Can you succeed by tutoring your native language?

Tutoring a language comes with special advantages and special challenges. The key advantage is that many people who live in countries where salaries are lower can teach people via the internet. Common reasons that people want to learn other languages are:

1. For interest
2. For business
3. Because they may wish to move overseas at some point

These reasons identify different types of customers that can be approached differently. For business based customers, it's vital to present yourself as qualified, professional, and prepared. For other types of clients, it's more important to emphasize the enjoyment of learning a language and to put out a fun and friendly message.

I highly recommend using language learning software (such as Rosetta Stone and or something comparable) alongside your personal tuition time. However, I also recommend that you take on more of a mentor role, rather than restricting yourself to the scheduled time; nothing beats really being immersed in a language. For example, give your student a method to reach you when needed for advice like "how do I pronounce this?" A great way to do this is to use a video call service that can save sound bites so the student can refer back to them later.

Even though language tutors tend not to make quite as much as math or science tutors for individual lessons, there are many ways to significantly improve your opportunities. One important way is to establish a small group of 3-4 students that you teach in a group. This can be the most effective method of tutoring a language as it allows everyone can help each other along the way. For example, a group can watch international films and tv together outside of scheduled classes. For this method you'll need a space you can teach in - many people have made this work from their own homes.

Language tutoring is also popular online and all the usual advice applies regarding testing the quality of your set up before you start. An important way to establish your credibility and to recruit top clients is to create Youtube and other online content and make it available for free. Making a series of videos, making the first few available for free, and making the rest only available for clients is an excellent way to show people the quality of service that you can offer and attract new clients.

More on creating video content soon!

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