3 Ways To Cure The Back-To-School Blues With Your Tutoring Business
Ahhh back to school. Remember the days of feeling excited to pick out your school supplies and new clothes? (Ok, if this wasn’t you, I totally get it.)
As a 90’s kid, name brands were a big deal. Annnd if you had a dad like mine, you quickly learned he wasn’t concerned if you had Nike shoes or Abercrombie and Fitch shorts. He would, however, make a deal with you. “You pay half and I’ll get it for you.”
Maybe you can relate?
As a kid, I had a constant eye roll over that one. As a grown up, I totally get the method to his madness and thank him daily for teaching me the value of working hard for the things you want.
As a classroom teacher, I find myself implementing many of his parenting strategies on my own students. Funny how we turn into our folks, huh?
And once you become a teacher, you realize you never really wanted to leave school anyways or else you wouldn't be there....or maybe you're just a glutton for punishment.
Having the summer off and autonomy over our own schedules, can really throw a monkey wrench on our once euphoric back to school state of mind.
So, how am I going to go back to reality from teaching online last year to the physical classroom?!? I’m so glad you asked!
It wasn't all that long ago that my spirit had been broken by a horrible administrator and feeling super isolated at my new school.
And if you've been here for a minute, you know tutoring literally pulled me out of deeeeeep teacher burnout. (The kind where you cry in your car on the way to school).
Tutoring allowed me to work 1-1 with kids and feel like a real teacher again, you know the kind of teacher who is appreciated?
As I head back to school in a week, I plan to continue to tutor on my own terms.
For me, that looks like a smaller client list and tutoring either from home or tutoring online. Last year I was able to accommodate families without overstepping my own boundaries because I taught online from home. For me, personally, teaching online from home was a lot less stressful than teaching in person.
And because I’ve outlined my boundaries and taken the time to understand what makes my own tutoring business run smoothly, I don’t have to worry about things like time, money, or having a plan. Creating a tutoring contract took the sting out of having those hard conversations with families about boundaries. It does the work for me!
You make the schedule, you make the rules, you're the boss, mmmmkay?
So here's my best advice for creating a schedule you love while making the money you deserve:
Make a list of your non-negotiables boundaries (things you absolutely won't tolerate)
Reverse engineer your schedule so it works for you! See when you have time to tutor and respect your own boundaries
Figure out your monthly income goal which will tell you exactly how many kids you need to tutor (my handy, dandy Tutoring Income Calculator does the work for you)
Once you have your list of non-negotiables in place, you’ll find that it gets easier to take on the clients you actually want to work with and politely decline the rest. You see, starting your own tutoring business means you don’t have to please everybody, you just have to please yourself!
Even if you're not teaching this year, you need a tutoring schedule that you love so you avoid burnout and earn your worth.
Maximizing your time is the one thing that will take your tutoring business to the next level!
I can't wait to see all the big things you accomplish this year!🎉
Remember, starting a tutoring business takes time and persistence. Overnight success isn’t something that really happens. You have to roll up your sleeves and do the work.
Want to get started but have no idea where to begin?