliance with the laws set by the Department of Education

Who is a private tutor?

Before we go any further, let’s define a private tutor to make sure who we are exactly talking about. A private tutor is a teacher who teaches a specific subject to one student (in some cases, a few students) at the time and place of their choosing. Students or parents usually hire tutors when they want to quickly improve in a subject, such as a Foreign Modern Language or Computer Science, in a short time. Tutors can work with students with special learning conditions or good students who want to maximise their performance and realise their full potential.

What are the responsibilities of private tutors?

A tutor’s priority should be to adopt the best resources, methods and materials to help the students achieve their goals. This is a generic responsibility that necessitates other tasks for a responsible and professional tutor. Considering the big picture (student success), the tutor should work out a practical schedule and design personalised lesson plans.

Monitoring and feedback

Another important responsibility of a tutor is to monitor the learning process and identify the student’s strengths and areas of improvement. Effective monitoring is followed by giving feedback. Therefore, tutors should be aware of different tracking and feedback strategies. Additionally, tutors should keep parents updated about their child’s progress and ask them to contribute to the learning process when possible.

Assessment and evaluation

Professional tutors often start the tutoring sessions with a placement test or an informal assessment to find the best starting point. Also, tutors should make assessments during the sessions and evaluate the student’s performance by the end of the tutoring sessions.

Homework assignment

Tutoring facilitates and accelerates the learning process, but due to time constraints, it cannot cover every problem. Tutors should assign homework to make the students practise what they have learnt. Homework can also increase student autonomy and make them responsible for the learning process. It is worth mentioning that homework assignments are effective only when they are followed by the tutor’s feedback. So, you should make the time to check the homework.

Legal responsibilities

Tutors based in the UK need to follow some state laws to protect themselves and their students. For instance, they should report their income and pay income tax. Also, although it is not a must, tutors should have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, as most parents ask about it before they choose you as their children’s tutor. You can read “A Guide to the Legal Aspects of Starting 1 to 1 Tutoring Jobs” to learn more about your responsibilities as a tutor in the UK.

What do I need for private tutoring?

Before you become a tutor, first you should decide what kind of tutor you want to be. In other words, you should set your preferences and define your goals. By answering the following questions, you can paint a general picture of your tutoring business.

• Do you want to become a full-time tutor?
• Do you prefer to work in private tutoring agencies or as a self-employed tutor?
• Do you want to teach online or in person?
• Do you prefer to tutor young, teenage, or university students?
• How much time can you invest in tutoring? How many students can you tutor in a week?
• How much do you expect to earn from the tutoring business?

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Care to be a freelance tutor?

Click on “How To Start Freelance Tutoring? Online Tutoring Jobs“

Starting your venture as a freelance tutor can be a rewarding experience. The process begins with acquiring the right academic qualifications and teaching credentials to establish your credibility. Here is how to become a freelance tutor:

• Achieve your education goals. Start your journey towards becoming a self-employed tutor by pursuing a college degree …

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No matter what kind of tutor you choose to be, there are four elements to consider in any tutoring position:

ِ1- Degree and educational qualifications

Having a degree is not a prerequisite for tutoring, but it is highly recommended that tutors gain a degree in the subject they want to teach and acquire teaching qualifications to survive the fierce competition in the industry. For instance, a university degree (a graduate or undergraduate degree), as well as a valid teaching qualification in the UK, like a Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) or Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), can give you the edge in your career progression as a tutor. You can follow the links to learn how you can earn these qualifications.

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What Qualifications Do I Need to Become a Tutor in The UK?

“Tutoring is an awesome way to make a real difference in the lives of students. By doing so, you will also sharpen so many different skills of yours and become a motivated person. It’s like killing two birds with one stone! When choosing a location, the UK is often one of most tutors’ top options. In the UK, you will have the advantage of teaching in a world-class education system, enabling you to collaborate and learn from many amazing and skilled tutors as your colleagues with whom you will probably stay connected throughout your career.” Click on the link above to read the full article on tutor qualifications in the UK.

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2- Pedagogical knowledge

Pedagogical knowledge allows you to employ effective teaching methods and devise strategies to teach various subjects. By gaining pedagogical knowledge, you will understand how learning takes place, which, tells you how to teach. Moreover, you will learn other essential teaching concepts, such as developing materials, making lesson plans, conducting assessments and evaluations, integrating technology into the teaching process, and many more. How Teaching Happens by Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal is a great book to get you started on gaining pedagogical knowledge. Additionally, you can take some Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses in the UK to realise your full potential as a private tutor. Some of these useful courses include:

Useful courses for teachers and tutors
#	Course	Purpose
1	Challenging Behaviour Training	Explaining challenging behaviour, its causes, and strategies to deal with it
2	ADHD Training	Understanding ADHD, how it is diagnosed, and its treatment
3	Leadership & Management Training Online Course	Developing management and communication skills and explaining how to deal with problems at work
4	Coaching and Mentoring	Explaining the foundations, principles, and practice of mentoring and common errors mentors make, and how to address them
5	Supporting Speech & Language Development In Early Years	Teaching the processes involved in learning to talk, how it can go wrong, and strategies to handle it

