Thursday, October 20, 2011

Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Math Tutor

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: A math tutor helps students of all ages comprehend and excel in mathematics.

Education: A bachelor’s degree in mathematics is required, although post-graduate work or degrees is preferred.

Skills: The ability to help students navigate mathematics, such as geometry, algebra, and calculus.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says the teaching profession in general is poised for growth, and therefore the prospects for tutors, especially ones that specialize in math, is bright. However, some of that growth is dependent on your area and if other math tutors are already entrenched. For example, an larger city could support numerous math tutors, but a rural community, probably not as many because the student pool would be smaller.

Possible employers: Private and public schools might have tutor referral programs for all ages. Community colleges and local universities would be good places to inquire about finding clients. Homeschool groups use tutors to teach group classes or one-on-one instruction as well.

Preparation: Make sure your teaching credentials are up to date, even if you’re not interested in a teaching position. If it’s been a while since you taught or tutored, consider taking a refresher teaching or math specialty class (algebra, calculus, geometry, etc.).

Get your foot in the door: Contact your local homeschool groups to see if there’s interest in a free talk on teaching math or some other general math-related topic. Attend a local or state homeschool convention to find out more about connecting with this group. Ask your local public and private schools about getting your information available to parents, such as offering an hour or two worth of tutoring at a silent auction.

Testimony: Tami in Herndon, Virginia, tapped her background as a public school math teacher to find a work from home job as a math tutor and mentor to other math tutors. For the past five years, she has spent between ten to thirty hours a week at her job. “Luckily my job has a good amount of freedom in the schedule, so I’m able to fit my work time around my other activities,” she says.

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great post. I have a high respect for tutors. When I was younger my parents hired a math tutor in San Jose and I still can't believe how much he helped me. I am great with numbers now, its amazing. Thanks for sharing.

Daniele Ickes said...

It's been two years and I bet you're already reaping the fruits of your tutoring. Math is a really challenging subject for some, and tutors are complimented when a student starts to improve in Math. I'm pretty sure that your students are getting excellent grades in Math. And hopefully, they're enjoying the subject a lot more. :)

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