How Do I Become a Tutor in SA?

When one teaches, two learn. Robert Heinlein

Do you want to become a tutor? Are you a tutor who wants to grow your business?

You might be surprised to learn that, in South Africa, there are no legal requirements to have any specific qualifications to become a private tutor.

However, if you want to join a tutoring platform, you will need to check whether the platform stipulates minimum qualification requirements, such as a matric certificate or a bachelor's degree, to become a tutor with them.

So, essentially, the skills and qualifications you need will depend on the tutoring job you're applying for.

In this article, we aim to answer all of your burning questions about what it takes to be a great tutor and the steps you need to take to start offering your tutoring services.

Want to give private lessons?

Join the Superprof community and share your knowledge with inquiring and motivated students.

Create an advert

Tutoring: General Considerations

Being a tutor involves so much more than passing on study skills and mining students' brains for information they've somehow suppressed.

As a general rule, you will need to have an excellent grasp of the subject you teach, with either experience or a qualification in that subject.

It is not compulsory to have a degree, but a degree will certainly make your profile stand out to potential students, whether you want to tutor students in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Durban, or elsewhere.

After all, if you're going to help students improve, you need to have a thorough understanding of your discipline; a confidence that can only come from knowing your subject material through and through.

The general rule is that a tutor must be at least one level more advanced than their students.

That means that a first-year undergraduate student may help matric candidates prepare for their exams, matric students may tutor students in grade 11 and below, etc.

It is important to note that, in South Africa, it is illegal for minors under the age of 15 to work, so however keen your teen might be to earn money by sharing their knowledge with others, they may only start working once they have reached the minimum working age set out in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

If you're interested in tutoring part-time before launching your independent tutoring services, why not consider tutoring through an established tutoring platform.

This would be a good way to get references from students or their parents, which will go a long way to promoting your tutoring business when you do launch!

Certain tutoring companies will require you to have at least a university degree, preferably in or connected to the subject you wish to tutor, in order to apply for tutoring jobs with them.

They may also prefer that you have first-hand experience in certain subjects that might be more exacting, such as languages and IT.

The demand for such high-level, specialised knowledge in certain fields, along with the preference for teaching experience in the tutoring industry overall, makes tutoring a logical career move for former teachers.

Many parents or guardians might prefer that you have some sort of academic qualification in the subject you tutor.

For instance, if you're a Physics undergrad, your National Senior Certificate with Maths and English passes would be testament enough that you have the knowledge to teach students up to matric level.

As a tertiary student, you may even have greater success tutoring Grade 12 students simply because you have recent experience in the ordeal they will soon face!

Likewise, if you are tutoring maths at matric or university-level, it would benefit both you and your students for you to have a significant academic background in maths. This usually entails having a degree in the subject, thus ensuring that you have a solid understanding of the subject yourself.

Learning goes far beyond what is required by any course syllabus or national curriculum.

As a tutor, you should encourage your students to ask questions and gain a wider understanding of the subject they are studying, even if it's not strictly relevant to the syllabus they're following.

You make this possible when you can offer a broader perspective of the subject.

You will not only help students to understand their work in a new way, but motivate them towards the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake.

Being able to teach beyond the curriculum is also about much more than the subject itself; it's about helping students develop critical thinking skills to understand their own learning style and teaching them how to exploit it to achieve their academic goals.

While there are plenty of instances where qualifications and extensive experience can be very useful, many people seek tutors in subjects that do not involve academic knowledge at all, such as painting and dancing, yoga and cooking.

Do I Know Enough to be a Tutor?

Perhaps you play a musical instrument - the piano or the drums and wish to inspire others with your passion for music.  In order to give music lessons, it is not necessary to have any official training musical theory or how to play your instrument – just skill and great teaching strategies.

However, if you are preparing your student for assessments to achieve grades or qualifications in music, it’s important that you do know a bit about music theory and understand the grading and assessment systems so that you can help your student pass.

You should keep in mind that syllabuses will change from time to time, so you'll need to keep abreast of these changes to ensure that nothing is overlooked and your students are fully prepared for their assessments.

What type of Students Can I Help?

Tutoring doesn’t just revolve around children only.

