{"id":6746,"date":"2021-11-18T14:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T21:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/?p=6746"},"modified":"2021-11-18T14:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T21:20:00","slug":"esl-tutoring-side-gig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/esl-tutoring-side-gig\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Strategies to Kickstart Your ESL Tutoring Side Gig"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>\n<p><em>This guest post is the second in a series by Bridge partner <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/bridge-partner-jake-young-fluentize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jake Young<\/a>, who spent 10 years <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/jobs\/teach-english-in-czech-republic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">teaching in the Czech Republic<\/a> before dedicating himself to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentize.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fluentize<\/a>, a website he created to provide ESL resources for teachers. Based on his experience as a private English tutor in Prague, Jake shares his advice for marketing yourself as an ESL tutor and building your base of private English students. Jake was also a presenter at a recent <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/summit\/Sessions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BridgeUniverse Summit<\/a><\/strong>, where he and a panel of experts led the session &#8220;An Innovative Path from Teacher to Teacherpreneur: Creating EdTech and Educational Products.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re new to teaching English as a second language or you\u2019re a seasoned pro, there are many reasons to teach private ESL students online or in person. Private classes usually pay a higher hourly rate than classroom teaching, which can make this a lucrative side gig. Or, if you aspire to be your own boss, learning how to market yourself as a teacher and grow your clientele is key to a successful tutoring business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are my tips for getting started as a private tutor and standing out from the competition to build your student base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Create or polish your teaching profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LinkedIn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A great way to get online or in-person tutoring gigs is to make a good profile to share with the students you find. There are many ways to do this, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> is one good option that&#8217;s readily available and familiar to most people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-5170\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/digital-badge-img-1.jpg\" alt=\"Bridge Digital Badging\" class=\"wp-image-5170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/digital-badge-img-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/digital-badge-img-1-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 560px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption><em>Bridge digital badging shared on LinkedIn<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In your profile, show potential clients that you\u2019re a professional but also a fun, interesting, and credible person to be giving them lessons. I recommend you display your information in bullet points because it may be easier for a student with limited English skills to read this format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wcb-button cb-common check-button wp-block-list\"><li>Make a descriptive headline for yourself, and include some popular keywords students may be searching for when trying to find the right teacher.<\/li><li>It\u2019s all about first impressions when a potential student lands on your profile, so you want your photo to be as professional as possible.<\/li><li>In the &#8220;Licenses &amp; Certifications&#8221; section, highlight your <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/courses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TEFL certification<\/a> and any specialized in-person or <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/online-tefl-certification\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online TEFL certifications<\/a> you&#8217;ve earned, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/courses\/specialized\/teaching-business-english\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Teaching Business English<\/a>. If you&#8217;re a Bridge grad, display your <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/how-to-use-digital-badges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital badges for TEFL\/TESOL<\/a> to do this!<\/li><li>In the &#8220;About&#8221; section, include information on your flexibility \u2013 your willingness to work various schedules, to tailor lessons to student levels, and your affordable prices.<\/li><li>In the &#8220;Experience&#8221; section, don\u2019t be afraid to market skills you\u2019ve acquired doing other things, even if it isn\u2019t teaching. Think about what you\u2019ve done in the past that can translate to your teaching resume.<\/li><li>Also, if you have any language skills of your own, make sure to highlight them since <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/learning-second-language-can-help-teach-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">learning a foreign language will help improve your teaching skills<\/a>. Even mentioning in your profile that you\u2019re learning a language is a sign of a good work ethic and can support your career development goals. If you decide to take classes at a language center, you may even meet some potential English students!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ELT marketplaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While LinkedIn is perhaps better suited to finding in-person tutoring gigs, if you&#8217;re focusing on <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/how-to-find-online-esl-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">finding online ESL students<\/a>, you might have better luck advertising your teacher profile via an <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/marketplace-teaching-english-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online ELT marketplace<\/a>. These sites act as the middleman between teachers and students by handling operational logistics, such as financial transactions, for a fee, of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teachers using a marketplace will need to <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/make-online-teacher-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make a great online teacher profile<\/a> in order to stand out from other teachers and get students interested in their classes. Your profile may even include a <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/introduction-video-teaching-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">self-introduction video<\/a> to entice learners to sign up for lessons by showcasing your unique personality and what you have to offer them as a teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Get active online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After you&#8217;ve created your teacher profile, you can do some research in the area where you live to learn where you can post an ad or profile offering your private tutoring services. Set aside some time to work on it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find sites to advertise your services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, when I was seeking private students while living in Prague, I found a few different websites, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/teacher-creature.com\/prague\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Teacher Creature<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expats.cz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Expats.cz<\/a>, where it was possible to advertise private lessons. When doing your research, I suggest you look for online sites geared towards expats; look for the classified sections on these sites and you may find a place where \u201clanguage lessons\u201d are listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While each teaching location will have its own websites, you want to advertise yourself on as many of these sites as possible to get your name out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wcb-button cb-common arrow-button wp-block-list\"><li>Be proactive in your research for online forums, like <a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linguaholic Language Learning Forum<\/a>, where potential students could be. Look for people who are seeking English language lessons and get in touch with them.<\/li><li>You can also step into the shoes of students who are searching for teachers by doing a Google search for \u201cfind private English language teacher.\u201d<\/li><li>I\u2019ve also seen teachers posting profiles and offering gigs on popular freelancer sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peopleperhour.com\/hire-freelancers\/online+teaching\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PeoplePerHour<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.upwork.com\/freelance-jobs\/teaching-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Upwork<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiverr.com\/search\/gigs?acmpl=1&amp;utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;source=top-bar&amp;locale=en&amp;search_in=everywhere&amp;query=english%20lessons&amp;search-autocomplete-original-term=&amp;search-autocomplete-original-term=english%20less&amp;search-autocomplete-type=suggest&amp;search-autocomplete-position=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fiverr<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/freelance-english-teachers-strategies-finding-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Freelance English teachers share their top strategies for finding ESL students.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Engage on social media <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another tip is to start <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/use-social-media-get-online-english-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">engaging with other teachers and learners on social media platforms<\/a> like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Become a part of Facebook groups for teachers (e.g., the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/bridgetefljobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bridge TEFL\/TESOL Jobs group<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/InnovativeToE\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Innovate Teachers of English<\/a>), and comment on things like posts on teaching materials, activities, and tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone size-full is-resized wp-image-6760\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG-0481.jpg\" alt=\"Carla\u2019s English grammar page on Instagram, @thesimplegrammar\" class=\"wp-image-9871\" width=\"417\" height=\"422\"\/><figcaption><em>Bridge grad Carla\u2019s English grammar page on Instagram, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thesimplegrammar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@thesimplegrammar<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also search for groups online or community boards where students hang out. Within these groups, you\u2019ll find people buzzing about teaching-related topics and connecting to other teachers, which may open you up to opportunities for finding students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/attract-more-students-as-a-freelance-online-english-teacher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Here are 10 tips for attracting and retaining more students as a freelance online English teacher.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Go the extra mile for your students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the next most important piece in building your own private student clientele. Once you land that first student, you want to start going the extra mile for that student right off the bat. How do you do this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make a good impression &nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Show up to the lesson with a one-page summary of your teaching services and what type of lesson you\u2019re offering. This will demonstrate your professionalism and high level of organization. You can tailor this to your own lessons and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG-20200226-WA0007-1024x770.jpg\" alt=\"Bridge grad Lisa teaching business English to a student in Argentina\" class=\"wp-image-15656\" width=\"588\" height=\"442\"\/><figcaption><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/lisa-teaching-business-english-online-from-argentina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bridge grad Lisa<\/a> teaching business English to a student in Argentina<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Set clear terms and conditions for the course<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to be upfront about your terms of cancellation and make this clear with your students during the first lesson. My policy was that if a lesson was canceled less than 24 hours before the scheduled time, it was still charged. This is not only reasonable but also a common practice among many teachers and other providers in client services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It may feel uncomfortable discussing terms like that, but it\u2019s a policy that\u2019s necessary for running your own business, and it can be complicated later on if it\u2019s not addressed right away. In my opinion, doing this also shows that you\u2019re serious about the lessons and, therefore, is a sign of professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/tackling-operational-challenges-freelance-teacher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read more about tackling operational challenges as a freelance teacher.