Tips for English language tutors. How I became a tutor (personal experience)

Many of us are able to teach other people something. The desire to transfer knowledge usually motivates people to become teachers and work in schools or universities. But you can go another way. For example, become a private teacher - tutor.

A tutor is a fairly free person; he does not have supervisors in the form of, say, a head teacher or vice-rector. However, in such a seemingly free and creative work as tutoring, there are all sorts of nuances that should be taken into account and for which you need to prepare when deciding to teach someone at home.

If you decide to become a tutor, the first thing you need to do is place an ad.

Take care of the absolute literacy of the text, even if you are going to teach pottery, and not even the Russian language.

Specify the area - this way you will weed out obviously unsuitable clients. It is advisable to write your name in full, and not just “Lala” or “Anya”. Add a last name, and the level of trust of potential clients will increase. It is also advisable to attach your own photo, and not a picture of a schoolboy sweating from diligence.

Now let's figure out what you need to be prepared for when you undertake to help someone study science, even if this science is mathematics in the elementary grades. I’ll tell you using the example of teaching schoolchildren.

Immediately explain to the students’ parents that you are not a magician and will not be able to instantly turn a C student into an excellent student. Or maybe you won’t even be able to scrape together a B in a year, because a lot, but not everything, depends on the teacher. This needs to be stated clearly so that there are no complaints later. There are people who sincerely believe: since they paid money, it means they bought knowledge at school.
Not all students will like you, but you have to like them, otherwise they will simply run away. Therefore, you, the free sculptor of the child’s mind, will have to work hard to find an approach to each of them without showing negative emotions. Of course, it is necessary to make a suggestion to a child if he does not do his homework or is late, the main thing is not to overdo it. Don't humiliate your students, be friendly, joke, and they will respond in kind.
Always keep in touch with your parents. Even if, in your opinion, learning is going smoothly, there is progress, parents may have a different opinion. In addition, it is unknown what the child tells about you at home. Call, communicate, share your thoughts, praise or scold the child (however, express your dissatisfaction very tactfully). In general, let your parents see or hear you. They need to know that their money is not going into a silent void.
Prepare diligently for classes, make a plan. There is no need to rely on improvisation and your own teaching talent. In every business, discipline and consistency are important. In, perhaps, especially. Don’t worry that you may not know something or understand the question. Tell the student that you will clarify this point. Of course, don’t forget to look into the issue afterwards.
If a student behaves extremely badly - whines, does not complete assignments, looks at his watch every two minutes, snaps, etc. - say goodbye to him. No need to beat yourself up. As a result, you can lash out at the child, and then the parents will come to you. Why spoil the image? Politely explain to parents that the child may not yet be ready for individual lessons.
Schoolchildren, especially younger ones, are physically unable to sit through an hour of classes, and even one-on-one with the teacher. If a child, who is generally responsible and smart, begins to yawn and slow down towards the end, shorten the lesson time. Be sure to tell your parents about this, they most likely won't mind. Accordingly, the payment will decrease, but for us the main thing is the result, right?
If after the lesson a student forgot to pay, do not hesitate to remind him. Don't think what he will bring next time. What if he doesn’t bring it? You never know: I forgot, lost it, spent it on nuts. But at home they may not know about it.
Get ready for what The schedule of your classes will constantly change, you will have to adapt to the students. Moreover, students will be late or miss classes altogether, often without warning. It is advisable to remind about the lesson the night before by calling or texting.

In tutoring, as in any other job, responsibility, diligence and a focus on good results are important. But, first of all, a teacher is a creative profession, which sometimes drains even a significant reserve of spiritual and physical strength.

Respect your work and the work of your students. And remember: teaching someone is sometimes more difficult than learning.

Do you have experience as a tutor? Share it in the comments.

If you decide to become a tutor, the first thing you need to do is place an ad.

Take care of the absolute literacy of the text, even if you are going to teach pottery, and not even the Russian language.

