How To Grow As An Online Tutor

Tutors are the foundation stones for helping anyone get an education and become successful in their life. You’re passionate about tutoring and want to make a difference in the lives of your students. But how can you grow as an online tutor? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Be A Good Listener

Good listeners are in high demand. Everyone wants to be heard, and the best tutors understand that listening is just as much of a skill as teaching.

Listen for what your students are struggling with or having trouble understanding. For example, many new English speakers have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds correctly in English (like “th”). A tutor who recognizes this might say, “I hear that something is challenging about the sound’ th.’ It’s not something that everyone finds easy. But don’t worry; we’ll practice together until it becomes easier for you.”

Just listening is not good enough. You also need to listen efficiently. The Harvard Business Publishing site has listed some tips to improve your listening as a teacher. These tips include determining your default listening style, establishing why you are listening, etc.

Be Flexible

Online tutoring is fascinating and can be fulfilling for you and your students. But before you jump in with both feet, be sure you’re ready to take on the responsibility of being a professional teacher.

You have to be flexible with your schedule. If you have friends or family who depend on your support and presence, don’t commit yourself exclusively to being an online tutor without considering their needs first.

You may also need to be flexible with teaching. Besides giving your students lectures and theoretical explanations, you must also give them practical learning opportunities. Also, you should be offering them help whenever they need it.

There are many online resources, such as HomeworkMarket (now rebranded as SweetStudy), that help students with their assignments. Since you can’t be available for your students 24/7, you can show them these online homework help resources from HomeworkMarket. 

With HomeworkMarket (SweetStudy), students can quickly connect with online tutors and get help with their doubts. They can even access notes from established universities, which can help them solve complex assignments on their own.

Be Friendly

The most important thing you can do to grow your business is to be friendly. Smile when you greet your students (face-to-face or online). Make eye contact and speak with a warm, friendly tone of voice. Be polite and respectful both in person and over email/social media.

It doesn’t matter how much experience you have or how many clients you’ve worked with if people don’t like working with you.

Take Initiative

Take the initiative. The key to being a great online tutor is taking the initiative. This means that you should be proactive and make suggestions, keep the conversation going, ask questions, add value to your student’s experience and be friendly and approachable.

It also helps if you know your stuff. Don’t give up if the student doesn’t understand something that you’re teaching them. Ask them questions about what they are learning or why they think something is confusing. These are all things that will help both parties learn more effectively in any given situation.

Exude Confidence

Confidence is the most critical factor for being an effective online tutor. You have a lot of power as an online tutor to influence your students. If you are confident in your abilities and personality, it will be easier for you to give off positive energy to your students. Your confidence will also make them feel more comfortable with themselves and their lessons and inspire them to learn more about what they are learning from the course materials provided by the school or university.

This confidence was extremely important during the recent pandemic when the shift towards online learning started accelerating. In a Gallup survey, teachers were asked how confident they felt about teaching in Fall 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak.

According to the survey, 56% of the teachers said they felt confident or very confident, while 33% felt somewhat confident. Only 12% of teachers were not very confident. The numbers show the need for teachers to be confident about teaching, regardless of any situation. When the teachers are confident, it will reflect in their students.

Offer To Make The First Move

When looking for a job, making the first move is essential. This is especially true when you’re looking for an online tutor job. Technavio has predicted that the online tutoring services market in the United States will grow by USD 16.45 billion during 2021-2025. In this growing market, it is essential to stand out

 If your prospective client isn’t interested in hiring you, they will let you know. However, many people tend to be too passive when making the first move, preventing you from getting an online tutoring job.

You should always ensure that your potential employer knows who you are and what kind of services and products are available on your website before sending them any information about yourself or your business. This can be done through one-on-one communication via email or phone calls.

Ask Questions

As an online tutor, you want your students to feel comfortable. You want them to understand what you are trying to teach them. According to a study by Online Learning Journal, faculties frequently collect student feedback to identify areas of improvement. You also want your students to understand the questions you ask so they can learn from their mistakes and become better at whatever they do.

Help Your Students Feel Comfortable With You

You will work with students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Some will be nervous about meeting you for the first time. Others may have had bad experiences with other tutors. It’s essential that your students feel comfortable with you and that they know they can trust you. Studies indicate that online tutoring can be effective in helping children complete unfinished learning.

Be patient and kind. No matter their age or background, your students are likely just as worried about their education as you were when you were a student. Hence, don’t forget about this when it comes time to interact with them for lessons.

Be respectful of their time. If a student tells you something isn’t working out in scheduling lessons with them, be open to feedback so that everyone feels comfortable moving together toward their goals. And if one lesson doesn’t go well for any reason, don’t let it affect future sessions. Instead, use it as an opportunity to improve the learning experience and how lessons are scheduled so no future surprises come up in the meantime.

Conclusion

The world of online tutoring is growing at a rapid pace. With more and more people looking for ways to make money from home, this career path seems here to stay. The great thing about being an online tutor is that the skills you’ll gain will be helpful in other areas of your life.