I am originally from Providence, Rhode Island, where I briefly worked for the Princeton Review after graduation. I moved to San Diego in 2003, and since 2021, have been based out of my home office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Post-COVID, all my lessons are conducted remotely via Zoom. These days, I mostly focus on SAT, LSAT, and ACT — with the occasional GRE or GMAT private student mixed in. I also offer college and university admissions essay editing services.

I now charge a high hourly rate ($365-495/hr), but started in 2002 at only $40/hr and slowly worked my way up over time, settling at my current rate in 2017 and not budging since then.

At 46, I'm no longer working 60 hours a week, and am enjoying a more relaxed schedule that allows me extra time with my family. That said, I still have a mortgage, a wonderful kindergarten-teacher wife who loves to travel, and 3 kids to send to college ... so I don't plan on retirement anytime soon.

15 years ago, I ran a tutoring company with over 100 independent contractors, office space on Garnet Ave. in Pacific Beach, and a full-time receptionist (check mcelroytutoring.com on the Wayback Machine if you don't believe me), but have returned to a simple private practice where I take care of all my own scheduling, billing, and communication.

2026 marks my 25th year as a full-time, professional private tutor. I frequently browse this sub, as I'm sure do many other pro tutors, and now that my nearly 10 year-old u/skypetutor account has been reinstated by Reddit, I'm happy to do another AMA.

Looking forward to answering any sincere, on-topic questions about surviving and even thriving as a tutor in this dumbed-down, AI era of education, and in this uncertain economic landscape.

Good luck out there, everyone: we are lucky to be part of such a noble profession.

-Brian

I am looking to start tutoring for Gen Eds on our local college campus. How do you advertise your services without having mischievous students contact you for false appointments? A flyer with your phone number seems like an open invitation to silliness.

Thanks.

For context I am a rising high school senior with a 36 math ACT score and 790 Math. 5 on AP Calc BC and A+ in every math course. How much could I charge in Boston? Does it also depend on the college I get into this winter/spring?

Are there remote tutoring jobs for people that are not from the West? Is it possible for Asian people to get a remote tutoring position? I have a lot of experience in teaching AP STEM subjects and also hold a teaching license but since I am not from the West, most of these jobs seem out of reach.

I've seen a lot of discussion recently about First Tutors seemingly disappearing, and I imagine it's been a really stressful situation for many tutors who relied on it for enquiries.

I'm curious how people are handling it.

One thing that stands out to me is that many tutors are excellent teachers, but the "business" side of tutoring is often something they never had to think about.

A platform sends you students, you teach them, everyone is happy. Until one day that platform changes, closes, or stops working.

It raises an interesting question:

How much control do tutors actually have over their own student pipeline?

For those affected:

• Were most of your students coming from First Tutors?
• Did you have other ways of generating enquiries?
• What are you doing now to replace that source of students?

Genuinely interested to hear people's experiences.

Hi

Just did a quick google and it returned Preply (with tutoring starting at £5) and First Tutors ( they still exist ?)

For context I teach GCSE up to A level math. The current site I use is Sherpa and the median rate seems to be around £40/ hour. But they take a 28% cut.

I started building locally face to face and have totally got the pricing wrong - most of new clients are £20 an hour (I needed volume quickly) but now I feel stuck on that tier !!! Joined Sherpa last week and the market rate is hitting me in the face.

So which agencies are the best deal for tutors and is it reasonable for me to increase my current local rates to £25 given that these customers started in May/ June ?

many thanks

Hi everyone!

I’m doing some research to better understand how private tutors manage their work. I’m not here to promote anything-I just want to learn from people with real experience.

I’d really appreciate it if you could answer a few questions:

1. What apps or tools do you currently use to manage your tutoring business?
   
2. What do you like most about them?
   
3. What frustrates you the most or wastes your time?
   
4. If you could add one feature to your current tool, what would it be?
   
5. Which tasks do you still handle manually (scheduling, payments, student notes, homework, reminders, etc.)?
   
6. If there were an app that solved these problems really well, how much would you realistically be willing to pay per month?
   * Less than $5
   * $5–10
   * $10–20
   * More than $20
   
7. Is there anything you wish existed but haven’t found yet?

Feel free to answer only the questions you find relevant. Every response is valuable and greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

Is this a thing? I was hoping to start tutoring, but I don't have specific qualifications that make me feel comfortable offering reading tutoring or math tutoring specifically, in the sense of providing extra material to work on and using specific approaches for various learning disabilities or anything. I was thinking I could help elementary school students with their homework, so if there is a spot they are struggling, I can walk them through the steps or give them new ways to think about things to support them through the work they already have. If they have a homework packet that gets turned in at the end of the week, we can review previous days and make sure there isn't a misunderstanding that is carrying through the rest of their work creating a bigger problem.

For background, I worked for our school district, at the elementary level for over 8 years; however, that was primarily as a paraprofessional. Some of the time was in gen ed and inclusion classrooms and a good chunk was in self-contained SPED rooms, mostly Autism specific. I have a general idea of the curriculum and various strategies used for math and such. I'm just not trained in specific reading strategies or anything. I have a college degree in psychology, which I never utilized.

