Tutoring Advice for a Teenager (daycare, middle school, colleges)

[Sant1916]

Hey there, so I want to tutor k-5 at an elementary, by the way I'm 15, and I just have some questions I need answered . So, basically I'm just wondering what the regulations were as far as how many students I could tutor without requiring a daycare license? Also, since I plan to do this to raise some money for my first car, I was wondering what I should charge per hour and how to advertise? And lastly, just wondering if you had any advice on starting it up and keeping it going. Thanks for reading

[COflower]

You need to call your school about it.

[lizmyer]

Like COflower says, definitely call your school. They will have all the answers you seek, plus good ways to get your name out there, and may even be able to pair you up with students that need help. I pretty sure most schools do this, I know that colleges do, so I'm sure your highschool has a program like that.

[froggin4colorado]

Being an educator, I would advise you to seek another way to raise money.
Reasons are:
1. Free tutoring is offered at schools. Highschool students who are paired up with elementary/middle school kids do so on a volunteer basis under teacher direction.
2. Teachers who tutor to supplement their income are usually paid anywhere from $30-$50 an hour. This is because they can offer tutoring with a Masters degree (typically) and they know what a reading program must consist of- the 5 components of literacy coupled with multisensory research driven strategies. Teachers attend several college classes/semester hours/conferences/seminars/trainings on how to teach reading.
3. Reading tutoring is more than just reading with a child- it's understanding not just how to read but also the pedagogy.
4. There are other tutoring programs offered in the city that parents who are willing to pay can use (which I highly discourage them from doing so).

I applaud you for wanting to help other children in their academics and encourage you to do so, but not for money. Parents who are willing to pay for tutoring of the sort have very high expectations (as they should) and will want a highly qualified individual doing the tutoring.

I would suggest you babysit...you would make much more money at it. I personally pay my sitters $3 an hour per child during business work hours up to 6pm and $4 per hour during the "after hours" and weekends. (plus tip for exceptional care and cleaning up after themselves) I have 3 children. On a typical Friday or Saturday night, I pay my sitter a $100 for giving up their weekend for playing with my children This means not watching TV or talking on the phone but playing and cleaning up the mess as a result of playing/feeding my kids- to include dishes and sweeping the floor if necessary. I go twice a month on average with my husband. We usually head out at 5pm and are back about 9:30-10:00pm.

[froggin4colorado]

I might add that a good sitter is hard to find and once you do, harder to keep! This is why I try and pay so generously so he/she will babysit when needed at my convenience and not theirs. My friends know when I make a recommendation...that he/she is good and the kids really had a good time, where safe, and the trust is there.

Thus far, I have luck with finding both male and female sitters who meet my expectations and many will drop what plans they have to watch my kids to make good money.

[rock_lobster!]

I'd say if you want to tutor at the school itself, you should talk to the office staff and find out what their rules are.

Have you done tutoring before, or is this something new you're trying?

A lot of times there are bulletin boards you can post a business card on, or a flyer. Do be careful though, that you aren't unsafe with what information you make public.

Vistaprint.com will do business cards for free (you pay for shipping) and if you Google you may find others.

Good luck, and take care of yourself!