How to Start and Run a Home Tutoring Business: A Complete Manual for Setting Up and Running Your Own Tutoring Agency

127 Pages·2009·3.65 MB·English

by  Gillian Stellman

How to Start and Run a
Home Tutoring
Business
If you want to know how ...
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How to Start and Run a
Home Tutoring
Business
A complete manual for setting up
and running your own tutoring agency
Gillian Stellman and Vivienne Howse
how to books
Published by How To Content,
A division of How To Books Ltd,
Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road,
Begbroke, Oxford 0X5 1RX. United Kingdom.
Tel: [phone]. Fax: [phone].
email: [email protected]
http://www.howtobooks.co.uk

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (other
than for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing.

The right of Vivienne Howse and Gillian Stellman to be identified as the authors of this work has been
asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

© Copyright 2007 Vivienne Howse and Gillian Stellman

First published in paperback 2007
First published in electronic form 2007

ISBN: 978 1 84803 098 5

Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon, UK
Typeset by PDQ Typesetting, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, UK

NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can be
accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on statements made in
the book. The laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check the current
position with the relevant authorities before making personal arrangements.
Contents
List of Figures ix
Preface xi
PART I: THE MANUAL
1 Why a Tutoring Agency? 3
Education is always topical 3
An interesting business 3
Being your own boss 4
Working from home 4
A good income 5
No training required 5
What's in a name? 5
The right catchment area 5
In summary 6
2 Where Do I Begin? 7
Why tutors register 8
When to advertise 8
Specific subject recruitment 9
Where to advertise 10
Monitoring your advert 15
In summary 16
3 What Happens Next? 17
Dealing with the response to your recruitment campaign 17
Meeting the criteria 20
Chasing up applications 22
References 22
Vetting 24
Parental responsibility 24
Manual record keeping 25
Computerised record keeping 25
v
vi HOW TO START AND RUN A HOME TUTORING BUSINESS
4 Getting Your Business Going 28
Advertising for clients 28
Important dates in the school year 32
5 Responding to Clients' Enquiries 34
Bookings 34
What you need to ask clients 34
What you need to tell clients 36
A word of caution 38
6 Clinching the Deal 39
Linking clients to tutors 39
Keeping a record of the deal 42
7 When the Tuition Ends 47
Finding out when tuition ends 47
8 Making Your Money 49
Methods by which tutoring agencies make their money 49
Setting the rates 51
Exceptions to the rule 52
Administration fee 53
9 Financial Matters 54
Keeping accounts 54
Tax returns 57
Banking 57
Telephone systems 57
10 Expanding Your Business 60
Diversification 60
11 Resources for Tutors 65
Teaching materials 65
12 Troubleshooting 70
Problems you may encounter 70
CONTENTS / vii
13 Tutors 74
Essential requirements of tutors 74
14 Case Studies 76
15 Becoming a Home Tutor 79
Qualities of a home tutor 79
Qualified teachers 79
Payment 81
Graduates 81
The National Curriculum 82
The National examination system 83
Payment 84
PART II: STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS -
USEFUL INFORMATION
16 Tax and National Insurance for the Self-employed 87
Income tax 87
National Insurance contributions 88
Benefits and tax credits 89
Value Added Tax 89
17 Pensions 90
Personal Pension Plans (PPPs) 90
Stakeholder Pension Schemes 90
Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) 91
18 How to Trade 92
Sole trader 92
Partnerships 92
Limited Company 93
19 Furnishing and Equipping Your Home Office 95
Why have your office at home? 95
Where you can work in your home 96
Equipment and furniture 96
20 Going on to Bigger Things 97
Widening your existing geographical area 97
viii HOW TO START AND RUN A HOME TUTORING BUSINESS
A new geographical area 97
Buying out a competitor 98
Franchising 98
21 Setting Up a Website 100
Creating a website 100
Advantages of having a website 100
Costs 100
Making your website known 101
22 Financial Help for Small Businesses 102
How to finance your initial advertising campaign 102
Ongoing finance 103
Grants 103
Loans 103
Useful Addresses and Websites 105
Final Note 111
Index 113
List of Figures
1 Recruitment advert 1 7
2 Recruitment advert 2 10
3 Letter 1: For the attention of the head teacher 12
4 Letter 2: For the attention of the head teacher 13
5 'Would you like to earn extra cash in your spare time?' leaflet 14
6 Application form 18
7 Information for tutors form 19
8 Disclaimer form 21
9 Reminder slip 22
10 Reference letter 23
11 Subjects list 26
12 The tutor database (sample 1) 27
13 The tutor database (sample 2) 27
14 Advert for clients 1 28
15 Advert for clients 2 29
16 Leaflet 31
17 Guidelines for leafleteers 31
18 Advert 1 32
19 Advert 2 33
20 Advert 3 33
21 Booking form 35
22 Client information form 41
23 Timesheet 43
24 Administration fee slip 44
25 Client list 45-6
26 End of tuition slip 48
27 Commission: first reminder 50
28 Commission: final notification 51
29 Accounts spreadsheet 56
30 Total accounts 58
31 Revision course timetable and booking form 62
ix