I’ve got a few questions for you if you’re thinking about becoming a freelance tutor.
And they’re not necessarily the questions you want to hear.
I’m not going to tell you to follow your dream, be your own boss and live happily ever after. Because, yes, going freelance can be brilliant. But it can also be a lot harder than you imagine.
And being a good teacher, unfortunately, doesn’t automatically make you a successful freelance tutor.
So, before you take the plunge, here are a few things I’d like you to think about.
First, where are your students going to come from?
And I don’t mean, “Well, I’ll put an advert online,” or, “I’ll get a website up and see what happens.”
I mean, have you actually thought about how you’re going to find paying students? Why would they choose you? And what are you going to do if the enquiries don’t come?
Second, have you worked out the numbers?
Let’s say you’re charging £35 an hour. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
But how many hours a week will you actually be teaching? What about cancellations, holidays, preparation time, chasing payments, marketing and all the other things that go with running a business?
And after your expenses and tax, will you actually be earning enough to live on?
It’s worth doing those sums before you give up a regular salary.
Third, how long can you manage if things are slow?
Because they might be slow. You might get off to a great start, or you might spend three months trying to build up a decent client base.
Do you have some savings behind you? Could you start part-time while you’re still employed? Have you got a realistic idea of how long it might take to establish yourself?
I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it. I’m saying you need to think about what happens if it doesn’t all go to plan.
Fourth, are you prepared to run a business, or do you just want to teach?
There’s a difference.
When you’re freelance, you’re the teacher, but you’re also the marketing department, the accounts department, the administrator and the person who has to deal with the awkward conversations when a client doesn’t pay or cancels at the last minute.
Some people take to that quite naturally. Others find it exhausting.
It’s worth asking yourself which sort of person you are — and which bits you’ll need help with.
And finally, what’s your plan if it doesn’t work?
Not because I’m expecting you to fail. But because having a Plan B doesn’t mean you’re not committed to Plan A.
What would you change if you weren’t getting enough students? How long would you give it? And at what point would you decide to do things differently?
These are all things you can think about and prepare for.
Look, I think freelance teaching can offer a fantastic way to build a career on your own terms. I’ve built and run an education business myself, so I know what’s possible. But I also know there’s a lot more to it than being good at teaching.
And that’s really why I’ve developed Teaching Freelance.
I want to help teachers and tutors make sensible, informed decisions about going freelance, find paying students and build businesses that actually work.
Not by selling you a dream, but by helping you understand what you’re taking on and what you need to do to give yourself the best chance of success.
So, if you’re thinking about going freelance, take a bit of time to think through those questions.
And if you’d like some help working through your own situation, that’s exactly what I’m here for.
Because the best time to have this conversation is before you’ve taken the plunge — not six months afterwards, when you’re wondering where all the students are.
