How to Start a Tutoring Business in 2024

If you’re wondering how to start a tutoring business, then you’re in the right place. Tutoring is a rewarding way to help people of any age make huge progress in the subject that you’re knowledgable about.

Whether you tutor young children or adults, tutoring is a business you can:

• start from the comfort of your home
• work around your schedule
• can be done online or in person, as either a side hustle or in some cases, even full-time.

If you play your cards right, tutoring can be a profitable income.

One of the best parts about tutoring as a career is the flexibility. It can done as a side hustle, or as a remote summer job. You can open up daytime availability both in person or online, to do it full time.

I have been a language tutor for children and adults for the past 15 years, both online and in person.

I want to share with you how to start a profitable tutoring business that can reach your financial goals, whether its to supplement or replace your income.

So, let’s jump in – how to start a tutoring business in 2025:

Do you need a licence to tutor?

In most cases, you do not need a licence to tutor. It will be up to the clients who they hire as their tutor, and it will be them that you need to convince that you’re the right person for the job.

Typically though, clients will want to choose a tutor that they’re confident is an expert in the topic they’re hiring to teach them.

Now, it’s important to define the word ‘expert.’ You don’t need to be a mathematician to tutor math, or a native speaker to tutor someone in a language.

You do at least need to know 80% more than your client does in the subject, so that you can help them reach level higher than the one they’re currently at.

What you do need to be an effective tutor:

• A desire to help people achieve their goals
• Good people skills and organization skills
• Above average amount of knowledge in your subject area
• A basic idea of how to structure a lesson
• Prices that are sustainable. (If you set your prices too low, then you will burn out.. more about that below)

First Choice to Make Before Starting a Tutoring Business

Before launching a business as a tutor, you should recognize all the options out there in terms of offering and marketing your services.

You have a few options when it comes to starting a tutoring business. You can either:

• offer tutoring services on a platform or for a company
• start an independent tutoring business from scratch (online or in-person)
• be hired as an employee tutor for a larger tutoring business

Here’s a secret – you can do a mix of all or even just two of the above, especially if you’re just starting out.

Starting a business from scratch doesn’t usually lead to a full-time income from the start, so I do recommend having more than one income source from tutoring when you’re just starting.

Me for example, I tutor kids in person locally (which is my own independent business) but I also offer my services on italki as an independent contractor.

Tutoring on a platform or for a company can either be done as an independent contract or as an employee.

• If you’re an independent contractor, then the company takes a small fee out of your tutoring earnings. You attract your own clients, but they provide the platform for those clients to find you. This is payment for being able to market and offer your services on their platform.
• If you’re an employee, then this isn’t really owning your own tutoring business. The income is more guaranteed (but it is typically lower than what it would be if you were to set your own prices.)

When you start a tutoring business completely from scratch, there are some expenses and extra effort associated with this – which we’ll get into below – but you can earn considerably more.

I charge more for my in-person tutoring services than I do on the online platform.

Doing a combination of both can help diversify your income sources, which can lead to more earnings in the long run.

How to Start an Online Tutoring Business

When it comes to starting an online tutoring business, the sky is the limit.

• You can tutor school subjects and languages to children and university-level students
• You can tutor languages to adults of all ages

Here are some of the most common subjects that people hire a tutor for:

• Languages (English, French, Spanish and Mandarin are popular as second languages worldwide but you can find clients for any language especially if you tutor online. I’ve even made money tutoring Swedish.) Clients can be adults, or it can be parents looking for their children to learn a second language
• Math. It can be early math for kids, or advanced math for university students
• Science, especially chemistry and biology
• Early literacy – this will be for children who require extra help in reading, writing, or even ESL

How to Make Money Tutoring for an Online Platform

Besides self-employing yourself by starting a tutoring business from scratch, you can also offer services on an online platform. (If you are just starting out in the tutoring world, this is what I’d recommend, because it diversifies your income streams.)

There are online platforms that cater to adults, to schoolchildren, and to various subject areas.

Here are some of the popular online platforms to tutor on in 2024. These are the ones I have heard good feedback about:

• italki. A language learning platform (over 100 languages) for children and adults. I have been tutoring on italki since 2012
• Outschool – tutor a variety of school subjects
• Amazing Talker – similar to italki, you can set your prices and work around your schedule to teach languages (mostly languages, but there are other topics too.)
• VIP Kid – has become less common due to change of laws in China, but there are still some people making money

There are many other platforms aside from the ones I’ve listed above. There may be specific platforms to the subject or topic that you’ll be tutoring in.

Pro Tip: If you’re considering teaching English or other languages online, there are more platforms than what I’ve listed above. Read my post on the best (and worst) platforms to teach online ESL

How to Start an Online Tutoring Business

While teaching for an online platform is a good idea (especially if you’re only looking for a side hustle) if you want to turn tutoring into a full-time profitable business, then you will likely need to have your own business that is independent from the platforms.

