Tutoring

[Bowen9475]

My 16 yo son who is a high school sophomore and gets very good grades has been asked to tutor someone in Algebra. The kids have known each other all through school, been friendly but not necessarily "friends" and just as of this year she went to a different school. What should he be looking for to get paid? He has never actually done any tutoring and we have no idea on what to ask for. Thanks for any help!

 

[jmartinez1895]

In our area private tutors get paid about 45 an hour, but these are the ones that are actual teachers. In your sons case I would think that maybe a small fee per session would work. Maybe 10-20 dollars.

 

[Debbie7452]

My DD tutored a couple of students in high school. She got paid $20/hour. They met at a local frozen yogurt shop most of the time. It was great pocket money and also very beneficial to the students she helped.

 

[anelson81993]

I'm a tutor at my university, employed by the school. I make $9/hour, 2 hour-long sessions per week, for a total of $18/per week/per group. My groups can be 2 to 4 students, and I make the same $9/hour whether I'm tutoring 2 students or 4. It's not a lot of money, especially since I'm only currently working with one group (when I'm assigned multiple groups I actually make pretty decent money), but it's an awesome experience and I really love it!
I'd say $9/hour is reasonable for a high school student tutor.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm not sure about the fee, though what I've read in these posts sound reasonable. Fees vary widely from one area to the next. Around here, the going rate for tutoring by a teacher is $100.

But, as a math teacher, a few words about the actual tutoring:
- Factoring is incredibly important in Algebra I!!! Have your son make SURE his student can factor. It's going to take a few sessions to get it down. That's OK, it's worth it.

- The easiest way to approach many verbal problems is with a chart. Organize the information in columns, with a different column for each new type of information. Then all you have to do is figure out the relationship between the different types of info presented. But it's SO much easier when it's in columns, as opposed to paragraphs!

- When I tutor, I always start with the homework. That way the kid starts to see instant success- he understands the current material, so the next quiz shows improvement. The kid is a lot more willing to work if he sees that improvement. (Of course, I'm not suggesting your son DO the homework, but explain the first few problems and let the student gradually take over.) Also, ask about any upcoming quizzes or tests and hit that material right away. Once the kid is won over, there's time for the old material.

- A GREAT site for high school subjects is http://www.regentsprep.org/ (obviously here, we're talking the Algebra link.) Regents are exams that NY State kids take, but the material is appropriate to anyone taking the course. My own (private school) students don't take Regents, but I direct them to the site all the time.

And, while I'm sure the warning is unnecessary, I feel obligated to put it out there anyway: since she's a girl, remind him that the tutoring is only to take place when there's someone else home. Not because I think your son or the girl would do anything wrong, but simply as a precaution.