Evaluate your own qualifications and situation. Tutors can be divided into three groups depending on the students they work with. College tutors are usually advanced undergraduate or graduate students who assist freshman and sophomore students who are struggling with the demands of college courses. The largest group of tutors works with kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) students. They are either freelance tutors or work for a tutoring firm. There are also many adult literacy programs that recruit volunteer tutors. This is a good way to break into tutoring if you don’t have experience or a degree in education.
Become a tutor in Washington state as an undergraduate or graduate student at a college like Central Washington University. The tutoring program here is typical of those at other colleges and universities in Washington state. As a student tutor you work with professors, Academic Advisement staff, and occasionally with Disability Services to create individualized tutoring plans for students needing help. Tutoring is done on a one-on-one or small group basis. You must have at least a 2.7 grade point average and a B+ in any course you tutor. All tutors take a semester-long course leading to certification by the national College Reading and Learning Association (see links below).
Capitalize on a bachelor’s degree in education and teaching experience by becoming a tutor for a company like Sylvan Learning Centers. There are Sylvan Learning Centers in several Washington communities (a link to the Seattle Sylvan Centers is at the end of this article). Tutors work mainly after-school hours and many teachers use this as a way to supplement their income. Others opt to make tutoring their full-time career. To work as a tutor for Sylvan or most other tutoring firms, you must have a bachelor’s in education and at least 1 year’s teaching or tutoring experience. Professional tutors work primarily with students who are having trouble in grades 1-12 either in person or through online instruction.
Begin tutoring as a volunteer in an adult literacy or English as a second language program for non-English speaking adults. In addition to being a way to contribute to your community this is an excellent way to break into tutoring if you don’t have experience from college tutoring or a degree in education. There are several adult literacy organizations in Washington State similar to the Tacoma Literacy Now program (link below). These organizations recruit volunteer tutors and provide free training.
Become a freelance (independent) tutor. In Washington State there are no state-mandated requirements to be a tutor. However, successful independent tutors usually have several years experience tutoring or teaching before starting their own business. If you choose to become an independent tutor in Washington State, you’ll need to build a clientele. Tutors advertise in newspapers, local community bulletin boards (in churches, youth centers, and with local schools and teachers). Your business success will ultimately be based on word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied parents who recommend your services to other parents.