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So, I’m not sure how your summer has been, but mind has definitely been full of new summer students who are set to write their English exams next week.
Do you have parents calling already to set up your tutoring schedule for September? Or perhaps you’re a classroom teacher looking for a way to teach a bit in the evenings and on weekends to supplement your income?
Well, should you give a free consultations or lesson so they can check out their style? Definitely! is the short answer. So, how do you about doing that? Read on, my friends, for my top 5 tips!
Top 5 Tips for Holding A Tutoring Consultation
1. Stick to your Time Limit
So, when I first started tutoring way back as a high school student in Canada, I used to give my students their first lesson free. Later, I learned that a free consultation is all it takes to get students signed up for the semester, if you do it right. A 15 or 20 minute consultation is usually enough to determine what students need. Sometimes, when I work with families to develop a plan for the year, we take almost 45 minutes to discuss their level, needs, and get enough information so that I can set up an annual plan for them.
2. Show your value
Well, value is a whole lot more important than price! You can easily charge a premium if you prove to your students that you are worth it. What do you do that’s better, more valuable, and more personalized than others? The consultation is your chance to shine!
3. Stick To Your Price
Now, this is a tricky point for some people. Students want to negotiate! I’ve come to learn that if you do your job well, have recommendations and can deliver results, you can be firm with your price. If you’re just starting out, you may want to price a bit lower, but once you have a devoted client base, go ahead and raise those prices (for new clients, of course. I tend to keep my clients on a grandfathered rate if they’ve been with me for a while)
4. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
So, in my view personalization is the most important piece of the puzzle. If you can price to your potential students that you’re making an individualized lesson plan for them so they can reach their goals, you won’t be able to schedule all the students that will come your way! In fact, my September schedule is already mostly full for peak tutoring hours anyway!
(Click the image on the right for a FREE course to get you started on personalization)
5. Have Recommendations on Hand
Now, If you are a beginner, this is a bit tricky, but recommendations are key. Have one student? Ask them for a referral or recommendation! So much of my business over the years has come from word of mouth. In fact, in my marketing classes way back at the University of Alberta, they would always emphasize “word of mouth marketing” as your best tool.
By the way, do you use an online site like Verbling or post an ad on a website like Tusclasesparticulares or Find A Tutor?
Recommendations from your students will boost your rankings and in turn, get you more clients!
Well, you can see that my summer posts are a bit less frequent, but I’ll be back in full swing in a few weeks. Oh, and in case you’d like to know more about tutoring tips, remember I have a FREE course to help you out. In fact, it includes worksheets and videos, too! It’s only 10 minutes of your time for 7 days (one email per day) and can help you get on the road to tutoring success!
What’s the Best Way to Set Up A Consultation?
Well, a full, intensive course on how to set up, run and profit from a tutoring business in a low-stress way is in the works. It’s coming soon! I honestly can’t wait to finish it up for all of you. It’s going to be reasonably priced and jam packed with value!
In the meanwhile, you have access to my FREE Printables library, right? If not, click the button below to get started with free monthly printables. July’s will be out in a few days, and will include a .pdf guide on holding a FREE tutoring consultation.
I hope my tutoring consultation tips were helpful. I’d love for you to share yours in the comments below, too 🙂
Happy Summer Teaching!
P.S. Photo fans, the picture for today’s post is one I took in Menorca, Spain, last month.
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Thanks it is so helpful as I am thinking of doing this.
View CommentThanks it is so helpful as I am thinking of this.
View CommentYou’re welcome, Rosalie! I’m so glad it’s helpful 🙂
View CommentWow! I really admire the valuable information you have been able to share us through this post.
View CommentThank you! I’m so glad my post was helpful 🙂
View CommentHi!
View CommentVerbling and ClasesParticulares are indeed very good, but there is one more which is a good option too, Preply. I´m using it both as a student and a teacher, and can recommend it 🙂
Great! Thanks so much for sharing, Sergio 🙂
View Comment