What you need to know about becoming a private TEFL tutor

When it comes to TEFL teaching, a lot of people imagine themselves standing in front of a busy classroom in a distant corner of the Earth, with a stomach full of butterflies and a pad full of lesson planning notes. 

While that is almost exactly what people experience once they’ve gained a TEFL certificate (albeit with artistic licence), it’s not always the scenario. Private tutoring can be a great way of separating yourself as a TEFL teacher. Not only can it be an excellent earner, but it’s a great way to practise all your teaching skills, seeing progress in real-time and helping individuals or small groups overcome language challenges. 

What’s more, being a tutor is a more flexible career path. You can decide your workflow, you can decide your hours, and you can - in a lot of cases - dictate your salary. It’s also a fantastic way to flex some other career muscles if you like; communication skills, organisational skills and a touch of entrepreneurship are all needed to be a successful tutor. 

Is it hard at first? Undoubtedly, it can be. The rewards, however, speak for themselves. So let’s dive head-first into the world of private TEFL tutoring.

How can I privately tutor as a TEFL teacher?

There are two main options for private TEFL tutoring. Teaching in person, or teaching English online. In both cases, you can take part in either one-to-one tutoring (which is more common), or group tutoring. Group tutoring is not, for the avoidance of doubt, like teaching an entire class - we’re talking between 2 and 5 students in the vast majority of cases.

Whether you teach online or offline, a big factor is who you’re working for. If you work online, for example, there are countless businesses you can work for . In-person tutoring is less likely to be with a company, purely because the majority of jobs are in class-based scenarios, but you might tutor for an existing business. What it has in common, though, is working for yourself. Registering as self-employed can initially be labour-intensive, but it can be a great way to live when done successfully.

Think about your market

If you want to tutor in person, think where you’re based. If you live somewhere where English isn’t the most common language, that’s an advantage. Do the local schools teach English? You could teach young lear n ers . Are you living somewhere with a formidable business district? Teaching Business English is a potentially lucrative option. If you’re in a university town - English-speaking or otherwise - there are lots of students who could use some help with their academic English. The point is this: think about where you are and carve a niche. 

Finding a niche is also super important for online TEFL tutoring. Unfortunately, you’re not the first person to wonder if teaching English on the internet is a good idea; there are thousands of other teachers vying for students. It may sound counterproductive, but trust us: it’s better to find a specific audience and type of student than it is to be general. 

Casual? Full-time? 

Another thing to think about in terms of tutoring is how you do it. By this we mean: is it a full-time job? Is it more casual? Is it a part-time job to supplement your income? 

The things to consider here are overheads, time and your ability to manage a workload. If you’re tutoring in person, you’ll need to consider elements like travel costs. If you’re working on an online platform, you shouldn’t have any issues picking up students, but are they taking a commission from your earnings?

What you’ll need to tutor in person

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Qualifications: You won’t necessarily need a degree (though some students will be picky about a tutor’s qualifications), but a TEFL certificate will set you on the right path. 120 hours of study is the industry standard, and trust us when we say it makes a huge difference when you’re trying to attract clients. If you’re looking to carve a niche (as you should!), consider Advanced TEFL training.
• Experience: Some success stories from your career can definitely help speed things along. Equally, don’t discount the non-teaching experience you have; communication, organisation, giving training - these things all count.
• Business nous: If you’re going to be an independent tutor, having some knowledge of self-employment law , taxes and good practices is a must.
• Knowledge of your audience: As we said, really understand the market where you’re based, who needs tutoring, and how best to advertise there.
• Ability to problem solve and think quickly: This is such an underrated skill but you need it - if you factor in travelling for tutoring sessions, managing a calendar and all the rest, the ability to problem solve and think quickly will help you to no end. You don’t know what might come up!

What you’ll need to tutor online

• Technological requirements: We’ve written a whole blog post on the technology you’ll need to successfully TEFL online , but here are the cliff notes: a good computer, a webcam, a microphone, headphones, solid internet and teaching resources.
• No degree or experience, necessarily: You can undoubtedly tutor online without a degree , and tutor online without experience . Read our guides for more.
• Awareness of how to advertise yourself : The online marketplace for TEFL teachers is very crowded. Do your due diligence: see how top teachers do it and replicate with your own dazzling personality.

The pros of TEFL tutoring

• Salary : You can set your own rates of pay. Depending on your experience, qualifications and how well you’re doing with students, it can be very lucrative indeed.
• Schedule : “Excuse me, you’ve been on your lunch for two hours now?!”, said nobody, because you’re picking when and how often you teach!
• Manage your own workload: As above, it’s up to you how often you work, and you can fit tutoring around your life.
• One-on-one lessons: From a student’s point of view, one-on-one lessons are excellent. As a tutor, it’s your job to provide your students with the attention they need to achieve their full potential
• You can tailor your lessons: Base your tutoring on the individual’s needs – you don’t have to follow a set curriculum!
• Shyness? What shyness? : The learner has less reason to be embarrassed to ask and answer questions
• Get creative!: You design the lesson plans , and have creative control over classes.

The cons of TEFL tutoring

• Advertising : You need to consider the time and cost to advertise and market yourself
• Stability : Salary and schedule may not be as stable as you would like
• Resources : You’re going to be responsible for sourcing or creating your own teaching resources and lesson plans. If you’re a new teacher, it’s not necessarily ideal.

Tips for teaching

So if all that information wasn’t enough, don’t worry: we’re going to spoil you with some fantastic tips for getting started in the world of TEFL tutoring. 

If you choose to become a private or online tutor, it is important to remember that you must advertise yourself. You can do this in several ways: online advertisement sites, creating your own website, putting adverts in newspapers etc. All of these will help to put your name out there.

Next, we can’t stress this enough: you need to become TEFL certified .  This will prove to potential students that you are qualified and endow you with the skills necessary to run lessons effectively and efficiently.

As a tutor, you may find it advantageous to offer a free first lesson. This will encourage more people to try and book their first lessons with you – if they enjoy it, they’ll be back for more.

Finally, another piece of advice for free: let your students do the talking. To really gauge what you need to work on with a student, they’re going to need to be doing most of the talking, especially in those early lessons.  

Tips for online tutoring

When it comes to online tutoring, there are some obvious differences you need to consider, which mostly revolve around technology and maintaining professional standards.

First off, make sure to have all the necessary equipment available: a webcam, mic, laptop, and video conferencing software. Speak clearly and be patient; some students might speak very slowly, or there might be connection issues. 

This is crucial: you’ve got to look the part: We’re not saying rent a tuxedo or a ballgown, but equally, the scabby old team-building t-shirt from your last workplace doesn’t scream “Put your faith in me”, does it? Equally, your background while you’re on camera needs to be distraction-free and professional.

If you have technology issues, don’t become visibly irritated. If something goes wrong with your tech, try to fix the problem and carry on calmly. Your students might think you’re annoyed at them, and that’s a scenario we’re sure you’d rather avoid!

What are you waiting for?

Well then, what are you waiting for? It’s never been easier to find private tutoring opportunities, either in-person or on the myriad online platforms and companies. English learning, you’ll be delighted to discover, is still immensely popular.

Are you looking for some resources to help you out? Why not try these TEFL video resources , lesson plans or our ultimate list of TEFL resources ? If you’re nervous about getting started, don’t worry; you likely already have loads of transferable skills that you can rely on in your first tutoring lessons.

With all that said, all we can suggest now is that you get to it!

Looking for a career that can offer adventure, flexibility, financial independence and the chance to fulfil your potential? Start a TEFL course today, and you can shape your future!