<p>(starting this by saying I didn't know where to put this so I cross-posted in High School Life)</p>
<p>I'm a rising junior, and I had this crazy idea that maybe I could tutor kids for money...but I don't know how to go about getting my first client/s! Any tips, suggestions, advice from people who have been there, done that or have kids who have? </p>
<p>I'm looking to tutor in math, science, and/or Spanish, and only to kids freshman year or younger, if that matters.</p>
<p>Tell your teachers, or go and speak with the teachers for 9th grade. If they know you’re a strong student, they can recommend you to the families of students who need some extra help.</p>
<p>My son’s been tutoring for almost a year now, and I believe the referrals have been coming from his teachers.</p>
<p>I’m not a parent, but I’m a senior who has done quite a bit of tutoring (currently have seven clients) so hopefully this will be helpful :)</p>
<p>First of all, tutoring is not a crazy idea at all. It will help, though, if you have solid credentials. For example, As in the advanced math/science/Spanish coursework or high scores on SAT Subject tests or AP exams may help give you more credibility. Experience working with kids is also beneficial. I personally tutor language arts and some SAT/PSAT prep; I give prospective clients a brief resume that lists my relevant coursework and SAT/AP/SAT II scores, as well as my previous experience as a volunteer tutor and teacher assistant. You may wish to compile a similar resume tailored to your strengths.</p>
<p>As far as getting clients goes-- word of mouth is everything in tutoring. My first two clients were both family friends who were looking for a tutor and decided to give me a shot. I also reached out to a number of families with middle school aged kids who I thought might benefit from tutoring. Only a couple responded, but that’s how marketing works 
Don’t be pushy, but don’t be afraid to get your name out there. I’ve since had three new clients who were referred by current clients. Once you get the first few kids, others will come.</p>
<p>If you are comfortable doing so, you might try contacting your former teachers and letting them know that you are tutoring their subject. I have a friend who tutors biology and gets referrals from the biology teacher at his high school.</p>
<p>Google “tutors in [name of your city]” or use sites like WyzAnt to figure out the going rate for tutors in your area. You want to be in a reasonable range and not under or overselling yourself.</p>
<p>As far as the actual tutoring goes, there are tons of online tutoring resources for planning curricula and activities. Plan and structure your time with the kids. Be very clear in communicating your goals with the parents and child so that they know exactly what they’re getting. Send a follow-up email after each session (copying the parent) to recap what you went over and give additional study materials if necessary. Bottom line, make sure you’re adding value. Parents want their money’s worth.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>If you have grocery stores, community centers or churches that put up ads for small businesses like tutoring, stop in and ask about adding one for your service. Include tear-off phone numbers, business cards or the like, in addition to the suggestions you’ve already gotten. Also, call around to organizations that run after-school programs-some of them pay tutors. Good luck!</p>
<p>I used care.com in high school. Worked for me.</p>
<p>Try to be careful when you advertise your service. Try to do it by referral. Unless you know your client well, I would do it at a public/school library. One thing to keep in mind is tutoring takes a lot of prep work. It is more than just working with a student for one hour. A good tutor would over the material beforehand, sometimes even meet with their teachers. You should take all of that into consideration when you come up with your pricing.</p>
<p>Also remember if you’re looking at prices for tutors that you’re just a student, and that some of the prices are probably for professionals who are teachers and you’re not that. Definitely give your name to your past teachers to get word around. You can probably tutor freshman and middle schoolers or if your school has any remedial classes or if a student is left behind in a subject you can tutor them</p>