Many adults seek private tutoring to help them develop a particular skill  either for professional development or just for fun.

If you specialise in languages, marketing, business management, or computer skills —such as software development and coding— these are all incredibly useful in the professional world.

Although, as mentioned earlier, it is not legally required that you have any specific qualifications to tutor, students will naturally prefer tutors who have the technical experience to teach in the area they're studying.

For this type of tutoring, it is always preferable to have industry-specific experience and knowledge.

If you aim to tutor in non-academic subjects, such as cooking or photography, you will find your students are less interested in your formal credentials than they are in any reviews or testimonials of your capabilities as a chef or photographer.

The bottom line is: there are are all types of students, all types of subjects to teach and all types of tutors; each with their own skill sets and pedagogy.

All you need to do to find your place among them —or rather stand out amongst them— is to start advertising, and students will choose you based on what suits their personal way of learning as well as their individual goals.

As a tutor of a non-academic subject, it may be difficult to know how to advertise your services.

Luckily, Superprof caters to the needs of all tutors and students, so whatever your subject, whether it's singing, coding, sewing or personal training, you can join a community of tutors just like you whilst building your online presence and attracting clients.

Must-Have Tutoring Skills

Being a private tutor requires a certain level of skill and expertise, but it is up to you to advertise your credentials accordingly and decide whether you are equipped to tutor in a certain subject.

Above all, it is important to remember that experience and human qualities are what really qualify you to be a great tutor.

When considering a career in personal tutoring, ask yourself if you have the following qualities and skills:

• Perseverance, enthusiasm and flair
• Deep reserves of patience, empathy and intuition
• Creativity in lesson planning and implementing teaching strategies
• Passion and talent for your subject
• A love for teaching and helping people learn at various levels

It is up to you to develop students' thirst for knowledge by using your best resources to ensure that their efforts are reinforcement with encouragement.

Patience, intuition and empathy are a tutor's greatest attributes.

You need intuition to sense that there are underlying causes of your students' need for extra lessons, patience to uncover what those causes are, and empathy to connect with the student, so that you can help them overcome their obstacles.

Adapting to Different Learning Styles

Students learn in all sorts of ways: by seeing, by hearing, by touching and by reasoning.

A great tutor has the ability to create individualised methods of teaching that are tailored specifically to the student in front of them.

It's there essential to establish a rapport with each student you tutor.

Your first session with any new client should focus on learning what they like and dislike about the subject material as well as personally.

Jumping straight into the books without exchanging any ideas almost guarantees you an uncooperative attitude from your student and poor feedback of your teaching abilities!

You can also talk about learning styles during your first meeting.

However, while knowing that a student is a visual learner is useful, don't let that be the end of your focus on the matter as there may be some undiscovered preferences.

Tutoring is all about trying new things and seeing what works best.

So, pay attention to small details during your sessions, will give you clues to the student's preferred learning strategies.

In fact, chatting for a few minutes before each session begins will allow you to take your student's emotional temperature on the day.

Are they nervous? Upset? Eager to learn?

You can then mould your teaching methodology to suit the circumstances.

As a tutor, you should appreciate that you will have to employ many methods of imparting information that might not suit your own learning style.

The most talented tutors will not only know how to identify the best teaching methods for each student, but they will also be able to find creative ways of implementing them so that the student can learn as efficiently as possible.

Having these qualities and the ability to help boost students’ grades and cultivate skills in a relaxed, positive environment truly qualifies you to be a private tutor!

What About Learning and Educational Difficulties?

Does your student suffer from a learning or educational difficulty?

Statistics show that around 2 million people in our country live with a learning difficulty ranging from the 'invisible' dyscalculia, dyslexia and autism to the more severe and more noticeable.

Students who are disadvantaged —socially, through a learning disability or economically— could often also be victims of peer bullying, which exacerbates the strain on them to succeed academically.

The ability to sense your students' struggles, gain their confidence so that they might confide in you, and help them through those challenges are essential qualities for a tutor to possess.

Your enthusiasm and positive attitude, coupled with empathy and understanding, will help propel your tutoring business forward.

Want to give private lessons?