I should say that it is possible to earn a full-time income from a platform. I run a Facebook group for italki tutors, and there are some people who earn a full-time income off of italki.

(Sometimes from italki alone, and sometimes italki combined with another platform or independently.)

However, relying on one soul platform, or any platform, always poses a small risk because if the platform were to ever fall onto hard times (such as VIP Kid did) then you may lose a huge source of your income.

In addition, you can generally charge more if you start an independent tutoring business, because you aren’t competing with other tutors, and don’t have to pay fees to the platform for each lesson you teach.

If you’re specifically interested in teaching English online, then read my post on how to get started.

Steps to Launching a Profitable Tutoring Business

Step 1: Launching your business

You don’t necessarily need a name, business cards or a website for your tutoring business, (but these certainly can help you get clients, and validate your professionalism.)

If tutoring is a side hustle and your subject is very specialized and in demand, then you may not need the above.

In-demand subjects with less competition include:

• languages other than English (especially French, Spanish, German and Mandarin)
• Math and sciences, especially if its high school level or above

Subjects with a bit more competition include:

• English as a Second Language
• early literacy and math

Pro Tip: All of the above subjects are in demand, but the second group will have more competition that the 1st group. If you’re planning to teach English as a Second Language or early literacy and math, then I especially recommend having a website and social media business pages to stand out -especially if you want to make it your full time income.

If you have a lot of experience and expertise, you might not need the above. But if you’re just starting out, they can be a good idea as a way to validate your professionalism as a tutor.

Students (especially those who are new to hiring a tutor) may feel more comfortable hiring you if they can see some evidence of your establishment as a tutor.

Step 2: Getting the word out

If you’re starting from scratch, you will need to market your services on online forums, and social media.

Depending on how in-demand your subject is, you don’t need to market as aggressively as you might think. (I found a longterm tutoring client just from responding to a Facebook post.)

Pro Tip: When you’re just starting out, I recommend telling everyone you know that you’re offering tutoring services. You’d be surprised how fast word of mouth can travel, and how quickly that can bring you clients.

Step 4: Decide on prices

When I first starting tutoring, I set my prices very low so that students would be more likely to hire me.

This is not what I would recommend. You are a professional in your field. The student is paying you to:

• plan and tailor a lesson specifically to them, and
• spend one-on-one time teaching and coaching them.

This comes at a price, and its not cheap. If you spend 1 hour with the student, then you likely need to spend an additional hour planning for that lesson, so you need to make sure that you are adequately paid for 2 hours of work. (This varies by subject of course.)

The main point here is that if you set your prices too low, then over time, it won’t feel ‘worth it’ and you may burn out.

The price you charge depends on:

• How ‘in demand’ your subject is.
• The region that you’re serving. (In big cities and affluent areas, you charge more than in a small rural town)

Depending on what I’m teaching, it takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to plan a lesson specific to my student’s needs and learning style. I set my prices to ensure that I am fairly paid for that time.

The most important key to starting a tutoring business (or any kind of business) is setting reasonable, sustainable prices that will make the job sustainable and profitable for you.

Step 3: Finding the right students for you

If you’ve been a schoolteacher, you know that in an employed classroom setting, you are expected to appreciate and enjoy working with all of your students, regardless of any behavioural challenges.

This is not how it needs to work in the tutoring world. For one, you’re working one on one with them, so the right fit is important.

Secondly, you work for yourself now. You don’t have a boss. One of the biggest perks of this is being able to assess whether you feel you’re right right tutor for the student, and whether they are the right client for you.

Pro Tip: I recommend a brief 5-10 minute conversation for interested students, to get an idea of what they’re looking for. This can be on the phone, or even just email/messaging. They may want to know what your experience and expertise are and things like location, and price will need to be agreed on.

Step 4: Retaining clients long-term

Retaining clients helps in several ways:

• It leads to a reliable income source for you
• It spreads word of mouth about your services, as your clients tell their friends and family
• On an online platform, it helps with your student-to-lesson ratio (which not everyone looks at – but it shows that you have people that keep coming back, which is a bonus!)

How to Retain Tutoring Clients Longterm

Finding students is important, but keeping them is even more important.

First of all, there are a few mindset tips that I want you to keep in mind before you start tutoring.

• Some students will come and go. If they leave, it is sometimes because of a shift and priorities for them
• If you’re tutoring online, then some students will take lessons for years, others will only see you once. (Online students are more transient than in-person ones.)
• Don’t set your prices to low in hopes that this will retain clients easier. Setting them too low will just lead to you eventually not feeling like its even worth it

Working with clients that feel like the right fit is important for retaining clients long-term.