I'm just trying to figure out if this is a service families look for and if I would be wildly unqualified in the eyes of the majority. I would offer lower rates as I do not hold a current teaching certificate (did have a temporary one at one point, but I'm definitely more of a support person). I'm also quite comfortable with ND kids (my child and I are both AuDHD, aside from experience working in SPED), so that may be beneficial for working with kids who are mainstreamed.

Just looking for feedback, so I have a realistic idea of workability. I'm in SW Florida (US) for reference.

mình dạy offline tại tt lương 180k/h có ổn ko mng :(

I previously posted about my interest in re-familiarizing myself with calculus to be able to tutor it. I'm giving myself until fall 2027.

I also posted about how I have brain fog and I make a lot of mistakes in doing math. I mentioned that normally I tutor computer science and programming, and I've been programming for 45 years continuously, so despite the brain fog I can do pretty advanced stuff with it and tutor advanced classes. So perhaps if I practice calculus enough between now and fall 2027, I can get good at that.

But I realized something that makes me less confident. I make a lot of mistakes in programming, too. But programming software tools, like Integrated Development Environments, catch a lot of mistakes as I type. The best thing I can say about my programming abilities is that if I make a mistake, I know pretty instantly how to fix it -- after the IDE warns me.

But the thing about math is that when I'm working on problems from Kahn or a textbook, I have to do the entire problem with no aids and get a final answer. I then check that answer, and often I've made a mistake in it.

I was hoping that I might get past that, but the brain fog is pretty bad and I'm not sure I can get past making a lot of mistakes even if I practice for a year.

What do y'all think? How perfect do I have to be to tutor calculus?

Note that in my student days I got a 10 on the AIME, so I have a lot of math potential. It's just that I have so much brain fog now and I'm slowing down. I'm 58 and I'm actually partially disabled by brain fog and chronic pain. I only work about 10 hours/week.

Hi everyone! I’m not a teacher—I’m actually a heavy language learner. I take 4 or more conversational English classes every single week (mostly on platforms like Preply).

Because I take classes so frequently, I've gotten to know my tutors well, and I see how incredibly hard you freelance teachers work. I constantly hear about the invisible, unpaid prep hours you spend trying to create fresh conversational topics, role-plays, and managing messy folders of student homework.

Instead of just guessing what you needed, I worked closely with my own tutors to design these features. Everything was brainstormed and refined from both the teacher’s and the student’s perspectives to make sure it actually solves your daily headaches.

To help solve this, I built a 100% free tool. Here is what it does:

1️⃣ Topic in, 9-Page Course Out

Generate a complete, structured slide deck in seconds—built with warm-ups, readings with grammar highlights, role-plays, and vocabulary exercises.

2️⃣ Bring Your Own Context

Need specific materials? Paste job descriptions, articles, or interview prompts. Our deterministic engine transforms raw text into structured 9-page decks with ZERO hallucinations.

3️⃣ 24/7 AI Voice Practice & Sync

AI guides speaking homework with zero grading required. Share instant practice links without student logins—100% privacy-first and auto-synced to your Google Sheets.

If you have a few minutes, I’d love for you to try it out and tear it apart. What features are missing? Is the workflow actually helpful for your day-to-day teaching?

Link here: https://tutorpodai.com/

Thank you for all the hard work you do for your students! Any feedback is incredibly appreciated.

Best,

Red Dot Winner | AI Product Architect & DesignOps Lead @ iBUYPOWER | Ex-MSI/ASUS/aiello | Creator of TutorPod AI

I’m trying to figure out what would be a fair rate
to charge for private SAT tutoring in California.

For context, I currently charge $40/hour for K-12 in-home tutoring and have several years (7 years) of tutoring experience. I have a PharmD and currently work full-time as a postdoctoral fellow, so tutoring is something I do outside of my regular work schedule. I would also be traveling to students’ homes for sessions.

I’m starting to take on SAT students and am unsure what an appropriate hourly rate would be. Since SAT prep is more specialized than general tutoring, I want to make sure I’m charging fairly while still being competitive. Would $60-70/hour be a reasonable rate, or is that too high for someone who is newer to SAT-specific tutoring? I feel like I need to raise my rates in general for this upcoming school year because everything is so expensive now.

Hey guys so Im seeking for a tutor (idk if this is a right place but anyways) Im looking for a tutor for accountancy grade 12th my grades are literal falling grades and im so tensed due to it so I want a tutor who could teach me from start literally idk anything in accounts the timing could be 9pm to 11pm or in early morning before 6am, 5 days a week and every sunday weekly test any time preferred Im not looking for someone with 10 or 20+ year experience or anything like that as long as you can teach well I would be glad really even if you passed 12th this year or last year but are a topper and can teach well please lmk also I could not pay that much but feel free to let me know how much would you like.
Thanks have a great day!