Join the Superprof community and share your knowledge with inquiring and motivated students.

Create an advert

What Do You Need as a Tutor?

While you are not legally required to hold any professional qualifications, having them does help.

Having no relevant qualifications could present certain problems.

With no official qualifications or training it can be more difficult to prove you can deliver a standard of teaching that students and their caregivers will expect.

Without any formal teacher training, it will also be a bit harder to assert that you’re right for the job and that you can deliver an outstanding academic support service.

Deciding whether you're fit to teach any subject you are passionate about will come down to an honest evaluation of your skills, strengths and weaknesses.

You wouldn't attempt to teach the guitar if you know nothing about chord progression, but if you can demonstrate through personal experience that you have mastery of the guitar, your ability to provide help in that subject may be more than enough.

Ask yourself these questions that clients may ask you:

• What makes you suitable to be a private tutor?
• What experience do you have, both with the subject in question and in teaching it?
• What is the highest level you feel comfortable teaching?

Understanding your own level of expertise and being able to explain your suitability for tutoring will help you to better market your skills.

Whether you're creating leaflets to distribute in your community, creating an online tutor profile on Superprof, or discussing your tutoring services in person, being aware of the concerns that prospective clients may have, and preparing answers to their likely questions will help you persuade people to give your services a try.

With fewer or no formal qualifications, it's likely that you'll be under the microscope far longer than tutors with more credentials, even after you've been hired. Check out the checks you can submit to to reassure your students and their parents, where applicable.

Do You Need Teaching Experience to Become a Tutor?

Many full-time teachers provide private tutoring services at night and weekends, and they are highly sought-after by school students, especially over tutors who do not have formal teaching experience.

That does not automatically disqualify you from running your own successful private tutoring service!

Many students find that their learning style is better supported by someone with different experience and skills to traditional teachers, so teaching qualifications might not be necessary.

In fact, where some parents feel that only qualified teachers will have the knowledge and skills to be able to boost their child's grades, sometimes, viewing subjects and tasks from a non-teaching perspective can help students see things in a different light, which ultimately benefits them.

One reason that so many students struggle to keep up with their peers in the classroom is the one-size-fits-all teaching approach often used in schools today.

Studies have shown time and again that that educational philosophy fails a large segment of the student body because it neglects the needs of each individual.

Of course, it would be incredibly difficult and expensive for schools to implement an individualised teaching approach, and doing so may even require restructuring the curriculum or the education system itself.

As a tutor, it's your job to help students understand what they've been taught at school, but this doesn't mean that you should regurgitate what their teachers have instructed.

Your task is to identify any issues in the understanding and application of newly-gained knowledge and to use your initiative to build a bridge to that understanding.

Students and their caregivers often find that tutors who are not qualified teachers can offer a different approach to learning.

It is often preferred to have an instructor with industry-specific experience and work-based knowledge that is more practical than theoretical.

For example, students looking to find a tutor to provide one-on-one maths tutoring may be drawn to those who have had experience in accounting or economics.

However, because a theoretical understanding of academic subjects is vital to academic success, it is common for undergraduates to work as tutors while they are studying.

It is not necessary to have finished one's degree program before starting a tutoring business and many students – particularly of secondary school age – tend to appreciate  a tutor closer to their age group and interests; one who might better suit their way of learning and understanding.

In addition, undergraduate tutors can offer expertise in exam technique and test prep, as they will be more than familiar with demands of the education system when it comes to sitting GCSE and A Level exams.

Many students have difficulty putting what they know on paper and this proves to be a hindrance to answering test and assignment questions.

Someone who is constantly writing, such as an undergraduate, can act as a writing tutor to help students organise their ideas and communicate their knowledge to the exam boards as effectively as possible - even if they're not tutoring a humanities subject. Many science subjects such as chemistry, physics and biology require students to provide long, detailed written answers; improved writing skills can make all the difference.

So, although concrete teaching experience can be helpful for many students in academia, there are also many advantages to hiring a tutor who has never taught in a classroom.

Teaching Non-Academic Subjects

Much of the focus of this article has been on tutoring school subjects for a reason: academic tutoring is the bread and butter of the tutoring industry.

