While I was in college, I thought it would be a good idea to tutor on the side for extra money.  I had been a preschool and after school program teacher for quite a few years by this time, and I thought becoming a tutor would be a breeze.

Boy, was I wrong.  There are some pretty high standards for Washington DC private tutors, probably because parents won’t use any Washington DC tutoring service that doesn’t hold their tutors to high standards.

Here’s what I found out:

• Most tutoring services want their tutors to be certified teachers.  Mind you, this doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be making as much as a teacher, but at least you can work a flexible, part-time schedule.
• Most tutoring services also want their tutors to have expertise in the subject area they’ll be tutoring students in.  For instance, a Washington DC reading tutors need to have studied methods of teaching reading, and math tutors need to have education and experience in teaching math.

Of course, even if you don’t have these things you still may be able to make it as a tutor.  Some tutoring services aren’t as particular, or you might choose to go into business for yourself.  Also, if you are in college, look into what work-study tutoring programs your school offers — this might be an easy way to get your foot in the door, and start gaining some experience that will help you get a tutoring job elsewhere later on.

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