How to Become a Freelance SAT Tutor

SAT tutors can help students have bright academic futures.

Every year, thousands of high school students trudge into a testing room to take the SAT standardized exam. This test marks one of the most important academic events in a young student’s life, for it determines which colleges become options for the student and his or her likelihood of admittance. Working as an SAT tutor is often challenging, but the positive impact you can have on a student’s future, combined with the financial benefits, are certainly worth the effort. It takes a bit more work to establish yourself as a freelance tutor, but you can do it with the right plan.

Things You'll Need

• Teaching guidelines in books or online
• Blank paper
• Stapler or push pins
• Clear tape

Instructions

1. If you haven't already taken the exam, aim to earn an impressive score on your own SAT. The maximum score on the SAT is 2400. If you want to be taken seriously as a tutor without professional experience, you will need to demonstrate evidence of a high score. Try to land in the 2200 to 2400 range.

2. Using books or online resources, study teaching strategies and effective communication. Your job as a tutor is to convey information in a manner that is both friendly and compelling, in addition to helping the student grasp complex topics. You will need a familiarity with the different styles of learning so you can customize lessons to each student.

3. Using blank paper, create flyers advertising your services. Attract your first client by posting flyers in coffee shops or on school bulletin boards using a stapler, push pins, or tape (make sure you obtain administrative permission). You can also add postings to online job listing pages or create a simple website outlining your services. Whether using a flyer or an online communication, you'll want to include your name, contact information, available hours, a list of your qualifications, and your hourly rate. Customer testimonials are also excellent for bringing in new clients, once you've earned a few to post.

4. Respond to clients as soon as possible and always show up on time for sessions. Once you have landed a couple of clients, your reliability and effectiveness as a tutor will be a deciding factor in whether you receive referral clients. You can hold tutoring sessions in your home, your client's home or at a nearby coffee shop or library, depending on your client's needs. Hand out business cards to every client, follow up with each client's outcome and offer discounts for referring other customers in order to increase your referral rate.

References

• Wahm: 5 Tips for Starting Out as an SAT Tutor
• The Princeton Review: Private Tutoring
• SAT Scores.us: SAT Scores by University