Is it Possible to Earn Enough Being a Full-Time Tutor?

If you are thinking of leaving full-time teaching and wondering if full-time tutoring is a viable option, this blog is for you!

So, is it possible to earn enough as a full-time tutor?

Are there enough job opportunities available?

And is it a rewarding career?

These are the questions likely be to on your mind, and the answer to all the above is definitely yes. However, like any career move, it’s something you should only go into with your eyes wide open.

Which is where we come in!

Reasons for Making the Move to a Tutoring Career

While there are various potential routes into tutoring, the vast majority of those who consider a move into full-time tutoring will come from full-time teaching in schools.

The problems that schools have in retaining staff are well-documented: workload, long hours, stress, the pressure of Ofsted. These are some of the main reasons usually cited by those who quit teaching.

But there can be other factors too. Many teachers just crave the flexibility and freedom to choose their own hours, so that can spend more time with their families, for example.

Tutoring: The Best of Both Worlds?

In many ways, tutoring offers the best of both worlds. It still gives you some of the best bits of teaching in schools: working with young people and helping them to thrive and succeed – minus most of the pressure and workload that comes with teaching in schools.

All of this is true, but it doesn’t tell the full story.

What you do get from teaching that you don’t necessarily from tutoring is security

and stability.

Of course, this is not unique just to teaching; it is one of the key differences between full-time employment and being self-employed.

But Does Tutoring Pay?

Full-time tutoring is never likely to match a full-time teacher’s salary – especially if you are at the top end of the pay scale. You need to be aware that some months of the year are quiet. From mid-June (when exams finish) to the end of September, it tends to be fairly quiet. Similarly, bear in mind that there is often little work during the school holidays throughout the year.

On the flip side, during other times of the school year, it’s not uncommon for a tutor to be ‘full to bursting’ and literally not able to take on any more of the tutoring referrals that are flying through the door.

It’s a classic ‘swings and roundabouts’ scenario and it requires a different way of thinking about things. Like many businesses that get a lot of their trade during particular seasons of the year, you need to make sure that some of the ‘extra’ income you earn in the busier months covers you during the leaner times of the year.

The Verdict

As with any type of self-employment, there is an element of risk. It does take some adjusting to.

However, some of the advantages of full-time tutoring definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

What’s more, there are various ways you can supplement your income, should you need to – from supply teaching to exam marking, there are plenty of potential revenue streams open to you.

If you are interested in finding out more, why not get in touch for a chat?