Tutoring High School Students for Cash

Every parent wants to give their children the best chance when it comes to education. South African parents usually turn to tutors for extra lessons, especially when their children are not doing well in certain subjects such as math, science, and languages. The demand for tutors is so high that it is easy to enter the tutoring market, as there are many schools and children in need of assistance. If you have strong academics or are brilliant in certain subjects, then it is time to make a profit off your talents by starting a high school tutoring service in South Africa. The good part about this side hustle is that you can start right away without capital, provided you have a laptop, subjects you are brilliant in, and a good marketing strategy. 

Popular Subjects To Tutor in SA

Parents usually pay for tutoring on subjects that directly impact university admission and the subjects that usually have a low pass rate. 

Here are high-demand subjects in tutoring in South Africa:

• Languages: English, Afrikaans, and IsiZulu
• Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
• Mathematics & Mathematical Literacy
• Business-related subjects: Accounting & Economics
• IT, CAT, Engineering, Graphics, and Design

Any person who is highly knowledgeable in these subjects has an opportunity to start making money from tutoring.

How to Start Your High School Tutoring Service in South Africa 

While teaching qualifications are beneficial, they are not a prerequisite for initiating a tutoring service. The only costs associated with starting a tutoring business are transportation for traveling to clients and basic stationery, which are relatively low. Here is what you need to start:

1. You must provide proof of excellence in the subject you wish to tutor. Proof can be your school results, university transcript, or past experience.
2. A space with no disturbance; it can either be your home or teaching from the children’s own homes. Some tutors prefer teaching online.
3. Prepare learning materials like past exam papers, textbooks, worksheets, or downloaded CAPS curriculum papers from the Department of Education.  These materials will come in handy when tutoring children.
4. Use Facebook ads and fliers to market your business. Download WhatsApp Business to make it easy for parents to reach out to you and also for sharing their children’s progress.
   

Charge Rates to Tutor

How much you are going to charge per student will depend on where you are located, the kind of subject, and whether it’s group-based tutoring or singular.

• The average charge for individual high school tutoring is between R150 and R300 per hour.
• Average R80 to R150 for each child per hour for group tutoring consisting of 3 to 6 learners.
• The rates are similar to online tutoring, but then you will no longer have travelling costs to cover.

Realistically:

• You will earn R16,000 per month provided you tutor 10 learners each week for 2 hours, charging them R200 per head.
• If you want to make the most profit on a less time-consuming schedule, then group tutoring is the best. You can make R1,000 per session when tutoring 5 learners at the same time for 2 hours, charging R200.

For additional income with higher rates of R250–R400 per hour, look out for first-year university students who are struggling with subjects like math, accounting, statistics, and law.

Finding Your First Clients

If you can pass through the hardest stage of finding your first clients, more will come because of the results you produce.

• Introduce yourself to teachers so that they can recommend your business to parents with academically struggling children. You can also distribute fliers in neighboring schools.
• Approach libraries and community halls to give you an opportunity to offer free trial lessons to learners.
• Market your business on local social media groups and Facebook ads.
• Work on sites like Teach Me 2, TurtleJar, or Upwork to build experience and polish your online tutoring skills.
• Post your business flyers on university notice boards targeting first-year students for tutoring.

Expected Monthly Income

Your monthly pay will depend on the hours you worked and how many students you found. For Example:

• You are bound to make R6,400 a month as a side hustle tutoring for 8 hours per week charging R200.
• A part-time tutor makes R12,000 a month, works 15 hours a week, and charges R200.
• You can earn R25,000–R40,000 on full-time tutoring, working 30 hours a week taking both individual and group tutoring.

You can scale your business to a small tutoring center earning over R50,000 per month.

Scaling Your Tutoring Business

As a first-timer, you can start with just a few students, and if you produce good results, word of mouth will bring you more clients, and you can grow into a full-time business.

1. Once you have more parents bringing in their children, start tutoring in groups to bring in more income in a short period of time.
2. Employ more tutors who can assist you in covering various subjects under your center.
3. For extra income, introduce online tutoring, sell pre-recorded lessons, and create a study group on WhatsApp for subscriptions.
4. Engage with school management to offer extra prep lessons to students during the exam period.
5. Run promotions each month for a steady income. For example, “pay R1,200 for 10 lessons.”

Conclusion

There is always pressure for a higher pass rate in high school so that students can qualify for admissions in universities. Take advantage of this and start a high school tutoring business targeting subjects that are highly in demand in the tutoring industry. With the right teaching style, a proper marketing strategy, and determination, you can move your high school tutoring service to a full-time business earning you over R30,000+ a month. If you have excelled in a certain subject, preferably math, languages, or sciences, this is your time to make steady income from your brains. All you need is a laptop and learning materials to start earning right away.