Introduction
If you want to become a private tutor and start tutoring in Hong Kong, the first step to getting started is to identify your client.
Who should you be targeting? How can you find these people? And how do you convince them to hire your services?
As a private tutor, you collaborate with folks from all backgrounds. So, for example, you can help children with homework or adults improve their English skills.
You can even teach music or art to those who want to learn them. At Flowclass, you can build your own landing page to promote your tutoring job.
Identify your client
Find out about their needs. What do they want to learn?
Find out about their budget. If they have a specific amount they want to spend, how much is that per month? Do they have a budget, or are you talking about free lessons?
If there isn’t a budget, you can still identify the expectations for payment when you’ve finished teaching the classes (e.g., will they pay at the end of each class or in one lump sum at the end of every month).
Find out about their schedule. For example, will these lessons be during school hours for students who need extra help with homework after school, or will there be in the evenings and on weekends for people who work full-time but still have a strong interest in continuing education?
If tutors are teaching kids, then parents may prefer having more flexibility with scheduling than if it’s just adults taking lessons together.
Build your subject matter knowledge
You can’t teach what you don’t know. So, if you want to become a tutor in Hong Kong and make money from tutoring, then building your subject matter knowledge is essential.
You need to know the subject matter thoroughly. This implies that it will be simpler to explain a topic clearly and concisely the more familiar you are with it.
If you have never taught before or only have limited experience as a tutor, there might be some areas where your knowledge is lacking; this could lead to confusion when teaching someone else about these topics.
You need to enjoy your subject matter, too, because if there is anything that drives students away from learning something new, then it is boredom!
Choose a tutoring business model.
One of the most crucial decisions you will make when beginning your tutoring business is selecting a business plan, which might significantly affect your results.
According to our ranking, these are the top categories of private tutoring enterprises in Hong Kong. So choose one that fits your needs and skill set, then check with local authorities to make sure it’s allowed before getting started:
Independent contractor – An independent contractor uses their own office space and supplies at all times, working independently with no formal ties to any particular school or company.
They set their prices and methodologies while abiding by all laws regulating private education providers in Hong Kong.
Franchisee – A franchisee is essentially an individual who agrees to abide by specific standards set by their franchisor (the brand owner), including methods of operation, branding guidelines, pricing structures, etc., in exchange for training support from the franchisor. It helps market itself through materials provided by the said brand owner.
This model generally involves more overhead costs than simply operating under one’s name. However, it can provide benefits like accessing to extensive marketing efforts through established channels (e.g. websites or social media platforms owned by more prominent organisations), rather than just being available at whatever venue next week.
Separate your business and personal finances
Before you can begin, there are some basic steps you’ll need to take to ensure that your business and personal finances are separate.
Open a separate bank account for your tutoring job. This will keep your money safe from any potential issues later on.
Create a new email address and phone number just for this business venture. It’s best to start with an extension or vanity phone number that’s easy to remember (e.g., 555-TUTOR).
This way, clients can always contact you without needing additional information like website links or social media accounts.
Create a professional website detailing your services and provide testimonials from past customers, price lists, and special offers available only through this site (iTutorMe is one option).
Create a business budget
Before you consider beginning your private tutoring job, you must create a budget.
Your business budget should include all aspects of starting your tutoring business and running smoothly.
What should you consider when setting your budget for tutoring business?
- 1. Paying for any expenses that are necessary to start up the company (rent, furniture, supplies)
- 2. Paying for personal costs (food, clothing)
- 3. Paying taxes on profits made by the company
- 4. Getting insurance coverage in case something happens to one or more of your clients
Determine your pricing
Determine your pricing. You can charge either per hour or per lesson as a private tutor. If you decide to bill hourly, it can be difficult for parents to budget their monthly tutoring costs without knowing exactly how much time their child will need with you.
Therefore, many tutors opt for charging a flat rate per lesson instead so that they can give an exact quote before beginning lessons with the student and their families.
Include the registration fee in your pricing plan if needed. Additionally (or), some tutors charge a registration fee that covers signing contracts with students and families before officially starting any lessons; others ask parents to sign contracts after being hired.
Market yourself
The best way to market yourself as a private tutor is by having a website and social media presence. This allows you to get your name out without spending money on advertising.
You can also use the internet to find other tutors in Hong Kong looking for students and offer them discounts if they recommend your services. Search for “tutoring hk”, “tutoring jobs hong kong” or “tutoring in hong kong” and look for more marketing tips.
If you are going this route, ensure that all of the information on your website is accurate and reflects well on you as an individual and professional instructor.
Building a landing page is a good way to market and position yourself. A good landing page can help you promote your page or even attract students from Google Search. FlowClass is a tool for educators to build their own website within just a few minutes, without any coding knowledge. It allows educators to customize their content or even receive student payments online.
Prepare yourself for tutoring challenges.
Before you begin, you must be prepared for some of the challenges with tutoring.
Some students may be challenging to teach or have special needs—for example, and they could have ADHD or autism.
Some students may be very young or very old. Others may speak a different language than you do and therefore need help communicating with you effectively when it comes time for home lessons.
All of these factors can make your job more complicated than it would otherwise be, but they all allow you to learn how to understand your student’s needs better and respond accordingly to help them succeed.
Ask your friends and neighbours if they know parents are looking for private tutors.
They might know of a parent who needs a tutor but hasn’t yet found one, or they might know of pals who could benefit from your skills.
When you’re emailing prospective parents, what information should you include in your email?
- 1. your contact information
- 2. the details of your free phone call (including when and how long it will last)
- 3. the details of your free trial lesson
Be sure to include everything! These are essential things that parents will want to know before they can even consider hiring you as their child’s tutor.
Inform them that you would like to schedule a free phone chat with them to discuss the needs of their kids.
The first step to starting your private tutoring job in Hong Kong is getting information from the parents.
An effective approach to this is over the phone, as it allows you to quickly collect a lot of information about the student and their family.
What should you ask your students’ parents before the first tutoring class?
- 1. What grade level does your child currently attend?
- 2. What subjects do they struggle with?
- 3. What subjects do they excel in?
- 4. What are their interests outside school (hobbies, sports teams, clubs)?
If you tell prospective parents all of this information upfront, it will save both parties time and make your job easier.
If you tell prospective parents all of this information upfront, it will save both parties time and make your job easier.
You don’t have to worry about explaining what you are doing or why; the parents will know from the start that they are paying for a service.
They may also be more willing to work with you if they understand what your expectations are going into the situation (e.g., how many hours of teaching each week).
It’s about more than whether or not you know enough about the subject matter; it’s also essential that prospective clients can see that you’re confident in yourself and knowledgeable about the topic at hand, regardless of whether or not they technically need your services.
If someone is looking for tutoring in English grammar, they probably won’t want to work with someone who sounds unsure when discussing proper sentence structure and punctuation rules.
You should be prepared for questions on any level and be ready to explain to them if necessary!
Conclusion
Remember, when it comes to tutoring, you can only start with preparation. Therefore, you must prepare in advance so that when students ask you questions or challenge your subject matter knowledge, you know how to handle these situations.
At Flowclass, you get experienced tutors who can help you with your preparation so that you feel confident in your tutoring sessions. Keep these tips in mind, as they will help you get started on your new career path as a private tutor.
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