I respect myself as a professional and expert in my area, as a second-language tutor. If I do not enjoy working with someone, then they aren’t the right fit. It’s as simple as that.

Offer your best services in your tutoring business – but make sure you enjoy working with your clients, because this is key to feeling fulfilled running a tutoring business.

How to Start an In-person Tutoring Business

Tutoring in person is a rewarding way to work with someone. You can earn more, you don’t have to ever worry about tech issues, and sometimes you can gage the students’ understanding slightly easier.

I’ve tutored many people in person, but I never had a website or a business card. However my in-person clients were always a side hustle in addition to something else I was doing, and I never actually worked as a full-time tutor.

If you’re serious about tutoring full-time, then I would recommend:

• building a simple website outlining your experience, pricing and teaching style. It should also have a photo of you
• business cards
• advertising your services on Facebook groups where your clients would hang out (for example, if you’re planning to tutor kids then you should head to the local parent Facebook groups to spread the word.)

I’ve also seen many tutors who have a business Facebook page, where they post information, articles and updates related to their tutoring business.

Pro Tip: Having a website and a Facebook page, and advertising in Facebook groups isn’t just useful for in-person clients; you can (and should) do the same thing even if you’re planning to be an online independent tutor

You’ve probably gathered by now that starting an online tutoring business will be similar to starting an in-person one.

If you want to tutor online full time, then I would absolutely still recommend a website, Facebook page, and maybe even an Instagram profile. Think of your ideal client and where they spend their time online – and then you market your services in those areas too.

You can join the platforms that are relevant to the subject that you’re tutoring, and spread the word in forums and Facebook groups.

Pro Tip: Many full-time online tutors do a variety of independent tutoring, plus offering services on a platform. Here’s the trick though – online platforms generally don’t want you to take students from them, because then they lose money. So you shouldn’t advertise your website on the tutoring platform. You need to keep the two very separate.

Costs Associated with Starting a Tutoring Business

One of the best parts of tutoring is that personally, I find the costs associated with setting up a business to be pretty minimal.

If tutoring is a side hustle and your subject is highly in demand with minimal competition, then you might not need to spend as much as you would if you’re trying to launch a business that could generate a full time income.

If you are hoping to turn tutoring into a more full time, profitable income, then there might be more start up costs to ensure that you stand out and reach more potential clients.

Here are some investments you might consider making in your tutoring business:

• a small dry-erase whiteboard, and whiteboard markers (especially if you’re tutoring in person)
• a notebook to take notes, and track student success
• a website
• business cards
• certain AI tools for teachers, such as Chat GBT which can help you generate quizzes, texts, and word-questions
• an ergonomically friendly home office chair
• an online scheduling system if you’ll be focusing on online tutoring
• a paid Zoom account if you’ll be tutoring online independently
• self-development books about self-development and setting prices. Some that helped me are You’re A Badass at Making Money, and Get Rich Lucky Bitch

Pro Tip: If you’re starting your own business, then some of the expenses above may be eligible for tax write-offs. I recommend keeping the receipts and talking to your accountant.

How to Start a Tutoring Business FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about starting a tutoring business, online or in-person

Is a tutoring business profitable?

Having a tutoring business can be very profitable, but you need to set prices that are sustainable for you so that you account for the hours involved in planning the lessons, if needed.

How much does it cost to start a tutoring business?

It can cost anywhere from $0 to $50 to start a tutoring business. Potential costs involved are a website and business cards – but only if you choose to create them. (And if you do, they aren’t very expensive.) Some tutors also may want to invest in learning materials.

Do private tutors need to pay tax?

In most countries, small businesses need to pay tax, but only after they earn a certain amount. Its like this in Canada and the US. Find out how much you need to earn as a tutor before you start needed to pay tax.

Final Thoughts on Private Tutoring

By now, you hopefully know more about the ins and outs and what is required for how to start a tutoring business. Becoming a tutor takes less time than becoming a full qualified teacher, and is also an incredibly rewarding job.

Private tutoring is truly one of the most interesting, and rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. I enjoy seeing the students’ progress, and some of their achievements as a result of our time together. I particularly enjoy working with adults, which I have mostly done online. It has been fun to get to know them and learn about their country and culture, and share more about mine in the process. It’s also a great way to contribute to education without classroom teaching.

One of the best parts of tutoring is that you can find clients to fit your schedule. You can also pursue it in conjunction or a full-time alternative career to teaching, or just as a side hustle. I worked as a tutor and a freelance writer simultaneously for a long time. It was nice to have the mixture of working with people, and working remotely from home.

Whether you tutor adults or kids online, or in person – full time, or as a side hustle, I am certain that you’re on to an exciting and rewarding career.