How to be a tutor
Careers & Employment advertises over 1,800 tutoring vacancies each year via the Careers Online job database.
The information on this web page can also be downloaded from our Tutoring Handy Hints flyer. (100KB | PDF)
Important notice: from 30 June 2010 the Victorian Government will require any person providing coaching or tuition services of any kind for children to obtain a Working with Children Check. This requirement will be phased in from 1 July 2009 and after 30 June 2010 will become mandatory. It is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure they understand and adhere to their respective obligations in regard to the Working with Children Check.
Tutoring agencies:
- There are many tutoring agencies in Melbourne. You register with the agency and they match you with a student. Some of them advertise on Careers Online
- Some agencies charge a registration fee, which does not guarantee that you will get work. Find out under what circumstances you can get your money back if they do not provide you with any work.
- Tutoring agencies can be found in the Yellow Pages under Tuition – Education. Many also advertise in the classified section of local newspapers, under 'education'.
Schools:
- You could make a direct approach to some of the schools in your local area – they might allow you to place a flyer on a noticeboard, or an ad in their school newsletter.
- Try approaching some of your old teachers and let them know that you are available to tutor students – they may be able to recommend you to their current students.
top of pageApplying for and accepting a job as a tutor
Applying for a tutoring job usually would involve speaking to the parent of the student initially by phone. Ask what they are expecting the tutoring to achieve, and discuss how you can meet those expectations. Treat this like any job interview and prepare. Have a copy of your resumé in front of you when you make the phone call in case the person asks you any questions about what you have done in the past. Think about how you would tutor the student – the methods you would adopt. Make sure you have some suitable referees, such as people you have tutored or worked for in the past, or a teacher you have studied under.
If you both want to proceed after the initial phone conversation, organise a meeting in a neutral location such as a library or a café to discuss the arrangements.
- Before you go to the meeting, make an agreement as to whether or not you will be paid for it.
- Discuss in detail how and what you are going to do in the tutoring sessions.
- It is best not to start tutoring the student at this meeting, as you will need time afterwards to start planning the tutoring sessions.
- Discuss how long the arrangement will last.
- Set up a tutoring contract that states the responsibilities and expectations of what will be done by the tutor, the student and the parent. Include things like how much you will be paid, notice periods for cancelling or rescheduling a lesson and where and when the tutoring will take place.
Tips
- Do not call an employer after 7pm – unless the job ad says that it is acceptable to do so.
- Don’t make any promises that you cannot possibly meet – such as saying that you can get the student into medicine, or achieve an ENTER score of 99.
Do I need an Australian Business Number (ABN)?
Some tutoring agencies will employ you as an independent contractor. If this is the case, they may ask you to supply an ABN. If you are not operating a business, then you do not need an ABN. You can obtain from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) http://www.ato.gov.au/ a form called “Statement by a Supplier (Reason for not quoting an ABN to an enterprise)”. When you provide the completed form to the tutoring agency, it will exempt you from needing to quote an ABN.
If someone wants to employ you as an independent contractor, see our Employment Contracts flyer (115KB | PDF) to learn more about what that entails. Generally, you will have fewer rights as an independent contractor than you would as a casual employee.
How much should I be paid?
The following minimum tutoring pay rates have been recommended by the Student Employment Officers’ Association of Victoria (which represents all Universities and TAFE institutes):
- Primary and Secondary up to Year 10 (tutored by undergraduate) - $22 per hour
- VCE - Year 11 and Year 12 (tutored by undergraduate) - $25 per hour
- Tertiary (tutored by undergraduate) - $30 per hour
Note:
- Postgraduate students may charge an extra $5 per hour - negotiable
- Tutoring two students may be charged at time and a half - negotiable
- Tutoring three students may be charged at double time – negotiable
Do I have to pay tax?
If you earn more than $6,000 per year, you will need to declare this income and pay tax to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The ATO can provide you with information on how you can declare money that you have received from tutoring and how to pay any taxes that may apply. You can contact the ATO on 13 2861 or at http://www.ato.gov.au/
Tip - Keep a logbook!
A logbook can be useful as an employment record, so when you apply for other tutoring work in the future you can demonstrate what you have done in the past. It is also good to keep a record of the students that you have tutored, in case any problems arise in the future, or if you need to contact the student.
Your log book should record the date and time that the tutoring took place, who you tutored, their contact details (such as address and/or phone number), and what happened during the lesson (eg. explained how to…).
Improve your tutoring skills: a guide for students
The Improve your tutoring skills publication (143KB | PDF) was produced by the Language and Learning Skills Unit on behalf of C&E.