How to start private tutoring: the first assessment and a clear service offer

Choose exactly whom you can help

“Maths tutoring for everyone” is a difficult promise to keep when starting out. A more precise offer is “maths for grades 5 and 6, building confidence with fractions and proportion problems”. State the subject, grade or level, teaching language and format: online, at your premises or at the student's home. Before offering exam preparation, check the official syllabus and sample papers.

Prepare explanations for a few common mistakes and solve the tasks yourself before assigning them. When a topic exceeds your competence, say so and suggest a colleague. Qualifications, classroom experience and your own academic results are different things. Describe each accurately rather than implying a qualification you do not hold.

Use the first meeting to understand the difficulty

Before the lesson, ask which topic the student is studying, for one difficult task and for their goal. You do not need a complete school record or personal documents. Explain whether the assessment is paid, how long it takes and what the family receives afterwards. For an adult learning a language, ask where they intend to use it, such as a job interview or conversations at work.

1. 1

   Begin with an approachable task

   Let the student work and explain their thinking. Observe where the difficulty begins before correcting every step.

2. 2

   Check a prerequisite

   If adding fractions is difficult, first check their understanding of equivalent fractions. An earlier gap may be blocking a new topic.

3. 3

   Set an observable goal

   For example: independently solve and explain four tasks with different denominators. Keep a comparable task for a later check.

EEF's review of individual tuition (opens in a new tab) emphasises identifying gaps and connecting tuition to classroom learning. Apply that principle to the student without turning average research findings into a promised grade.

Prepare a lesson you can adapt

For a 50-minute session, a starting outline could allow 5 minutes for review, 10 for explanation with an example, 20 for guided work, 10 for independent practice and 5 to close. This is a planning example, not a duration that suits everybody. Change the pace or content if the student tires or the underlying difficulty turns out to be different.

Avoid filling the whole session with your explanation. After an example, set a similar task and ask the student to choose the first step. EEF recommends feedback the learner can act on (opens in a new tab). In practice, “check the common denominator in step two” gives a clearer action than “practise more”.

Count the work around the lesson

A session price needs to cover preparation, marking, messages and any travel. A hypothetical example, not a market rate: you receive MDL 300 for 60 minutes, but preparation takes 30 minutes and administration another 15. You have worked 1.75 hours, making the gross income about MDL 171 per working hour, before expenses and tax obligations.

State the exact session length, whether materials are included and what support you offer between lessons. Answering a short question and marking homework every day involve different amounts of time. Agree payment, cancellation and rescheduling terms in writing, including what happens if an online lesson is interrupted. Clarify the appropriate business arrangement and payment documents for your situation before charging for services.

Agree clear boundaries with the parent and student

NSPCC's guidance for tutors (opens in a new tab) recommends professional boundaries and clear arrangements with families. Use those working principles without presenting British procedures as legal requirements in Moldova.

For a minor, agree the lesson location, communication channel and contact person with a parent or legal guardian. For home visits, agree where the responsible adult will be. Explain how the student can pause a lesson or raise a concern. Do not record sessions or publish identifiable images, names or results without the necessary permissions.

Write a precise offer and show what changes

An example to adapt to your actual skills: “I offer online maths tutoring in Romanian for grades 5 and 6. We address gaps in current school topics through explanations and independent exercises. The first session includes an assessment and a proposed learning plan. Sessions last 50 minutes. Price, availability and rescheduling terms are shared before booking.” Add your actual qualifications and experience.

After each lesson, record three things: what the student worked on, what they can do independently and the next step. After an agreed number of meetings, revisit a task of comparable difficulty. If progress is missing, discuss the cause and change the approach. For the family's perspective, read how to choose a private tutor.