by Cody Hodge

Created on: March 26, 2009

Is tutoring a good business during a slow economy? Tutoring is one of those jobs that is always in demand, and during a slow economy, there are plenty of people with time on their hands. Any education job is going to be something that is in demand regardless of whether the economy is up or down. Further enhancing the demand for helping our children are the lack of qualified teachers in schools today, or the lack of teachers in some places.

Think about it, what do you need to be a tutor? All you need to be a tutor is knowledge of a subject, and the willingness to pass that information on to those who need it. The only things that you need to get started are knowledge, a student, and some paper to write on.

Business expenses really aren't going to be too high when that is all you need. In some cases you don't even need to pay for the paper, or find students. Like everything else since the boom of the Internet, tutoring services are in great supply. Not only are these services looking for students, but tutors are also in demand.

Tutoring is a great business to be in because it is a very flexible business. Most students are only looking to be tutored for a half hour, or an hour at a time. Most businesses are only looking for tutors for a few hours a week. If you work for a private company, and only get paid ten dollars an hour, you can still make money doing that, and still have time to look for a job. If you go into private tutoring, you can make twenty dollars an hour minimum. If you have a degree, or any teaching experience, and that number can skyrocket.

If you are thinking of being a tutor, I would definitely recommend doing so. If you are working for yourself, you can teach any style you want, and the class size is up to you. A tutoring session can be one-on-one, or it can be something that a group can participate in. Most services will teach by some sort of standard method, but you can still use your own knowledge to supplement the process, which is still a fun thing to do.

The only downside to tutoring is that if you are a private tutor it takes the same efforts to market yourself as any other job. There is still a lot of networking to do, and getting your foot in the door can be tough. Even if you do get students, it may be only for an hour or two a week, and that can be a stretch. Remember to market yourself as something special, as students can get tutoring for free at school, or at the library. Make sure there is a good reason why they should pay you to get help instead.

If you are willing to market, advertise, and network your name and skills to the market, then there is no reason not to tutor. If it is something that you are willing to do, go for it, and have fun with it. There is no limit to what you can do if you really want it, so go out and see what you can do as a tutor.

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