It is often said that man cannot live by bread alone, even if it is buttered.

That is why, these days, there is a demand for instruction in fields not remotely related to academics. Music lessons, cooking classes and learning a second language; personal fitness, wellness and mindfulness and the craving of other such life-enriching experiences all drive learners to tutoring websites for instructors in those disciplines.

Here again we point out that no diplomas or extended education is necessary to establish yourself as a tutor in most of these fields; the lone exception being if you were to work as a personal trainer - this is the second omission mentioned in the opening paragraph.

In their eagerness to satisfy the growing demand for in-home personal training, some tutors are dismayed to find they are required by law to obtain at least Level 3 certification before they can bill themselves as in-home personal trainers.

By contrast, yogis may teach yoga in a studio, in clients' homes and teach yoga online with no certification requirements whatsoever.

Personal training's requirement for formal training and other certifications aside, what really sells your ability to teach your subject matter is testimonials from former students.

You may then use those reviews to improve your teaching methods if so indicated, and to advertise your tutoring business.

How Do I Start a Tutoring Business in South Africa?

Because of the intense scrutiny that independent tutors are generally subjected to when first starting out, it is important to protect yourself against personal and professional liability, especially if you enter the market with minimal to no credentials.

One way you can build legitimacy as a tutor is to take these official steps:

• Keep your taxes up to date. If you earn a taxable income which is above the tax threshold you must register as a taxpayer with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and file a tax return every year. We strongly encourage you to consult with a tax advisor to determine all your tax obligations. As a private tutor, you will be in business for yourself and it is your responsibility to declare and pay any taxes owed on the money you earn as a tutor to SARS.
• Consider buying insurance for you and your business. In South Africa, it’s not a legal requirement to be insured as a tutor, but you may want to consider some of the following types of insurance: business and portable equipment insurance, public liability insurance, and professional indemnity insurance. We recommend that you meet with a professional advisor to understand the types of insurance packages that will be relevant for you.
• Advertise honestly! It is crucial that all the information you give, and skills or qualifications that you advertise, are accurate and honest. You must be able to verify and provide proof of any qualifications that you claim to have. More than that, you are legally bound to advertise honestly!

Once you have all of the legalities sorted, it is time to advertise your business. Here, a multi-pronged approach to gaining the maximum exposure is key, and you should tailor it to your subject material.

In all cases, you should check in with your local community centre, supermarkets and even petrol stations. Having fliers printed out to post on bulletin boards and to hand out is a direct advertising method that, more often than not, brings results!

You may also want to post an advert in your local community newspaper.

Even in these digital times, there are plenty of people who regularly consult the classifieds, looking for that unique combination of value and quality. Doesn't that describe your tutoring services to a tee?

Leave no stone unturned! As long as you're placing ads, take one on your local Gumtree site too!

Finally, talk yourself up: to friends, family, neighbours and acquaintances. Tell them that you are launching a tutoring  service and ask them if they'd be willing to help you get the word out.

Tools to Make You an Effective Tutor

A great tutor would not rely solely on prescribed textbooks and workbooks, session after session.

The Internet is a vast repository of videos, podcasts and other teaching tools that you can incorporate into your lessons to make them more interesting.

• Youtube's LanguagePod series hosts short video lessons in several languages
  • You will also find plenty of music instruction online, whether you teach the violin, guitar, piano, drums or the saxophone!
• Khan Academy has banks of instructional videos on core academic subjects as well as university-level material
• Quizlet has flashcards and games for revision in just about any subject you can imagine!
  • If they don't have what you're looking for, create a free account and build your own study sets!

There’s a huge array of teaching resources and ideas available to help you start teaching at home. From books to downloadable worksheets, online blogs and videos, you can find inspiration to provide attentive and informative home tutoring sessions.

A top tip would be to keep detailed notes on each student: Observe their strengths and weaknesses, learning preferences, and goals, keep track of their progress, and list the online materials that could be used in lessons.

This type of journal would be a great way to keep track of when you get paid, too!

How Do I Become a Successful Private Tutor?

Once you've tested the tutoring waters, there is nothing wrong with branching out into tutoring small groups.

