Online tutoring: a how-to guide

If you’ve happened upon Skooli, it’s likely because you’re looking for a good place to tutor online. Online tutoring is a great way to gain one-on-one teaching experience, build your confidence in your skill and knowledge set, and earn a little extra money on the side.

You might be thinking, “That all sounds great — but how do I get started?” Read below for a step-by-step how-to guide to get started on Skooli and build your student base.

Preparing to acquire students

One of your biggest hurdles will be marketing yourself to students that browse the list of Skooli tutors. Like with any service, if you want students, you’ll have to let them know why they should choose you instead of the other tutors on the site. This brings us to our first step:

Identify where your expertise lies

What sort of knowledge do you have that you think sets you apart? If you can be more specific than “Math” or “Science,” you’ll likely secure more students who have more specific areas in need of improvement. Do the best that you can to narrow down your expertise.

It’s never TMI when it comes to your qualifications

Whatever degrees, certifications, diplomas, or experience you’ve acquired that would back up your expertise are great things to share on your profile. No need to be brief! People like to know that they’re hiring a knowledgeable person to help them study, so this is a really good time to toot your own horn.

Begin to think of how you will approach lesson plans

This is something that you will adapt over time, but it’s a good idea to begin to think about how you will approach your individual lesson plans. Remember, you are teaching one-on-one with Skooli, not to a classroom of students, so you’ll have the chance to tailor your lessons to each student’s individual learning needs and learning styles (and you should!).

Maximizing your Skooli account

Now that you’ve done all the legwork that needs to be done before you actually start tutoring, you can get started tutoring and acquiring new students.

Set up your calendar

The more frequently you’re available to tutor, the more students you’ll have. If you’re going to be online at home just reading the news online or chatting with your friends on Facebook, you could set your availability on Skooli to “Available Now” so that students who are browsing will find you as a possible tutor.

Build a rapport with your students

If your students like you as a tutor, they’ll continue to see you for lessons and homework help. And if they continue to see you, they’ll recommend you to their friends and family who might also need a little extra help with their studies. The best way that you can do this is be sure to approach each lesson individually and avoid using cookie cutter lesson plans (remember what we said above — this is one-on-one learning!). If you can actually address each of your students as individuals, they will feel like you’re going the extra mile to help them succeed.

Ask your students to rate you

As with everything, ratings matter. If you know that some of your students have enjoyed your lessons and found them effective, ask them to take a few seconds after their lesson and give you a positive rating. It goes without saying that tutors with positive ratings attract more students.

Don’t overload your schedule

If you’re new to the whole online tutoring thing (or even one-on-one tutoring), you should take it slow to start. Don’t fill your schedule with lessons if you want to be able to attend to each lesson individually. See how a couple lessons a week go to start, and then evaluate how much extra time per week you can dedicate to tutoring sessions.

Ready to get started? Start building your profile now or enhance your profile to attract more students!