How to start a tutoring company. This week’s blog post is for all of my teacher friends out there! Not my usual type of blog post but I wanted to share some goodness with any of you teachers out there who have been thinking about starting your own tutoring business but have no idea where to begin! Starting my own tutoring business has been one of the best decisions of my life! It has given me the freedom to travel, be my boss and still get to pursue my passion of teaching! So whether you are ready to leap tutoring full-time or you just want a wee side hustle to get a few extra pennies for the summer, I’ll share some of my top tips to help you start your own tutoring business!
Would you like a bit of info about how to start own tutoring business? Schedule a free 20-minute call with me here! Ask me anything you like about how to start a business, create a logo or even if you want to talk about if tutoring is right for you! Click here to book a slot and we can get chatting! P.s. I am a chatterbox so I will keep the call to 20 minutes otherwise you’ll be chatting to me all day!
Let’s get to know each other…
Before we jump into the nitty, gritty of how to start a tutor business, I’ll give you a ‘long-story, short’ about my journey to starting my own business. After I graduated from my PGCE, I was straight into the subbing game. As all you subs out there know, work isn’t guaranteed, especially in September! So I decided to try a bit of tutoring and created my own Facebook page, ‘Tutoring by Kerry.’
I was lucky to get my first student quite quickly, who I’ll never forget. Olivia was the perfect first student to have! She was eager to learn and was such a kind girl. From there, my tutoring list grew and grew! All of my teaching jobs since graduating from university have been temporary posts, whether for one year or a full month. However, as we all know too well teachers, this means no holiday pay! (Even though they tell us, it’s included in our daily rate, is it though?) Tutoring gave me security during the school holidays.
Over the years, I thought about tutoring full-time. My partner has also told me this for years but I didn’t listen. This October 2023, I took the plunge! I was so scared and nervous but it felt so right! I decided on a Wednesday and told my school that Friday (because I couldn’t get a hold of the VP or Principal on a Thursday). That weekend I felt so at peace with my decision and knew that this was it for me.
What’s the worst that can happen?
I can go back to subbing anytime, and I have worked a couple of days here and there when it has suited me. Leaving the classroom has given me the freedom to travel when I want, I just flew to Portugal on £16 flights! And as this blog post is released, I’m in New York! Which is amazing by the way, I’ve fallen madly in love with the ‘Big Apple.’ Being able to travel during term time means cheap flights baby! Woohoo!
Now, that’s enough about me, let’s talk about you teacher!
Why should you start a tutoring company?
Whether you’re a substitute teacher or a permanent teacher, having your own tutoring business can either give you a full-time salary or a few extra pennies here and there to save for a holiday or Christmas. If teaching in the classroom just doesn’t bring you joy anymore or you can’t stand being ‘trapped’ in school, then starting your own tutoring business could be for you!
There are so many reasons to start your own business but you will know deep down if this is something for you. Whether you want more time at home with your babies, you want to travel or you want to be your own boss. Having a business can give you the freedom to live life on your terms!
You need to be sensible about this decision. I’m not saying leave your job right now with no savings or plan in place. Start small and work your way up. I don’t believe in ‘fake it til you make it!’
How to start own tutoring business
There are a few steps to start own tutoring business but they aren’t too tricky at all! You might be thinking, ‘What do I need to start a tutoring company?’ I am going to break it down for you into 7 easy steps. Here are my 7 simple steps to start your own tutoring business.
Decide what you will offer tutoring for
This step is probably the easiest step of them all, deciding what you will offer tutoring in. If you are secondary school trained, this will probably be the subject that you teach. If you’re primary school trained, shout out to my fellow primary teachers, then you can tutor in all the primary subjects. The most popular tutoring for primary teachers is for the transfer test. Whether you agree with the transfer test or not, it’s here for the foreseeable future, so you may as well help students be prepared for it as they can. This is where I get most of my business from.
Choose a business name
Next on the list to start a tutoring company is choosing a business name. As I said above, my business started as ‘Tutoring by Kerry.’ Not that I used this name anywhere apart from my tutoring page. In 2021, I created an online store called ‘Differentiation and Beyond.’ Points for whoever guesses what I created…that’s right, differentiated resources. And yes I did take inspiration from Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story for the beyond part! In 2023, I rebranded to Kerry Grogan Tutoring. Such a basic business name but this is what my business is. No mistaking what business area I’m in.
Whether you use your name or think of a catchy phrase for your business name, make sure it tells potential clients what you offer. However, don’t worry too much about your name, as you can change it anytime! The same goes for your logo which we will talk about next.
Brand Colours
Brand colours are important for every business. Think of some of your favourite brands and you can instantly recognise or see the brand colours in your head! Amazon, McDonald’s, Virgin, Netflix and Spotify. I’m sure you can think of their brand colours straight away.
So how do you go about choosing your brand colours? You can start a tutoring company brand colours using your favourite colours, choose colours that your target audience will be drawn to or colours that you like the look of.
My brand colours have also changed over the years from having no brand colours and just winging it, to bright colours to now more subtle colours as my target audience is parents. Have a play around with colours and choose what you like best. To get started, you can ‘Google’ some colour palettes to get some ideas!
Create a logo
Creating a logo for your business is the next must on my start your tutoring company list. Having a logo will make your business real! It will give you ownership of your business and give you something to use when promoting yourself. The logo you create isn’t permanent like a tattoo, you can change it as time goes on and you truly find yourself as a business owner. Yep that’s right you are a business owner if you start your tutoring company!
When I created my first logo, I used Microsoft Word. For my second logo, I hired the amazing Golly Miss Molly from Instagram. My current logo, I created myself using Canva because I have the skills now to do this myself. I recommend having two logos, one with your business name and one with your photo which will make you more personable.
