The Adventures Of Being An In-Home Tutor
Hi there. This post is about being an in-home tutor and the types of adventures/travels involved when meeting students for in-home tutoring.
The inspiration for this post is based on my current side hustle of in-home math/stats tutoring in the Toronto area.
Introduction
The tutoring business is large private industry. This industry is pretty much always in demand as there is opportunity for qualified and competent tutors to get part-time work. When the teacher (or professor unfortunately) sucks at teaching or doesn't teach, a tutor is almost always available for hire. It is expected that the tutor does a good job (or better than the teacher) as fees are high per hour. The person/student/parent who pays for the tutor fees does expect quality service and results.
Discovering New Areas While Tutoring
As an in-home tutor, you will get placements with a student(s) near where you live (or near your school/work). A reasonable in-home tutoring company would place you with a student that is not two hours away from you. Student locations can vary and you may likely tutor in an area that is new to you. Meeting students in new areas forces you to explore new neighbourhoods, new areas and new routes to getting to the student's place. Your mind will open up.
All Kinds Of Houses & Communities
If you are tutoring someone that is in an affluent area, you will get opportunities to see how nice some of the houses are. With communities that are not as nice, keep your comments to yourself.
Meeting New Students
Tutors belong to the education industry which is also a part of the service industry. Service industry workers all deal with people and their personalities. Meeting new students can be scary as you are unsure if there will be a good fit or not. It can be exciting as you are the type that likes to meet new people. In either case, make sure to be friendly, introduce yourself, and have preparations done beforehand.
I am not if other tutors do this but when I work with a new student (in math/stats) I ask them some preliminary questions such as which unit are you working on, is there a textbook to refer to, and is there a course outline. Looking through the textbook table of contents and the topics in a course outline helps you assess the level of rigor of the course and it helps you mentally prepare for upcoming topics.
Other Notes
Traveling to the student's home for tutoring can be tough at times. Right now, it is Winter weather in Toronto. (This Winter has been not rough compared to normal for us.) Navigating through tough weather can be quite the hassle and adventure. Adjust travel routes and plans accordingly.
When inside the house, I highly recommend not to comment on the student's home. At best you can say that the tea that was offered to you was good. Even though the student is your client, you are a guest in the house.
Hello, your article is very interesting. I would like to share my experience of using a slightly different direction of learning with the help of outsiders. I went to an online school http://medicmind.co.uk/ . I needed to prepare for the final exams at medical school, so I decided to play it safe and prepare twice as well. I really liked this school and its teaching style.
I totally agree with you. Being a home tutor is very interesting and calm, so it's worth being more understanding of people in this profession. When I needed tutoring, I turned to experienced professionals who were recommended by my friends as charismatic and funny people. When I turned to them for help, I got a lot of emotion and interest because these mentors know how to immerse students in the process of non-classical learning. That's what I like most about them, so I'm really glad I was able to get involved.
Tutoring gives good results, so it's no surprise that private tutoring at home is quite popular these days. According to studies, it helps to raise the child's knowledge level by at least one and a half points. And the main reason for this is that all the attention of a private tutor will be focused only on your child. Learning styles in children, as in adults, vary greatly, and a private tutor will always be able to organize a lesson based on the student's character competently. For example, https://miami.asa.edu/ conducts distance learning where after class, you have the opportunity to work with a teacher if necessary, additionally personally. And as a result, students here have a very high level of knowledge.