How to Find Online Tutoring Jobs for College Students

Brandi Glass
5 min read
girl having video chat with teacher online on laptop

Online tutoring jobs for college students are an efficient way to earn while studying. You have tons of flexibility because you can choose your hours and the age of the students you want to take on and teach from the comfort of your home. However, it’s not always easy to find students, even if you have competitive prices.

If you are wondering how to find online tutoring jobs for college students, read on. We’ll cover the best ways to find clients without hassle or confusion.

Assess Your Skills

Before looking for students, you must understand your limitations regarding the material you want to teach. Even if you are a college student, if you aren’t good at math, for example, teaching high school students that subject reflects poorly on your skills. Don’t forget that if you’re working with minors, parents expect you to get results and for their children to improve.

The same applies if you want to take on adult students. You may not get repeat customers if you don’t have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Carefully assess whether your skills match what you are tutoring your students, as not doing so backfires later. Negative reviews harm your reputation and make it difficult to find new students.

Create a Free Website

A website is one of the best ways to give off a professional image, list your qualifications, and encourage students and parents to learn more about your services. In the past, only web developers could navigate and create a website, as most of the work was in the back end. Nowadays, free website companies let you have a small and functional site without paying.

These websites make money through advertising, and you’ll have a link to show others or display on your social media account. Moreover, they are effortless to use. Most of the work on your part includes inputting the information in the required fields, picking a format and color scheme you like, and inserting high-quality media.

Find Your Target Audience

Identifying your target audience isn’t always clear-cut. For example, if you want to teach young students, you must find the platforms that their parents frequently use. If you teach students your age, you can advertise through your college or leave flyers where you know they will find them. Sometimes, you can go to local businesses and hand out a business card that they can pin to a community board.

If you don’t know where your clients are, you can’t advertise to them. Take some time to identify whom you will teach, where you can find them, and the best ways to market your services to them. The more time you spend narrowing down your options, the likelier you’ll come up with multiple ways to reach them.

Create Separate Social Media Profiles

It’s always a good idea to separate your personal and professional social media accounts. You can add and communicate with others through your professional page and keep your friends and family on your social accounts. Even if you don’t post potentially problematic material, a separate presence is a safer and more professional way to connect with your audience online.

One of the benefits of having a professional page as a social media account is that you have access to tools that aren’t available on personal profiles. For example, Facebook allows you to see how many people visited your page and interacted with your posts through their dashboard, completely free. This tool will enable you to gauge what makes the most impression on potential customers.

Join Online Groups

Sometimes, the best places to look are local. You can use local online groups to market your services to others without paying. For example, let’s say you live in a town called Smithville. You can search for groups on social media platforms that Smithville residents join and prepare a paragraph that you can post on different pages.

You can also join online groups for tutors and communicate with others with the same goals and concerns. By exchanging ideas and getting tips from people with experience, you can learn ways to help you find your target audience in places you never thought of before.

Never Underestimate Word of Mouth

Word-of-mouth remains one of the best ways to get recurring clients. The reason is that this isn’t something you are advertising as a tutor – other people are vouching for your skills instead. Think of your potential clients as customers shopping for a product. They are likelier to believe a fellow customer’s review than the business selling the product.

Most times, customers will tell others about their experience if they are happy with your tutoring. And while you can’t rely on word-of-mouth alone, it is an excellent way to get great clients who need the skills you offer without searching for them yourself.

Ask Customers to Leave Testimonials

One of the best pathways to market your tutoring skills is to get reviews from happy customers. Online review sites are a big deal nowadays, and potential customers check reviews before deciding to purchase or use a service. You can ask customers to leave reviews on your professional social media page and your free website.

A word of caution, however. Always make sure that the testimonials are genuine. Customers can tell if one person is writing all the reviews, which does the opposite of getting business. If a customer is not happy and leaves you a bad review, try to speak to them or communicate to ask what you can improve or do better.

Invest in Advertisements

If all else fails, or if you don’t have the skills or time to put in the work to find clients, advertisements are the best way to find customers. Some websites allow you to advertise on their platforms for a small fee. There are also websites just for tutors, and customers visit these and choose a person from multiple profiles. You can also use sites like Craigslist to advertise your services.

Advertising is also possible through social media. However, every platform has different rules and rates. With some research, you can find the platform that suits you most and invest some money to reach more people.

Create a Foolproof Resume

Your qualifications may look great through a website or social media page. Still, nothing beats the effect of a solid CV that lists your skills on paper. Even if you don’t have much experience, a resume is a professional way to highlight your competence and attract the right customers.

Keep in mind that not every resume works. You can make one in minutes with Rocket Resume if you do not have one. Typos, formatting issues, and hard-to-read text all factor in the final impression of a CV.

Rocket Resume allows you to create a professional resume even if you have just started tutoring. All you do is choose a suitable format, input text in the required fields, and your resume is ready. The more effort you spend on your CV, the likelier you will have more customers who appreciate your attention to detail and transparency.

Now that you know how to find online tutoring jobs for college students, it’s time to make an actionable plan. With the right tools and a stellar resume from Rocket Resume, your chances of finding more clients increases over time.