Tutoring in person: a practical guide for teachers

Much tutoring now happens online, and for a lot of families that works well. But plenty of parents still want someone at the table: younger children who find a screen hard to focus on, children with SEND who do better with a person in the room, home-educating families, and parents who simply prefer it. On our site those families often can't find a qualified teacher nearby yet, which makes in-person tutoring a real opening for a teacher who is happy to travel. Here is what is different about it.

Decide how far you'll travel before anything else

Travel is the hidden cost of in-person work. A 45-minute journey each way turns a one-hour lesson into a two-and-a-half-hour evening. Set your radius by time rather than miles: five miles across a city at rush hour can take longer than fifteen on country roads. And group your lessons where you can, because two families in the same area on the same evening halves the travel per lesson.

Price the travel, don't absorb it

If an in-person lesson takes you twice as long door to door, your rate should reflect that, or your radius should be tight enough that it doesn't matter. Most tutors fold travel into the lesson price rather than charging mileage on top, which keeps things simple for families. Our guide to setting your rate covers how to pick the number.

Working in a family's home

A few habits protect everyone, you included:

• Work in a shared room, at a kitchen or dining table rather than a bedroom, with the door open.
• Ask for a parent or another adult to stay in the house for the whole lesson when the pupil is under 18.
• Keep messages on the platform rather than swapping personal numbers or social media. It keeps a record, and it keeps your personal details yours.
• Don't take photos of the pupil or their work on your own phone. If a parent wants a record, send notes after the lesson.

None of this is awkward if you say it once, at the start. Most parents are reassured that you've thought about it.

What to bring

Keep a light bag that turns any table into a classroom: printed practice questions for the level, a mini whiteboard and pens, spare pens and a calculator, and a notebook for what you'll tell the parent at the end. Find out the pupil's exam board before the first visit, so the practice material matches.

When plans change

Cancellations hurt more when you've already set off. On Teachers Delivered, parents who cancel more than 24 hours ahead get a full refund; later than that, a refund isn't guaranteed. If you arrive and nobody is in, use Mark No-Show on the lesson page so it is on record. Hold yourself to the same standard: families plan their week around you.

Your own safety

Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back, especially on a first visit to a new family. If anything about a visit feels wrong, you don't have to stay. Leave, and let us know. Your profile only ever shows the district you're based in, never your home address.

Records, tax and insurance

If you tutor on a self-employed basis, keep a simple mileage log as you go (date, where from and to, miles). Business travel is an allowable expense, and a log is far easier than reconstructing a year of journeys in January. Check that your car insurance covers business use: driving to lessons usually counts as business travel, which a social-and-commuting policy may not cover. Public liability insurance is also worth considering for work in other people's homes.

Getting started

On Teachers Delivered you tick "Face-to-face lessons", add the postcode you travel from and choose how far you'll go. Families nearby can then find you, and when one of them sends us a request that fits, it comes to you. Every tutor is a qualified teacher with a verified Enhanced DBS, and you set your own rate. If that sounds like your kind of work, create your profile.