When is the right time to start tutoring?

I was chatting with a new tutor recently, he's actually an old school friend of my daughter’s, who had been sharing on Facebook about wanting to get started.

Like with many big events in life, a question that is often asked is:
“When should I start?”

There’s no perfect time

As with most things, there isn’t a perfect time to start tutoring.

So my answer would be:
Start now.

That might sound like a confident statement, but there’s a reason behind it.

In the beginning, people aren’t really watching

When you first start sharing that you’re becoming a tutor, you feel torn between wanting to shout if from the rooftops and (if you're anything like me) what happens if it goes wrong?

The fear aspect can make you feel like everyone is watching.

In reality… most people aren’t.

And that’s actually a good thing.

Because it gives you breathing space and time.

Time to:

• build confidence

• find your voice

• start showing people what you’re about

Use this time to build awareness

Instead of waiting until everything is “ready”, use this early stage to begin building awareness of your tutoring.

Start by sharing posts that:

• offer help

• give small bits of advice

• show how you would support a child

This helps people to:

• see that you’re genuine

• understand how you work

• get a feel for the kind of tutor you are

It also means that when people do start to get in touch you can prepare for their individual needs rather than the generic needs of a generic "hypothetical" person.

You won’t always see immediate results

One of the hardest parts at the beginning is that you might not get much response. It can feel as if you are shouting out into the void.

But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening.

People are:

• reading

• noticing

• remembering

Even if they don’t interact straight away.

You never know who is listening

This is something I’ve seen time and time again.

Someone who hasn’t liked or commented on anything suddenly reaches out because:

“I’ve been seeing your posts…”

I was on a training call with a group of "business women" from around the world. Coincidently, one of the other women was a also a tutor, based in Brisbane, Australia. Although she had never liked or commented on any of my posts, she "knew me well" as she had been following me for years on Facebook.

Although you may not be aware of it, that trust is building quietly in the background.

Consistency matters more than perfection

You don’t need:

• perfect posts

• perfect branding

• perfect confidence

You just need to:
-show up
-be helpful
-be consistent

These posts give people the chance to get to know you, how you work, how you think. They get to like you. Over time, that builds loyalty and stronger foundations to your business.

Final thought

You never know who is listening, or when they’ll need your help.

So if you’re thinking about starting tutoring…

Start now.

If you’d like a bit more guidance…

If you’re thinking about becoming a tutor and would like a clearer idea of what to do next, I’ve put everything in one place here:

👉 https://clarajamestutoring.co.uk/get-into-tutoring

It will guide you through the different ways you can get started, depending on where you are right now.