Whether you’re a professional educator or you simply have a passion for helping students succeed, you may want to consider a job as a summer tutor. As a summer tutor, you can help students stay on top of their studies in the summer months, strengthen their skills, fill any learning gaps and prepare for the coming school year.
Summer tutors are typically in high demand, but landing a tutoring job does require some legwork — starting with the basics.
How to know if you have what it takes to tutor
Tutors should thoroughly enjoy working with kids and understand the difficulties of being a student, says Lisa Speransky, founder of Ivy Tutors Network. “Tutors must be passionate about teaching kids how to learn, including specific tactics and strategies. It goes without saying that to be a good tutor, you must be experts in a subject or test and be able to explain the subject matter in many different ways to accommodate different learning styles.”
It’s worth noting that a teacher who thrives in a traditional classroom may struggle with one-on-one education, points out Mike Tenney, head of school at The Tenney School. “Tutors must be able to connect with individual students,” he explains. “They must be adept at determining when a student has understood something. They must also have better content knowledge than a classroom teacher. Classroom teachers can lesson plan and prepare for the topic of the day. A tutor may not know in advance what topic they will need to cover.”
How to market your tutoring services
Unless you land a job with a tutoring company, it’s up to you to market yourself — and creating a profile on an online platform like Care is a powerful way to reach potential clients.
Marketing can be a challenge for summer tutors — and not just newbies. “Most successful tutors develop their business through parent word-of-mouth,” says Tenney, who adds that parents are often more than happy to refer their friends or neighbors to a tutor who’s bolstered their child’s academic success.
“Most successful tutors develop their business through parent word-of-mouth.”
— Mike Tenney, head of school at The Tenney School
For those starting out, Tenney encourages patience. “Understand it may take time to build a client base, and there will always be setbacks as students change schools and subjects,” he says.
If you’d prefer to pass on starting your own business, you can pursue a position with an established tutoring company instead. If you go this route, the company will match you with new clients.
“By working with a tutoring company whose brand matches your own philosophy, you get to just be a tutor without having to run your own business, do your own accounting and find your own resources,” says Speransky. “Keep in mind that you do not get paid for the time it takes to find clients, marketing yourself or ‘run the business,’ so while you may be paid a little less by working at a company, your hourly rate may turn out to be lower when working for yourself.”
How to know what to charge as a summer tutor
What you should charge for summer tutoring can vary widely based on a tutor’s location, experience and subject matter. However, on average, tutors on Care earn $20.47 per hour at a national level as of April 2024.
“Rates are really all over the map,” Tenney says, pointing out that the way you tutor and the subjects you specialize in can make all the difference in what you make.
“In-person tutors will charge more than online tutors,” he explains. “There are also certain subjects that will earn a premium, such as Advanced Placement subjects or higher level math and science.”
And according to Royd Hatta, owner of Bay Area-based tutoring service Beyond the Box Learning, your rate will also depend on your years of teaching experience. “As you become more experienced, you can increase your hourly rate over time,” he notes. “For some, this is an incremental increase of $5-$10 per hour for each year.”
“As you become more experienced, you can increase your hourly rate over time.”
— Royd Hatta, owner, Beyond the Box Learning
And while you get to set your rate, you’ll also run the risk of pricing yourself out of work if you push your rates too high.
To be competitive, be sure to research the rates of other local tutors or tutoring companies. Within a metropolitan area, pricing may vary. “Even in the San Francisco Bay area, tutors in different regions can have much higher or lower fees,” says Hatta.
Use the interview to create a strong connection
Interviews are crucial for ensuring that you and a potential student are a good match. Remember: This is the chance not only for students and their parents to make sure they want to work with you, but for you to make sure you want to work with them.
“A personality match with students is essential for student success,” says Kathryn Starke, founder of The Starke School. “Tutors should share their experience and expertise with students, their results — if they have a track record in tutoring or teaching — and their creative ideas on how to motivate and engage the child in learning.”
Make sure you’re asking as many questions as you’re answering during the interview. “Many first-time tutors think they need to convince families that they know their subject well,” says Hatta. “This can sound a bit too salesy. Instead, take the time to discover what the student’s experience was or is around the subject. Many school teachers do not have the time to provide the individualized instruction that students need.”
A few questions you can ask:
1. What do you enjoy doing for fun?
2. How are you doing so far with your subject?
3. What was your experience so far with the subject?
4. What would you like to get out of our sessions?
5. Are you open to doing homework assignments? How much are you willing to work on our homework lessons?
Speransky recommends conducting a sample lesson as part of the interview process. “Many people interview well because they have a nice, empathetic and courteous way about them,” she says. “But this doesn’t mean that they are good teachers or a good match for the student. One teaching style can work well for one student and not work at all for another. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad tutor — just not the best personality or learning style match.”
Expert tips for setting yourself up for success as a summer tutor
Once you’ve connected with clients, you can shift your focus to being the best tutor you can be — and hopefully building a long-lasting relationship with your students. Here are some tips from our panel of experts:
Over-prepare for tutoring sessions, starting with your first meeting
“Set up a time to meet with the child informally or formally before the tutoring sessions officially begin to learn about the child and/or give a pre-assessment to evaluate knowledge,” Starke says. “Be prepared with all of the materials, lessons, activities and manipulatives needed for the tutoring session. Over-plan and have differentiated lessons and activities to support the learning needs of the student in real time.”
Focus on good communication and dependability
“Families looking for a tutor are likely to have some school uncertainty they are trying to fix,” says Tenney. “Tutors that can communicate a track record and ability to help in the midst of uncertainty will have a leg up. Tutors need to give clients a sense that they are organized and attentive.”
“A professional tutor continues to develop their own teaching tools, attends other seminars or conferences and has a network of other tutors to connect with the family if requested.”
— Royd Hatta, owner, Beyond the Box Learning
Don’t stop learning
“A professional tutor continues to develop their own teaching tools, attends other seminars or conferences and has a network of other tutors to connect with the family if requested,” says Hatta.
Keep parents in the loop
Check in with the parents briefly after the session, or email a brief summary of the steps completed during the lesson. Send the parents a copy of the relevant homework or next steps.
Be compassionate and willing to adjust to the student’s needs
“Some students are easy to work with, and others need more time, attention and encouragement,” Hatta says. “It’s our job to find the techniques and real-life connections to make it work.”
