Being a private tutor is a tough job.
Although you are not working in a school, you are still in charge of the education of many students who are requesting for your expertise. You have to keep up with a wide array of curriculums used, different school levels and different student personalities. You also have the task of getting into these students one by one on time and prepare their lessons.
Some people cannot take the pressure of being a tutor because of these responsibilities. However, those who push through it often discover more about themselves and become inspired to do more.
Being a tutor definitely has its benefits besides the freedom of time and the limitless income ceiling, there are important life skills that you can gain from being a private tutor.
Here are six of the most important life skills you can gain from being a private tutor:
Patience
Tutors handle all sorts of students and parents throughout their tenure.
There will be students who are fast learners and only request for reviews. Others will take several lessons before they can understand or memorize information. A few will demand a lot of things from you or complain about your lessons even if they were designed for them to succeed. We haven’t begun to mention the helicopter parents!
Due to these different personalities, you develop ways to keep your cool in the process. You become patient with your students and ensure their parents that your lessons are on the right track. You will be able to stay calm even if they are complaining or throwing a tantrum because of their workload.
On a personal side outside of your lessons, it will be difficult for people to tick you off because you are used to stressful situations. The best part? You just laid the groundwork for future parenthood.
Communication
Since you are dealing with students who have different learning styles and preferences and parents who want results, you become adept in speaking diplomatically with them. You understand their situation very well and let them know easily that you will do your best to assist the student.
During your classes, you will gain skills that will help you adjust your lessons to make it easy for the students to pick up what you are trying to teach them. You learn to listen better and hear what your students need.
Your communication skills will also be perfected in such a way you can build stronger relationships with them. This can definitely help you out with dealing with other people and if you wish to pursue another career after your tutoring stint in future.
Time Management
As a tutor, you have to work with your student’s schedule.
Some students may ask you to teach them during the weekdays after school. Others may ask you to teach them during the weekends, while a few would ask you to come late at night. You also have to be aware of the time you need to allot per student and how long you need to travel to get from student to student.
As you start getting used to your position, you will be able to plan your classes wisely and give each student enough time for you to teach them. You will be able to maximise your earnings within the limitation of time.
Time management is a very important skill to learn because you can use it during personal events, projects and things that are time-sensitive.
Negotiation and Leadership
As we mentioned above, a tutor will have to work and deal with various individuals during their term.
Each one of them has different personalities and have different reasons why they hired for your services. To deal with them without risking your business, you will get to develop ways on how you can work with them professionally. You will also develop techniques on how you can inspire your students to learn, motivate them to do better and keep the class in check.
You will also be able to negotiate better terms for your services, and even negotiate with your student or parent if they are being difficult.
Financial Management
If you are teaching in a school, the school handles everything you need to pay for such as your tax and CPF contribution. In schools, MOE will provide training, books, resources and other things that will make your lessons possible.
However, as a tutor, you don’t have the luxury of asking someone to handle your tax and other bills. You also have to pay for everything you need to use in your lessons and also pay for your transportation. If you are not careful, you may spend everything you earn in one go.
As you continue with your profession, you get to learn how to sort out your bills, know how to allot funds for food, transportation and lesson guides and even pay for your CPF contributions. You will also understand how you can invest your money wisely so you don’t have financial difficulties during times when you are not tutoring.
Positivity
Tutoring can get a little nasty if your student is being difficult or if the parents are demanding a lot from you. Tutoring, like many freelancing jobs, is a lonely career path. Some may find these situations hard to bear because you may not find a kindred spirit to share your troubles.
However, if you keep a positive mindset and think of the good things from these situations, you will be able to adapt to anything without any problems. You also will start seeing things better and analyze how you can handle them better.
Conclusion
A tutor is a great profession for those who are capable of teaching others well. They are people to turn to if someone needs to understand difficult concepts and help people on their toes in preparation for exams and other tests.
If you are considering being a tutor, don’t back away from it if you see the list of things you need to do. Every profession has its downsides and has a lot of challenges before them.
However, if you do your best to learn your way around, you won’t just find yourself with a stable career. You will also become a better person because of the life skills you will develop along the way.
To become a better tutor, here are some helpful tips:
Tutor Tips: Difference Between Tutoring Primary Vs Secondary Students?
Singapore Tutor Tips: 5 Ways on How to Handle a Disrespectful Student
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