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Also read: How To Be a Certified Tutor

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3- Teaching experience

Having a degree and possessing pedagogical skills are extremely helpful in succeeding as a private tutor, but even more important than that is teaching experience. The more extensive your teaching experience gets, the more trust clients put in your service. The good news is that experienced tutors can make better use of their schedules since they have already prepared many lesson plans and do not need to spend much time planning a session. Also, since they have worked with a wide range of learning styles, they know how to manage a session with a given student to make it more productive. Overall, extensive experience results in less effort and more income. 

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The Experience section in a tutor’s resume is a pivotal point based on which potential clients or hiring managers decide to work with you. You should give details about your work history (i.e., name of the institute, job title, start and end date) and highlight your achievements in your work records. We have elaborated on how you can create an impressive resume and given examples for different parts of the resume. Click on “How To Write a Tutor Resume: Step by Step Guide for Tutors” to learn more.

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If you are a novice tutor, you can gain experience through peer tutoring or volunteering. This increases your confidence as a tutor and allows you to put your knowledge and skills into practice. Additionally, there are a plethora of various paid and free tutor training courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy.  These courses can give you the theoretical background you need for a successful tutoring experience and compensate for the lack of experience. It is worth mentioning that you can work as an online tutor even with little or no teaching or tutoring experience on online tutoring platforms like Ostado.

4- Tutoring soft skills

The first attributes of an experienced tutor are flexibility and readiness to change the whole tutoring process. Students or parents often hire tutors to personalise the learning process. This means that tutors should be willing to change materials, teaching methods, resources, logistics, and working hours based on the client’s preferences.

The second major feature of a private tutor is patience. Students usually get help from tutors in subjects that are rather challenging, including maths or physics. A good tutor needs to show patience when students struggle or get stuck in understanding certain concepts.

Third, tutors should be able to break down complex concepts to make them understandable for the students. To this aim, they should possess strong communication skills.

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Click on “What makes a good tutor?” to learn more about the hard and soft skills required for tutors.

• Subject expertise and experience 
• Approachable and friendly 
• Focused and devoted
• Flexible and understanding
• Oral communication skills
• Motivational skills
• Time Management skills
• Shrewd observer
• Patience and empathy
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Having a positive attitude
• Professionalism
• Being reasonable
  

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  In-person vs. online tutoring

Private tutors can practise their profession in several ways. They can work at a tutoring agency or remotely from their home. They can travel to the student’s place or ask the student to attend their place on a given date and time. The tutoring mode depends on your preferences and circumstances. For example, if you are living in a small town where there is not a high demand for tutors, you can work as an online tutor. Online tutors are not bound by time or place, thanks to the flexibility that online tutoring platforms like Ostado offer. I have compared the two tutoring modes here for you to help you choose which one works best for you.

Online vs. in-person tuition
Mode	Advantages	Challenges
Online	You can find clients worldwide.	You have to make extra effort to grab the student’s attention.
	All you need is a laptop or smartphone with a reliable internet connection. A good headset is a plus.	Lack of face-to-face interaction makes it difficult to establish a friendly relationship with the students.
	You can have your session at any time of the day.	You need to gain technological competence to integrate digital tools into the teaching process.
	You can more easily balance your personal life and profession.	Poor internet connection can cancel the session.
In-person	Monitoring the student’s performance is much easier.	It is more expensive, considering the placement and travel costs.
	Direct interaction makes the children stay focused.	The schedule is not as flexible as online tutoring.
	You can provide the student with immediate feedback and increase its efficiency.	Your clients are limited to your town, which affects your income.
	It is easier to communicate with the students face-to-face.	Time spent on the commute is a waste.

Become an online private tutor on Ostado

Ostado has gathered the best tutors across the UK to move education to the next level. Our tutoring services expand to different subjects and levels to help students prepare for higher education. You can become a tutor on our online tutoring platform in the subject you are proficient in and monetise your knowledge and teaching skills. As an online tutor on Ostado, you can easily balance your personal life and career and start your tutoring journey from the comfort of your home. So, if you think you have something to offer and are ready to make a difference in a student’s life, here is the best opportunity to find online tutoring jobs.

Private tutoring requirements; last remarks

Tutoring is an essential component of any education system that provides extra support for struggling students or helps good students achieve excellence. Therefore, tutors are in demand all over the world. Moreover, private tutors enjoy higher incomes compared to teachers. However, they need to gain some qualifications to make a living as a tutor. For instance, they need subject expertise and pedagogical skills for career success. With online tutoring, tutors have an easier time finding clients and making good use of their time. Ostado’s tutoring platform is one of the most popular tutoring websites in the UK. So, if you are thinking of becoming an online tutor, you have found the right place.