The world of education is drastically changing globally. Earlier it was physical schooling, then came the concept of homeschooling, and later it turned into private tutoring. Now, children are getting an online education. However, the trend of private tutoring is evergreen. Parents love to hire home tutors for their children to teach their kids.
While some parents may choose to homeschool their kids, others may call home tutors for extra academic help for their children. Whether the primary or the latter, being a home tutor requires skill, commitment, and the presence of mind. One is responsible for raising a child academically, socially, and emotionally.
Therefore, as a tutor, you must be aware of all the ins and outs of the industry to have a bright and engaging career in this field. Besides pursuing a degree in education, there are other things to consider. Let’s read forward to learn about them and understand their importance.
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Be vigilant of the child’s behavior.
When you go home to tutor a child, especially a teenager, it is essential to be vigilant of their behavior. Adolescents learn new things about touch, communication, and the use of their 6th sense at that age. Therefore, you need to be careful about talking to them or attending to their mistakes.
In many cases, miscommunication may lead to misunderstanding, and home tutors are falsely alleged of sexual crimes. You must know that if any of this happens to you, you can use the services of a sexual assault lawyer to defend yourself. They study the case legally and help prove your innocence. However, it is suggested to be extra careful with teenagers. Any such claim can be wrong for your career in the long run.
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Work on your specialization
A private tutor specializing in one subject can offer better teaching than those who have to stay current with all the subject areas and topics. Therefore, you need to work on your most vital subject. It reduces your stress of being aligned with every issue and increases your masters of a particular subject.
For instance, many children seek additional help in STEM subjects because US schools lack STEM teachers. Thus, it is a good chance for home tutors to make a great living by teaching students the subjects they need the most help in. In addition, you may also alternate your approach as per the market demand.
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Understand the broad spectrum of roles you can perform
It is widely believed that private tutoring is only for remediation purposes. In simple words, people believe that only children who are weak in academics or need clarity in some concepts can take up home tutoring services. However, it is not the truth. Remediation is one part of the job.
You can play a broader spectrum of roles as a private teacher. It would help if you explored those areas for yourself and offered as many services as possible to widen your horizon. Some other roles and responsibilities include:
- Assisting the children to increase their existing knowledge
- Be a helping hand for college entrance essay
- Help in preparing for particular exams and tests
- Conduct learning pods for homeschooled parents & children
- Tutoring ill kids while they are homebound
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Communicate with your students and their parents on a regular basis
A school teacher meets the parents on specific days and events where they can share the child’s reports. Similarly, as a home tutor, it is your duty to tell the parents about their child’s growth and graph. You can do this by staying in contact with the parents and students through regular meetings about the ongoing progress.
Ensure that the parents are aware of your roadmap and how the child is taking up the studies, whether they are behaving well, have any issues, or do anything that parents need to do to help the child learn better. Additionally, you must speak with your students besides teaching them how they are coping with their studies, whether there is anything new they want in their course, whether there can be better learning ways, and more. It opens the horizons for your growth as a teacher and for the children to learn better.
Bottom Line
Your career as a home tutor can grow multifold if you decide to do things that make you better at your work. Often, home tours become friends with their children’s families, thus interrupting the child’s outlook of being taught by a teacher. They get distracted and do not take the teacher as seriously. Therefore, you must maintain a cordial and comfortable relationship with the students and always know the limits. Many people also join tutoring associations to get certified as private tutors. We hope the above information helps you rise in your field of work.