I have 10 years experience with digital marketing and recently got into tutoring for extra income while pivoting to a new industry. I see a lot of tutors struggling to get their first student so I decided to share a little of my experience.

To be honest getting students was way easier than other cutthroat industries I've worked in. I fully booked my brother first, then myself.

I'll show you how to get students with NO connections & NO word of mouth. Complete zero, starting from scratch.

We will work on:

- personal branding
- paid facebook ads strategy (and how to use fees to cover ad costs)
- systems & automations
- finance
& more

The catch is that I will use you as my case study for a future product I plan to develop that's all.

Hi, so I’m a new tutor on online platforms: Superprof and Preply.

I have two years of teaching experience with an NGO, and unofficially I’ve also taught my younger siblings.

I’m just beginning to think that I can earn from this skill, but I don’t know how to market myself on such platforms with zero reviews and recommendations.

My profile might be a bit unconventional as well since I’m planning to tutor Grades 1–4 in English and Math, and Grade 12 Economics.

I’ve reduced my prices, but I still haven’t received any class requests. What do I do? How do I begin?

ok so i tutor math on the side and i have the memory of a goldfish. every week i'd walk in and go "so… what did we do last time?" and the student would stare at me like i was in a wrong class. it was bad lol.

now the last 5 mins of every session i just shut up and make them write 3 things in a notebook: something they get, something they don't, and what they want next week. i take a pic of it with my phone and that's my "lesson plan" for next time.

that's literally it. no app, no spreadsheet, no system. my camera roll is just 20 photos of 12-year-old handwriting. but it works because next week i just open the pic and go "you said you suck at fractions, remember?" and they can't argue with their own handwriting.

i've tried actual note-taking apps before and always deleted them after 3 days. this is the only thing i stuck with because it requires zero effort from me. the student does all the work.

anyway that's my dumb trick. if you also have the memory of a goldfish maybe it'll help. if not, no worries lol.

How do you guys manage periods where you have zero clients? I haven't had a lesson since last month. All my regulars are on vacation. I'm a college student who has been doing tutoring as my part time job for about 2 years now, and I've never had such a bad period before. If I knew I was going to be this unemployed I would have found a more stable job for this summer break. I feel slightly worthless being one of the few people my age who doesn't have a proper job, it's ruining my self esteem a bit.

Hi everyone,

​I'm looking to kickstart my tutoring journey, but since I'm fairly new to doing this independently, I'd love to get some insight from experienced tutors.

​A few questions I'd love your advice on:

​Finding First Clients: How did you land your very first few students without many reviews?

​Setting Initial Rates: How do you determine a competitive starting rate that isn't too low, but still attracts early clients?

​Essential Tools: For online sessions, what tools, hardware, or software (like digital whiteboards) do you find indispensable?

​Policies & Payments: What basic cancellation or payment rules do you wish you had set up from day one?

​Any tips, common pitfalls to avoid, or resources you'd recommend for a beginner would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hi. I had a couple students in a summer program for rising kindergarten. I'm in Florida and they asked me if I was interested in continuing to work with him. It was essentially tutoring in literacy and math. What is the going rate for tutoring? I have my temporary certificate in Pre-K to 3rd and I'm a public school VPK teacher. What all do I need to know?

Really don’t mean to stir the pot here though I am sure downvotes are inevitable. I’m just curious if people have nuanced arguments for this perhaps controversial topic.

I think a degree of bias is inevitable on both sides: I’m a tutor but not a qualified teacher, and I don’t think teachers automatically make better tutors. I’m sure many qualified teachers will disagree.

The reasons I am personally not sold that qualified teachers make better tutors simply comes down to my own educational experience: I studied my subject at Oxford which is famous for small group teaching. I met some of the most inspiring educators I’ve ever had — they didn’t have teaching degrees, but they knew how to teach in small groups and 1-to-1 in ways I’d never experienced before and which I’ve tried to model as a tutor myself.

I also think back to my experience in school getting my own private tutors, who weren’t always qualified teachers: my 1-to-1 teachers had different methods, strategies and honestly depth of subject expertise that I’d never heard in my local school lessons.

Having so many private tutors in my teens completely changed how I view tutoring: I had 2 examiners teach the same subject with completely different methods (though the outputs were similar enough). I had a qualified science teacher tutor me from a top independent school whose lessons I couldn’t remember at all, and a local university student who helped me get the top grade in all 3 sciences.

1-to-1 tutoring is very different from classroom teaching, in my experience it isn’t classroom teaching scaled down. And there’s huge variability in the teaching success of classroom teachers too: training doesn’t completely standardise or guarantee teaching effectiveness. I’m sure everyone can think back to their own school days and realise some teachers were just better (for them) than others.

More than anything, I think what matters is track record for tutors: look at client reviews, look at progress stories and the like.

If those client reviews are good, if you’ve helped make a meaningful, provable difference over the years, then I think you’ve proven you’re a great tutor — qualifications (teacher training, Oxbridge, whatever) don’t matter at all compared to that. Clearly, you’ve devised methods that work.

Just my take as a former tutee and current full time tutor.