How to Become a Spanish Tutor
Spanish is the most popular foreign language in American schools, and so Spanish tutors are very much in demand nowadays. Your success as a Spanish tutor, however, depends on just what you can offer. If you are a native Spanish speaker or someone who has spent a lot of time in Spanish speaking countries, or if you have professional accreditation, it will be much easier to get students.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Figure out what Spanish qualifications you have. Are you a native speaker? Have you spent time in a Spanish-speaking country? Are you state certified to teach Spanish in the schools? Did you major or minor in Spanish or receive secondary education in it?
-
2
Decide what other teaching qualifications you have. Even if you haven't been certified to teach Spanish, experience teaching in the public school will be a great asset in getting students. Any experience teaching or tutoring can also help you get a Spanish tutor position, so list what you have done.
-
-
3
Decide what skills you possess. Are you fit to tutor advanced Spanish, or only basic? Can you act as a conversation partner? Are you good at explaining difficult subjects to children with learning difficulties? Can you help students learn Spanish culture and history, or is your expertise limited to the language.
-
4
Audition for a tutoring center. Language learning centers such as Berlitz have jobs for part time teachers and tutors all over the world. There are also tutoring centers such as Kaplan which offer Spanish tutoring to students. These centers tend to be easier to get a position in (at many language learning centers, you have to be a native speaker of the language you are tutoring).
-
5
Consider applying to an in-home tutoring referral program. Companies such as WyzAnt connect tutors to students in exchange for a portion of your pay. You have to have reliable transportation and you often have to sign a non-compete, but it is still a much easier way to get a client base than starting your own business.
-
6
Start your own business. Leave fliers with local school guidance counselors and anywhere else where students or parents who need them might get them. Put up ads on a free online ad service such as Craigslist. Be sure to include your qualifications and contact info in the fliers.
-
7
Pick a local spot to meet students. Usually, a coffee shop or library is ideal. You won't have to pay for space, and it will be convenient for both you and the student. Find something located near the local high school to make it convenient for your students.
-
8
Meet your students in the evenings. Start with 1 or 2 nights a week, holding hours from 3 until 6 or so. As you get more students, you can go later or add more days.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Consider your area when deciding whether or not to do in-home tutoring. A pretty compact, metropolitan area with good public transport can make in-home tutoring a lucrative proposition. A sprawling network of suburbs, on the other hand, will take up so much time and fuel to not be worth it.