Immediately explain to the students’ parents that you are not a magician and will not be able to instantly turn a C student into an excellent student. Or maybe you won’t even be able to scrape together a B in a year, because a lot, but not everything, depends on the teacher. This needs to be stated clearly so that there are no complaints later. There are people who sincerely believe: since they paid money, it means they bought knowledge at school.
Not all students will like you, but you have to like them, otherwise they will simply run away. Therefore, you, the free sculptor of the child’s mind, will have to work hard to find an approach to each of them without showing negative emotions. Of course, it is necessary to make a suggestion to a child if he does not do his homework or is late, the main thing is not to overdo it. Don't humiliate your students, be friendly, joke, and they will respond in kind.
Always keep in touch with your parents. Even if, in your opinion, learning is going smoothly, there is progress, parents may have a different opinion. In addition, it is unknown what the child tells about you at home. Call, communicate, share your thoughts, praise or scold the child (however, express your dissatisfaction very tactfully). In general, let your parents see or hear you. They need to know that their money is not going into a silent void.
Prepare diligently for classes, make a plan. There is no need to rely on improvisation and your own teaching talent. In every business, discipline and consistency are important. In, perhaps, especially. Don’t worry that you may not know something or understand the question. Tell the student that you will clarify this point. Of course, don’t forget to look into the issue afterwards.
If a student behaves extremely badly - whines, does not complete assignments, looks at his watch every two minutes, snaps, etc. - say goodbye to him. No need to beat yourself up. As a result, you can lash out at the child, and then the parents will come to you. Why spoil the image? Politely explain to parents that the child may not yet be ready for individual lessons.
Schoolchildren, especially younger ones, are physically unable to sit through an hour of classes, and even one-on-one with the teacher. If a child, who is generally responsible and smart, begins to yawn and slow down towards the end, shorten the lesson time. Be sure to tell your parents about this, they most likely won't mind. Accordingly, the payment will decrease, but for us the main thing is the result, right?
If after the lesson a student forgot to pay, do not hesitate to remind him. Don't think what he will bring next time. What if he doesn’t bring it? You never know: I forgot, lost it, spent it on nuts. But at home they may not know about it.
Get ready for what The schedule of your classes will constantly change, you will have to adapt to the students. Moreover, students will be late or miss classes altogether, often without warning. It is advisable to remind about the lesson the night before by calling or texting.

Respect your work and the work of your students. And remember: teaching someone is sometimes more difficult than learning.

Do you have experience as a tutor? Share it in the comments.

Before meeting a student, it is very difficult to understand what level of knowledge they have, what teaching aids to use, and so on. Therefore, it is important to ask as many questions as possible before class. If you have a lesson with a schoolchild, ask the parents how long the child has been studying English at school, what grades he has, whether he has any difficulties in doing homework, whether he has ever studied with a tutor before. Be sure to ask what textbooks your child uses at school, this will help you figure out which topics the student is currently studying at school and which ones have already been covered.
If you are going to study English with an adult student, the most important thing is to find out the purpose of the study. Maybe a person has got or is going to get a job where English is required, perhaps even preparation for passing some kind of certificate is necessary. In this case, you will need to focus on grammar and writing. If a person just wants to improve his language a little for traveling, then the main time of the lessons should be devoted to conversational practice.
When preparing for the first lesson, try to select as many diverse tasks as possible to test the student’s knowledge in various aspects. You can even create a short test with tasks for listening, reading, writing and grammar. Then you will have a better chance of understanding the student's level of knowledge.
When you first meet a student, try to get in touch with him right away. Behave kindly and attentively with your child, ask what problems he has in learning English, look at his textbooks and notebooks to understand how the child studies at school. With an adult, you can start the lesson with a short interview, during which you can find out more about the person’s work, hobbies, and goals for his education. This will help you relax, and at the same time give you more information to prepare for further classes. If the student’s level of knowledge allows, it is better to speak English, at least partially.
If your student is a preschooler or elementary school student, try to prepare the first lesson in such a way that it contains more interactive material: educational videos, songs, cards, games. Grammar assignments for students of this age should also be presented in a playful way; explain the rules using cards, books with beautiful, attractive pictures. This way, the child will immediately develop an interest in English.
At the end of a lesson with your child, be sure to give him homework for the next lesson. Immediately explain to the student how important his independent work is, and that this way he will be able to achieve success in learning English much faster. Adults can print out a book to read, for example from the Cambridge English Readers series. Usually these are either detective stories or small exciting stories. At the next lesson, it will be possible to discuss the chapter read in the form of a retelling and questions about the text. This is excellent conversation practice and an opportunity to learn new words.
A properly conducted first lesson will create a positive impression of you. Further in the learning process, the main thing is not to lower your standards, continuing to select interesting materials for both adults and young students.

Letters to the editor

Do you dream of working for yourself, but are hesitant to set out on your own just because you are not sure how you can be useful to the world? Start small: take a pen and a piece of paper and list all the skills you have. If proficiency in at least one foreign language is on this list, hooray, you have an excellent platform to start with.

Wait a minute, but all my life I worked as a manager selling household appliances, you say, and I only used the language from time to time to communicate with clients. You're wrong: there are a ton of benefits to be gained from this.

There are two ways to start making money from your knowledge of a foreign language as a freelancer:

1) start teaching it,

2) engage in translation activities.

In both cases, it is important that your level of knowledge of the language is really high. You can check this by passing an entrance test at any language school that prepares students to take exams to obtain an international certificate. Using the English language as an example: if the test shows that you are below the Advanced level, then it is better to start investing in your own training, and then only start transferring knowledge to others.

In the case of the second point, you need to immediately make a reservation: you are unlikely to get by without a specialized education. Translations, especially technical ones, require a truly excellent knowledge of the language and specific terminology. Of course, no one is stopping you from getting this education while you are already free.

With pedagogical activities in relation to language, the situation is simpler. Let's remember what distinguishes a good teacher from a bad one?

Firstly, the ability to explain and convey a thought to the student so that he not only understands, but also remembers.

Secondly, endurance and patience.

Third, ease of communication - no one likes “monsters with a pointer”; everyone enjoys gaining knowledge in a friendly and comfortable environment.