The most obvious benefit is introducing a wider audience to your teaching style and expertise.

For example, if science is your subject of choice, you could host a workshop in the weeks leading up to exam time. You'll have the opportunity to target a specific facet of knowledge to a limited group of participants who, hopefully, will go on to perform better on their exam than they otherwise would have.

Or, you could host a weekly learning clinic in your area of expertise, whether this is guitar playing or creative writing. In these events, you would welcome participants, give them a condensed version of an entire lesson and invite their questions and comments.

Clinics are especially effective for hands-on learning: musical instruments, the sciences, or even maths topics can be reviewed in clinics!

You may consider hosting such events at your local community centre or library; and possibly charge no fee, at least, for the first few that you lead.

Volunteering your time and skills has an amazing goodwill effect on others which may compel them to investigate your paid lessons.

It may seem counterintuitive to give away lessons for free, but doing so is an effective marketing strategy that does wonders to promote your business!

Just ask any Superprof tutor; most of them give their first session for free!

How Do I Start Tutoring With Superprof?

Superprof aims to make becoming a tutor as effortless as possible!

The platform connects students to the tutors they need by providing each tutor with their own profile page.

Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions. Unknown

On your personal tutoring page, you would have room to discuss your teaching methodology and experience, if any. You will indicate how much you charge for each hour of instruction, and which learning levels you are able to teach.

You may also inform potential clients whether you would tutor in their home, in yours, online or some other mutually-agreed location.

If you have any qualifications, you can upload them to Superprof to be verified by the team. Once they have been checked, you can advertise your qualifications on your tutor page to help attract prospective students.

Some tutors build web pages to promote their business, while others rely on adverts to find clients. Superprof gives you both, along with room for your students to post testimonials right on your profile page for all to see!

Now that you have been inspired to start tutoring and sharing your knowledge with others, why not look into getting started as a tutor? Read up on the legalities of giving one-one-one tuition, how to report your income as a private tutor and whether you should obtain a criminal records check before you start tutoring.

Tutoring for Specific Exams

When tutoring exam-specific course subjects, such as the national senior certificate curriculum, or international courses such as A-Levels, it is important to have a good knowledge of how they work.

Familiarising yourself with the course structure, content and assessment will help you prepare your student to get great results and achieve academic success.

It might be a good idea to have the main course texts or textbooks for your subject, particularly if you tend to tutor a specific academic level such as Grade 12. Having these resources means that you can learn the syllabus and assessment structure and plan your lessons with these in mind.

By doing this, you increase your student's chances of improvement in your subject, which means tangible results and positive tutor reviews for you!

You should also familiarise yourself with the different courses available to certain age groups.

Knowing how to target your lessons to suit the assessment criteria of various curricula will minimise the risk of teaching topics your student doesn't need to know and therefore prevent confusion for the student.

You might also find past papers and mark schemes for exams that your student is preparing for.

Not only will this help you get familiar with the structure of your students' assessments, but it will also enable you to give exam-focused help and guidance to your student which is specific to their syllabus and exam assessment board.

Having the extra knowledge and resources that are available to school teachers means that you can understand how your students learn in the classroom and what is required of them, and in turn you can learn what is required of you as a home tutor to help them succeed.

As a tutor, you can use this knowledge alongside any work or industry experience you might have, so your student can get the best from your skill set and expertise, something they do not necessarily have access to with school teaching alone.

You might also create your own resources to help your student learn in a different way to how they might at school, with a less rigid structure.

You don’t need any qualifications to show some initiative and creativity with your tutoring sessions, and often having no standard teacher training can help you approach teaching differently and better suit how your students learn.

There are many reasons students opt to take private lessons outside of school.

Maybe they're falling behind their peers, perhaps they understand the course content but struggle with applying their knowledge, or maybe they feel that they're not realising their full academic potential.

Regardless of the motivation behind seeking the help of a tutor, it's your job to put yourself in the shoes of a struggling student and ask yourself what the best course of action is. Speak with your students and their parents, find out about what motivates them, and once you're familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, be sure to provide feedback on their progress.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward

Inspiring students to succeed isn't just a victory for them, it's also a great feeling for the tutor.