Using Canva to create your logo
I use Canva A LOT in my business. I use it for everything, my social media graphics, the graphics for this blog post and my others, my website buttons and of course my logo. Canva is an amazing tool which I recommend for everyone. They have templates for logos which you can switch and change to match your brand colours. Just a note, you can get a free education account as a teacher, BUT you cannot use the things you create on this account on your website or logo. You need either a free or pro account to be able to use the items created in your business.
Plan your time well
When you first start your tutoring company, planning your time well is key! Most of you will still be working in a school Monday to Friday, so you don’t want to get burnt out! (Or burning the candle at both ends as my mum always loved to tell me throughout my 20s!) Some of my top tips are pretty obvious like getting an early night, going for a quick walk before or after your sessions and making sure you have enough food to get you through a full day in school until you get home for dinner time! Planning is key to making sure you have enough time to exercise, prepare nutritious meals and get everything else on your to-do list done!
How do you promote your tutoring business?
There are several ways to promote your tutoring business. There are websites where tutors can make an online profile. However, these sites will either charge you money or the families extra money for your details. My most popular ways for families to find me have been through my social media pages, Facebook and Instagram and by word of mouth or recommendations. So you must provide a high-quality service to your current clients as they will be recommending you to your future clients!
Create a Facebook Page
Now you’ve got your brand colours, and your logo and you know what you will offer tutoring in, it’s time to promote yourself! This is the first thing I did when starting my tutoring business. A Facebook page is free and can have a huge reach to potential students. To create a business Facebook page, you will need to have your account. Once you have this you can simply create a page, choose a business category and name for your brand and then add your branding! Canva also has Facebook banners and post templates!
Get Insta Famous!
The same goes for Instagram, creating a business Instagram will allow you to reach more clients and families. The same goes for Instagram as it does Facebook, you need to have a private account before you can add a business account. You can schedule content for both Facebook and Instagram via the Meta Business Suite which will have all of your business accounts in one place!
What should I post on social media?
When I first created my business pages, I promoted my tutoring services only and what resources I had for sale. My old feed was just post after post of me selling to parents. Looking back and after being coached by the best business mentor I could ask for, I know this was the wrong thing to do! Yes, we need to let people know what we offer, but we don’t need to push the sale in their faces every time they visit our pages! Nurture your potential clients by posting what they need most! Help and guidance!
Some examples of what I post are important dates for the transfer test, how to apply for post-primary school and help and tips with Maths and English topics such as, what nouns, verbs and adjectives are or how to teach your child fractions! Giving away high-quality advice for free will serve you greater in the long run than trying to get a quick £20 here or there.
Where can I find resources for tutoring?
There are a lot of free resources online, you can just ‘Google’ what you need, print it and go! If you are looking for high-quality resources you have a few options. You can buy downloadable resources from other teachers on websites such as Teachers Pay Teachers or Etsy. If a teacher has a website, chances are it has an online shop where you can buy resources or you can create your own! Creating your own resources gives you the chance to design the worksheet how you want it! And once you have created your own worksheet you can use it for years to come and even sell it online! More on that in an upcoming blog post!
Where can you offer tutoring services from?
I prefer going to the students’ houses, this means that the student feels comfortable in their own homes and whenever the sessions are finished I can leave. I’m not waiting for the student to be collected by a parent or guardian. Some of my friends offer tutoring from their own home. Although, they did need to get permission from their mortgage provider for this. If you are interested in starting a tuition centre, you can rent a space to run your tutoring sessions. You can even offer tutoring online using Zoom or Google Meet. Having the online option allows you even more freedom!
What should you charge for tutoring?
There’s no cheat sheet for this part of running a tutoring business. This part is entirely up to you, all I can do is offer a rough guide. When I first started tutoring, my price was lower because I didn’t have a lot of experience. As the years have gone on and I’ve gained more experience and knowledge my price has gone up but not by much. As I travel to the students’ houses, I keep track of my mileage for my expense reports and charge a bit extra for students who live further away. Parents don’t mind the extra cost because it means they don’t have to do drop-offs or pick-ups.
Tutoring is a business and yes you need to make a living. Of course, your price needs to reflect your time, your skills, preparation time and whatever resources you buy. If you offer tutoring services in person, this should be more expensive than offering services online. You can offer discounts for block bookings or group sessions. Prices from tutoring can range from £20 per hour to £40. I have seen some tutors charging more or less. However, I feel these prices are fair. It is your business, so you can choose which price is fair to you and the families you tutor for.
Registering as self-employed
Shout out to my amazing accountant friend, Jennifer who is my lifesaver in this department! Once you earn a certain amount from your tutoring business, you need to declare your earnings. This is in no way my area of expertise so please seek advice from your government tax body, an accountant or a financial advisor and tell them you are starting own tutoring business UK.
The advice I can give you is, to get a business bank account or business PayPal where parents can pay you. Having this all in one place will be easier for your tax return. Also, keep track of all your earnings and expenses from the get-go! Once I was in a position to register as self-employed, I had to go back and find receipts for my expenses which was a nightmare! On the last day of the month, I have time blocked off in my calendar to submit all of my earnings, expenses and mileage so it doesn’t start to build up.
More Information on Starting a Tutoring Business
How to Start a Tutoring Business
How To Start A Tutoring Business – A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting up a Tutoring Business
10 steps to starting an online tutoring business
Like I said at the beginning of this blog post, starting my own tutoring business has been one of the best decisions of my life. Don’t forget to schedule your free 20-minute call with me here if you want to talk about all things tutor business! If you feel like the classroom just isn’t for you anymore, you’re unhappy in school or you just want a side hustle, tutoring is the perfect thing for you to try! Us teachers have so many skills and we are quick learners. You can easily transform yourself into a teacher-preneur when you start a tutoring company!
