How Taketutor works

Searching for a tutor

Learners will come to Taketutor and search for a tutor who meets their needs. Some learners will use filters to refine their search

Many things might influence a learner’s decision. These include: 

1. The tutor’s price 

2. When the tutor is available 

3. The tutor’s experience 

4. The tutor’s qualifications

5. The languages a tutor speaks 

Scheduling their first lesson 

When a learner finds a tutor they like, they will do one of the following two things: 

1. Send the tutor a message 

This normally happens when a learner has a question. They might want to know more about your experience or ask if you can help them with a specific learning goal. 

2. Book a trial lesson directly 

In most cases, learners book trial lessons directly. This involves choosing their preferred time, based on the tutor’s availability, and then purchasing the trial lesson. 

Attending the trial lesson

Students have trial lessons to see if they’d like to continue learning with you. These lessons are incredibly important and should involve the following: 

1. Building rapport

2. Learning more about what the student wants to achieve

3. Level assessment and basic needs analysis

4. Teaching the student something new and relevant

5. Discussing the content and time of future lessons  

How does it work? 

Being your own boss comes with many advantages, including having complete control over your hourly rate. You can change your hourly rate at any time from the "my profile" tab. 

Doing this will not affect any of your existing students, who will continue to pay the price you advertised when they first contacted you. 

How much should I charge?

There is no golden rule when it comes to how much to charge. The amount that students are willing to pay depends on a variety of different factors, including: 

1. The subject you teach

2. When you're available

3. Whether you have qualifications to teach your subject 

4. How much experience you have

5. How many reviews you have on Taketutor 

6. The languages you speak

In general, tutors on Taketutor increase their hourly rate as they gain reviews and experience on the platform. 

This means that the tutors you see in the search results may have started with a lower hourly rate to help their profile gain traction, then increased it incrementally until they reached their current rate. 

Some students on Taketutor are looking for tutors with certificates, specific qualifications or proven experience teaching their subject. 

If you have any of the above, make sure you take advantage of your achievements by adding this information to your profile. 

We have sections for: 

1. Certificates 

2. Education  

3. Experience 

To add this information, go to the “background” section of your profile. Make sure you fill out all the information requested and don’t forget to upload your documents, which will need to be verified by the Taketutor Team.

Many students come to Taketutor looking for a tutor who can help them with something specific, whether that is exam preparation, interview preparation or accent reduction. These students often use filters to find a tutor with the relevant experience. 

Adding your specialities to your profile will give you increased visibility and will help you appeal to certain students. We’ll show you how below! Just remember: 

1) Only select areas that you’re truly able to teach. Students will expect you to show up well-prepared and with the necessary expertise. 

2) Explain your past experience teaching this area of your subject. If you don’t write an explanation, the changes to your profile won’t be accepted. 

What do students see when looking for a tutor? 

Students can see your headline and the first few lines of your description in the search page. If they like what they see, they'll click on your profile and read your full description, so make sure the information you include at the top is interesting!

Let's make sure the right students find you. Update your description now to attract the learners who you're best suited to teach. 

What type of students would you like to attract?

The parents will be looking for a tutor for their children, and they generally look for experienced tutors with personality traits that are suitable to teach young learners. They also want information about your teaching style and how you engage young students in class. Make sure you emphasise any academic achievements as well, as parents look for information about your education. 

What about the last paragraph? 

It's very important to tell students what they can expect from a trial lesson with you, so they can feel more confident when booking. Add some information about:

1.What happens in a first lesson with you? 2.Do you send your students any information or materials before or after the class? 3.Do you give homework after the first class? 4.How do you check your students' level and how do you ensure you understand their goals? 5.At the end of the lesson, will you recommend an approximate number of hours and lesson frequency needed to achieve the student's goals?  

Write your description in other languages

If you've already added the languages you speak to your profile, you may have the option to write your description in some of these languages. This will help students who speak that language fully understand what you've written about yourself. 

This option is only available for select languages so please don't worry if you don't find a description box for some of the languages you speak. 

Why are reviews important?

Reviews help build trust among students, who want to be sure they’re spending their money wisely. 

To attract new students and grow your business, it’s important that you ask your regular students to leave a review. 

How do students leave reviews?

Your students might not know how to leave reviews so it’s important that you’re able to guide them. 

To leave a review, your student will need to go to the messages tab on their dashboard, click on you and select “post review” in the bottom right corner.

When should I ask for a review?

Students can leave a review directly after the trial lesson but we recommend waiting until you’ve had at least three classes with a student before asking them to write a review. 

You want to be sure that the review will be a good one, you also want your students to be able to write something meaningful.  

“Simon was friendly, well-prepared, and seems like a good tutor” 

“Simon is a friendly tutor who comes to every class well prepared. His personalised approach has helped me make good progress and I’m already seeing improvements. I would highly recommend him as a tutor” 

Above we can see two example reviews of the same tutor. While both are positive, the second is much more informative and more attractive to students.

To get reviews like the second this, tutors need to give their students time to see the value of their classes. 

How can I ask for a review? 

Students who like your classes will probably be happy to write you a review. Make sure you ask them kindly and explain why it’s important for you. 

Here’s an example below:

Hello Simon. l had great fun in our class today. When you have time, could you leave a review on my profile? l 'd really appreciate this, as it will help me do well on the platform.

Will I know when a student leaves a review?

Yes, we’ll send you an email to let you know! It may take up to 24 hours for your review to become visible on your profile.

Did you know...

Tutors with at least five reviews get three times as many bookings! 

Profile photo

Make a great first impression

Tutors who look friendly and professional get the most students

Tips for an amazing photo

1. Smile and look at the camera 

2. Frame your head and shoulders 

3. Your photo is centered and upright 

4. Use neutral lighting and background 

5. Your face and eyes are fully visible (except for religious reasons) 

6. Avoid logos or contact information You are the only person in the photo 

How to make the perfect video 

Record your video

Now introduce yourself to students! You can watch and re-record your intro before you submit it.

Upload Or paste a link to your video , Learn how to upload videos to Youtube or Vimeo.

Tips for a great video

Technical

1. Keep your video between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long 

2. Record in a horizontal mode 3.Position the camera at eye level 

4. Use neutral lighting and background 

5. Your face and eyes are fully visible (except for religious reasons) 

6. No logos, links or contact details 

7. No slideshows or presentations 

Content

1. Greet your students warmly 

2. Highlight any teaching certification 

3. Present your tutoring experience 

4. Invite students to book a trial lesson  

How do I improve my position in the search results?

Following the advice in this course will help students find your profile and make them more likely to book classes with you. To further improve your position in the search results, you need to work on your performance. 

Many areas of your performance are considered in the search results ranking. These include: 

1.How many classes you miss  2.How many classes you cancel  3.How many trial students become regular students  4.How many hours students spend learning with you
 

To understand how you're currently performing, visit the statistics page and see how you compare to other tutors. If you notice some areas for improvement, make sure to search for the relevant training module.