9 to 5
goldenshell84
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
has anyone done in-home tutoring?
in 9 to 5
I have a pretty profitable tutoring business and many of my clients want me to come to their homes. I have started to do that after the initial in-office consultation. Now, some are asking for the initial consultation at their homes. I don't know why, but it kind of makes me uncomfortable... I like to be on my "turf," so to speak, as we are deciding whether or not we are a good fit for one another, and I also feel odd about going to someone's home without meeting them first. Does anyone else travel to students' homes for tutoring? Any tips? Also, this is a dumb question, but do you park on the street or in the driveway? Thanks 
Re: has anyone done in-home tutoring?
I tutor in homes privately (I have since this past September). I've always had good experiences with it. I completely agree with the going to someone's house without meeting them first. To be honest, I was uncomfortable when I started this, too, but I went ahead and met them at their homes anyhow. I made sure to give all of the info to my husband as well, and everything turned out fine. In the future, I may change how I operate, though, to be safer.
I park in the visitor spaces (for townhome communities) and on the street (for single family homes)- mostly because the family I tutor with a SFH usually has the sitter there when I arrive, and her car is in the driveway and I don't want to pull in behind her.
Honestly, I really like tutoring in home. I never tried in the library, but I like offering the convenience to the families, and I don't have to worry about finding a table, the library hours, etc. Sometimes the parents are nearby (i.e. in the next room over in the study), but usually the parents head downstairs or to another room.
I certainly wouldn't hesitate to tell prospective clients that for safety purposes, you conduct all consultations in-office, if that makes you more comfortable.
Can I ask you a couple of questions back? Is your office a rented office space? Office space in your house? Are you actually a business? (as in, I tutor 8ish hours a week now with regular clients and hours but I don't have a business name, business cards, etc). How do you advertise?
Thanks for the tips! I have my first in-home consultation tomorrow morning so I'm a little nervous
I have office space in one of those buildings where you can rent space by the hour. I am sure you could find something similar in every city. I generally only use a couple hours per month since I do so much of the actual work outside- I have been using it mostly for consultations for the past year.. so the cost is manageable. I get 4 hrs per month for $50 and then if I need more hours it is like $12/hour or something.
I did incorporate my business and I have an LLC. You can get business cards for next to nothing online - I can't think of the name of the site offhand but it's one that most people use for inexpensive business cards... you could probably find out the name by googling. I have advertised in a bunch of places: facebook, google adwords, local high school newspapers, church bulletins, junior league newsletter.. and would you believe that I have NEVER gotten a client from advertising except for google? This year I am cutting out all advertising because of it. I don't know why it's not effective; my ads are really good.. maybe this is just not the type of business where advertising works? I'm not sure. I do have a really good website though and a lot of people find me through google adwords or google searches. A good website is key!
Good luck!!
Thanks for the info! I've never heard of that kind of office building- but that sounds perfect for what you need for tutoring! I'm not expecting to want to expand the number of clients I have until Fall 2012 at the earliest since I am expecting in early 2011, but I'll have to remember about your information until then!
I used to, and it really was fine, but then I started thinking about all the crazies out there, and started telling people I only tutored at the library. Some people offered to pay more for me to start going to their house, and I would after I knew them. I would still go to the house if it was someone that I got through someone else- so I knew it was actually a person with a child and not some serial killer or something. However, I got really picky with that too because traffic was so bad in the evenings and it just wasn't worth it.
The best way I found to get clients was word of mouth- I was on the list at my school, my district also has a list, and teachers and other clients would refer me.
Would you mind sharing your website (even in a PM)? I'm interested in starting a tutoring business this fall and would love to see a well-designed site.