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discuss the student\u2019s expectations and goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to ask your students why they need to learn English and what their expectations and goals are for their lessons. Get an idea of the things they want to focus on in the lessons, and prepare accordingly. Receiving feedback will not only guide you in helping your students improve but will also improve your own teaching skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Chris-adults-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"freelance ESL teacher to adults\" class=\"wp-image-14123\" width=\"588\" height=\"391\"\/><figcaption><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/chris-from-the-us-running-his-own-efl-company-in-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Teacher Chris<\/a> runs his own ESL business in Japan<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Be professional <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to go the extra mile for your students is to always be mindful of your professionalism as a teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wcb-button cb-common check-button wp-block-list\"><li>Be on time.<\/li><li>If your first lesson is in person, provide your student with a business card or two so they have your information and can share your name with other potential students.<\/li><li>Stay up to date with teaching practices and try to bring something new or interesting to the lesson every time.<\/li><li>Mix in some professional and modern resources for teaching, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentize.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fluentize<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esllibrary.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ESL Library<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/busyteacher.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BusyTeacher<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingnewsenglish.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Breaking News English<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.islcollective.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">iSLCollective<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Network with your students and friends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the real fuel for building up your private student clientele. Word-of-mouth is powerful, especially when you\u2019re in client services. If you\u2019re able to make a good impression on your students using the tips I provided above, then networking should come naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get to know your students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>During your lesson, get to know your students and learn about their interests. Doing these things will help you <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/build-rapport-teaching-english-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">build rapport with your students<\/a> and thus increase the chances of them recommending you to others. The better content you have, the better your lessons will be, and thus the more satisfied your student will be. A satisfied student is likely to refer you to other family, friends, and co-workers without you even having to talk to the student about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ask for referrals from your students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve built a relationship with your students, ask them if they have any family, friends, or co-workers who are interested in learning English. At the start of my teaching career, I built my whole 20-student clientele based on the referrals of just two students. You could even come up with a referral system where you offer your students a discounted price for lessons for a month or so if they connect you with another student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reach out to friends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have some friends whose first language isn\u2019t English, make sure you talk to them too. They likely have some friends or family who are interested in learning English. My brother-in-law from Italy connected me with his father who was interested in lessons. Befriending my students also helped me to network; however, this approach depends on the conditions of your lessons and the culture where you teach English. Where I was in Prague, it was culturally acceptable to establish friendships with my students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to teach ESL students as a side gig at home or while living abroad, or if your goal is to <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/start-an-online-english-teaching-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">start your own business<\/a>, private tutoring could be the perfect solution. Be professional, network like crazy, promote yourself, and always be willing to go the extra mile for your students. Soon you will have the seeds to grow your ESL student clientele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>Read Jake&#8217;s previous guest post in this series: <a href=\"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/learning-second-language-can-help-teach-english\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Learning a Second Language Can Help You Teach English<\/a><\/em>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teaching private classes can be a lucrative side gig to your regular teaching job or a great way to transition into starting your own English tutoring business. Experienced English tutor Jake Young shares his advice on marketing yourself as an English teacher and building a base of private students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":11453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10,13,15],"tags":[],"post-language":[],"popular_posts":[],"class_list":["post-6746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-job-resources","category-pedagogy","category-teach-english-abroad","category-from-the-experts"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Sophia-English-teacher-in-Greece.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Jake Young","author_link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/author\/jake-young\/"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6746"},{"taxonomy":"post-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-language?post=6746"},{"taxonomy":"popular_posts","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/popular_posts?post=6746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}