Fourthly, a certain knowledge base.

Fifthly, the ability to find an individual approach to each of their students.

At sixth, sincere interest in your business.

Seventh, confidence in the student and a burning desire to achieve results together with him.

Let's assume that you actually worked as a sales manager and used a foreign language. The client is the same student, only more capricious, wayward and often intractable. Therefore, if you managed to demonstrate good results or even lead an entire team under the company’s banner, rest assured that you possess the above skills and abilities to a certain extent. Another thing is important: to develop and strengthen them by setting out on a new path. Those whose activities were not associated with constant communication should not despair either. The main thing, as in any business, is your desire to succeed and knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses.

Where to begin?

So, you are determined to develop as a teacher. The main mistake you can make, provided that you do not have a teaching diploma, is to start advertising yourself as a licensed specialist. The presence of various kinds of diplomas and awards is easy to check, and if you are caught in dishonesty, your reputation will come to an end. You shouldn’t embellish, but you shouldn’t underestimate yourself in advance either. After all, the level of teaching skills is not always measured by the number (and availability) of diplomas and certificates. An important point: the level of language for teaching must be high.

Positioning yourself as a foreign language tutor, in this case, is the surest option. Here it’s worth remembering your career as a “sales person” (or someone else), and realizing that you are not just a tutor, you are a person who can offer a student knowledge not only of a general nature, but also “savvy” him in a specific area.

The next step is to explore your surroundings. Think (a piece of paper, a pen, a phone book and a list of friends on social networks will help you) which of your friends might need your help as a teacher, and unobtrusively offer your services.

People and money

Create a thematic page on the same social networks - this could be your personal profile as a teacher, or a thematic group. In your profile header, briefly and succinctly tell us about yourself and the services you offer. Make sure that the page is visible and don’t neglect it. The information that appears there must be strictly on topic and to the point - forget about pictures with kittens, there is nowhere to hide from them on the Internet. When you feel that the page is not enough, start a website. Of course, this can be done at the same time, but it will require more time and effort. At first, as a rule, competent work with the audience of social networks is enough.

When starting a tutoring activity, and without being a “pro,” do not inflate your prices. People are generally reluctant to part with money, and even more so, they are not ready to pay “some self-taught person.” Therefore, conduct a price analysis on the market, estimate your costs, and set a reasonable price that will not be extortionate either to the students or to you. It should be increased gradually, and not earlier than after a year of work, when you have gained not only experience, but also positive feedback from students.

Speaking of reviews, don’t be shy about asking a student to write a review of your work. If you approach your work in good faith, then you won’t have to worry about negative opinions. Constructive criticism is only beneficial.

Place and time. Or maybe online?

The main advantage of a tutor is that he is not a language school that you want to go to, you don’t want to, but you have to go to classes. A tutor is essentially a mobile version of a teacher. The degree of mobility is determined by him himself.

There are four options for organizing classes:

At the student's home

At the teacher's home

On neutral territory (cafe, library, coworking….)

Online format (Skype, Facetime….)

Practice shows that the majority - both students and teachers - choose the last two learning formats. Homeschooling, whatever one may say, is an invasion of personal space. In any case, the first meeting with a student should be held on neutral territory, in a quiet place where you can study calmly. Choosing a home learning format is only possible if you both feel comfortable, and no one has to overcome cosmic distances in order to get to your destination. The online format, despite its convenience, is still a good addition or periodic replacement for face-to-face classes. The monitor screen significantly interferes with the oral perception of language, especially at the initial stages. On the other hand, online lessons allow you to maintain contact with students even during your absence from the city/country, and, after some time, free you from being tied to a specific place.

It is clear about the unclear

The best format of classes, especially at first, is individual. In this case, it will be easier for both you and your student: for you to understand what kind of person is in front of you, how he or she learns the material, and where he or she is noticeably “limping”; for the student - to overcome the inevitable nervousness, overcome the language barrier and not feel stupid in case of mistakes.

During the introductory lesson, it is imperative to find out what goals and objectives the person has come to you with, and to adequately assess the situation. Don't bother if you're asked to cover three months of material in three days before an important exam or interview. Remember that you are not God, and disciples can also be careless. Unfortunately, your desire to help in such a case will not lead to success, but will only harm your reputation.

The main components of your success:

Find a way to explain so that the person understands;

Check to see if he really understood;

Repeat in different modes until he understands;

Create a friendly atmosphere;

Make your lessons varied. First ask the student about what he does, what he is interested in, what he is interested in - and then you will definitely be able to “hit the bull’s eye”;

Don’t forget to focus on the student’s level and needs;

PRAISE, even for small achievements;

Motivate;

Raise your level and expand your horizons: read, study, purchase manuals and textbooks, regularly check your level of knowledge.

And finally, praise yourself, because now you are doing what is really necessary - helping people become better, be more successful, and climb higher. That feeling when a grateful student wholeheartedly says “Thank you!” - it will stay with you for the rest of your life, and will illuminate it better than any shining career prospects in a large corporation. Good luck in this difficult, but such a bright teaching field!