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"Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey
No matter where we come from or what language we speak, we all need to be educated. A solid education provides us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices in our personal lives and to earn a stable income in our private lives.
Whilst primary and secondary school are necessary for all individuals in the UK to work in specific sectors, further education is sometimes mandatory. For example, a doctor in training needs to go to med school, an aspiring lawyer must attend law school, and teachers need to go to uni to get a BSc in Education.
But, what about tutors? Is it mandatory for private instructors working in the UK to get training? Since most tutors are freelancers who work for themselves, not many people are familiar with the education private tutors need to continue their careers successfully.
So, without further delay, in today's article, we shall establish once and for all whether private tutors are required to receive training before offering their first lesson or not.
Find good tutoring jobs London here.
Can You Be a Tutor as a Career?
With so many boring and uninspiring careers out there, it's not surprising to find out that, after a few years, many are in search of a career change to feel reinvigorated and to enjoy working again. So, if you're searching for a new career, try working as a private tutor conducting lessons about a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about.
But, is it really possible to work as a tutor and enjoy a fruitful career as one? The answer is yes. In contrast, most persons working as private tutors do so to supplement their income as a second job or are university students who wish to make a little money on the side to pay for their expenses, some work solely as private tutors.
Full-time tutors with experience can easily rake in five-figure salaries a year and enjoy a flexible schedule that contributes to a superior quality of life.
Although it's possible to work as a private tutor full-time, it's important to state that it takes time to successfully market yourself in tutoring communities and attract enough repeat students for a fixed income. Nonetheless, if you have the patience and the time, you can easily quit your day job and fully dedicate yourself to teaching students who are in search of remedial assistance after a few months.
If you will teach a topic full-time, select one that you won't quickly get annoyed with. Be sure to choose an academic discipline that you know very closely since you'll have to explain it in detail to various students of different age groups and learning levels.
Search tutoring jobs London on Superprof UK.
Do I Need to Be Certified to Work as a Tutor?
If you're truly dedicated to becoming a personal tutor, you might be asking yourself the question, do I need to be certified to start work as a tutor in the UK? Whether you're offering face-to-face lessons instructing origami or providing virtual mathematics lessons to A-Level students, it's worth stating that tutoring certificates are not required.
Freelance tutors with experience and no previous qualifications are more than welcome to offer their services in tutoring communities that operate online.
Nonetheless, if you boast no previous certifications and solely a passion for the topic that you are teaching, it's important to state that you are less likely to attract many students, and you will not be paid as much as others. How's that? Students or parents looking for tutors for themselves or their children are more inclined to hire tutors with qualifications and accreditations from trusted schools.
Certifications are seen as a safety net or a way of providing persons with the peace of mind that the tutor they hire has advanced knowledge of teaching techniques and methods. Whether small or big, short-term or long-term, every accreditation makes a tutor a more attractive job candidate.
So, if you're looking to make tutoring a full-time job and earn the big bucks, you might want to think about getting certified or studying a programme that is part of further education in the topic you wish to impart to others. However, if all you want is to earn a bit of quid on the side as a student with no current qualifications, there is no need to fret since you will probably still find some students on tutoring websites. Just don't expect to make a lot of money since you'll have to offer your courses at an hourly rate lower than experienced tutors.
So, the short answer to whether or not you need to be certified is no. But, if you want to make more of an impact as a tutor, you should consider getting accredited.
Find jobs for ex teachers here on Superprof.
How Do You Get Trained as a Tutor?
As is the case with most jobs, there are recommended steps or stages that aspiring tutors should follow to receive the necessary training to work as professional tutors. So, without further delay, the following are a few steps to becoming a tutor:
- Finish High School: without a secondary school diploma, you couldn't educate others about academic disciplines in good conscience. Therefore, before moving on to the next step, you need to finish high school.
- Complete Tutor Training or Further Education: there are many different pathways to becoming a tutor; however, the most common requires finishing a Bachelor's degree in the topic you would like to teach. For example, if you plan on tutoring English, you'll need a BSc in English or English Literature. Also, tutor training may include familiarising yourself with their way of teaching and methodology for some tutoring companies, which may result in a tutoring certificate.
- Join a Tutoring Community: in today's digital age, it is impossible to work as a tutor without joining a tutoring community online. Therefore, to receive news, updates, information about networking events, potential tutoring certificates, or to find students, you'll need to join a tutoring site such as Superprof.
- Create a Profile: to start attracting students; you'll need to create a tutor profile on a tutoring site such as Superprof. You'll need to feature essential information such as experience teaching, qualifications received, a profile picture, your availabilities, your rate per hour and, most importantly, the subject you are available to teach.
After following the previously mentioned steps, the next stage is exciting: your in-person or virtual class with your first student!
It's important to state that the UK does not require a tutoring certification like other countries. Therefore, the training that we mentioned in the previous list is solely a recommendation to excel in e-learning and private tuition.
What Skills Do Tutors Need?
While qualifications and accreditations are optional to begin your work as a private tutor in the UK, there are some skills that a tutor should possess that are mandatory. Such as?
The list below highlights some skills a tutor should have:
- Patience: the ability to remain calm, chill, and composed when under stress or when the student is misbehaving is an essential ability for a tutor to possess. Patience will let the student know that you can help them no matter what.
- A Positive Attitude: pupils are drawn to bubbly tutors and possess a positive attitude about life and education. Therefore, do all you can to stay positive since this will motivate your students to excel.
- Tech-savviness: because everything is moving online and the private tutoring industry hosts more online lessons than in-person ones, tutors need to know how to use videoconferencing platforms and virtual screens. Also, by having a few learning apps in your teaching toolbox, you'll be able to impress Gen Z students.
- Empathy: by putting yourself in your students' shoes and walking around in them, you'll see how they grasp new academic concepts and why they might be having difficulties. The quality of empathy makes a good tutor great.
- Communication: without the skill of communicating your ideas to others, you will be a terrible tutor. Private instructors need to be good communicators to engage their students and draw out their ideas.
Even though you might not boast fancy qualifications from Cambridge or Oxford, it's worth stating that you will attract many eager students who desire to learn more about what you wish to teach them by applying the previously mentioned skills.
In conclusion, by reviewing the information in today's article, we hope you have seen what information is necessary to become a skilled and qualified tutor working in the UK. Happy teaching!
Find teach English online here on Superprof.
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