| Tutoring, whether online or face-to-face, can be a very | | | | often so they get familiar with your name and face. |
| lucrative business, assuming you have the right number | | | | Inquire about their curriculum and the textbooks or |
| of clients. I recommend sitting down and determining | | | | programs that they use. Explain to them that you will |
| what your goals are, how much you plan to charge, | | | | be striving to complement what they are trying to |
| and how many hours a week you plan to tutor. You | | | | accomplish in the classroom and that you hope to |
| should also take into consideration time spent traveling | | | | impact the school's test scores by improving the skills |
| if you choose to meet with students in person rather | | | | of some of the weaker students. |
| than online. Once you have an idea of how many | | | | 5. Talk to members of the PTA. Let them know that |
| clients you can comfortably handle, it is time to help | | | | you are available and are enthusiastic about helping |
| them find you. The key to this is name recognition and | | | | members of the student body. Word of mouth is one |
| building relationships with people. You need to get your | | | | of the best methods of advertising. One happy parent |
| name out there and help people realize that you are | | | | will mention your name to parents of other struggling |
| available and willing to help their child succeed. Below is | | | | students and the number of people who know your |
| a list of advertising suggestions that have been | | | | name and what you do will increase exponentially. |
| compiled by successful tutors. | | | | Showing up at PTA meetings will help these parents |
| 1. Print Business Cards - This is a MUST. Make sure | | | | put a name to a face and ask you questions directly. |
| that in addition to your name, email address, and | | | | 6. Get involved in school activities. Volunteer to read in |
| telephone number, you indicate the subjects that you | | | | the classroom, work in the library an hour or two a |
| are willing to tutor. Leave them in locations where | | | | week, help out in the classroom, show up at school |
| parents and teachers will easily find them. For instance, | | | | functions such as Back to School Night, etc. The more |
| many people ask permission to leave a pile of cards | | | | a school staff member gets to know and trust you, |
| at the local library, with school administrators or | | | | the more likely they are to recommend you to one of |
| guidance counselors, at the local gym or YMCA, even | | | | their parents. |
| on a bulletin board at the grocery store. Think about | | | | 7. Try to get your name/email address on the school's |
| where parents spend a lot of time and inquire about | | | | website. It would be helpful to get a link from the |
| leaving some cards there. | | | | school's website to your webpage or email. This will |
| You can even include a discount code to encourage | | | | probably only happen after you have built up a |
| people to pass them around for you. If a new client | | | | reputation with parents and teachers at the school. Be |
| gives you the code when they sign up with you, they | | | | patient but diligent. |
| AND the person they got the card from can get some | | | | 8. Try to get employed by the school system as a |
| sort of discount. | | | | "homebound" tutor. You will get paid by the school |
| 2. Get an email address that is easy to remember and | | | | system to tutor their students that are unable to attend |
| indicates that you tutor. Ex. Mathtutor101@yahoo. com. | | | | school for one reason or another. This will get your |
| Make sure that this email address is on your business | | | | name and face out there and make school staff |
| card and any fliers you plan to distribute. | | | | members more likely to recommend you. |
| 3. Print fliers and post them in locations where students | | | | 9. Order yard signs and post them near the school. |
| and parents are likely to visit. Great ideas are libraries, | | | | However, before you do this, look into local laws |
| pizza restaurants, community centers, and gyms. | | | | regarding posting signs. Some areas have specific |
| Consider places where parents wait for children to | | | | rules about posting them while other areas outlaw |
| practice - gymnastic and tennis centers, etc. Also, visit | | | | them completely. |
| teacher stores and ask if you can leave your business | | | | 10. Get familiar with dates for progress reports and |
| cards on their counter or post a flier on their window | | | | report card distribution, Back to School night, |
| bulletin board. I know a tutor who went to Staples on | | | | Parent-Teacher conferences, and step up your |
| their annual Back-to-School day and introduced | | | | advertising efforts around these times. |
| themselves and handed out fliers and business cards | | | | Notice that advertisements techniques such as the |
| to each teacher waiting in line to get in! Some were | | | | yellow pages, the classified section of a newspaper, or |
| very receptive while others were indifferent. Give it a | | | | even internet ads were not mentioned. This is because |
| shot! | | | | they are often costly and not worth your money or |
| 4. Talk to people at the local schools - principals, | | | | effort. Try the methods discussed above first and I'm |
| classroom teachers, guidance counselors. Provide | | | | sure you will be satisfied with the number of clients |
| them with copies of your flier and business cards so | | | | you attract. |
| they can hand them out to struggling students. Visit | | | | |