The traditional classroom setting isn’t always the most conducive learning environment for a child, and the pandemic further proved this when students continued learning from their own homes.
There has been a shift in education, with more and more parents exploring schooling alternatives for their kids, including homeschooling. To give your son or daughter the best experience, it’s important to know how to hire a private teacher. There are several ways to do this–you can ask for referrals from old teachers, check out education-specific job boards, or attend school job fairs.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what you need to know about hiring a private teacher for your family.
Things to Consider When Hiring a Private Teacher
Besides skill and experience, the most important things to consider when hiring a private teacher are his or her soft skills. They must be creative, engaging, and resourceful, and should have excellent communication abilities. Here are some of the characteristics to look out for:
Education Background
You’ll want to hire a private teacher who has a background in teaching, whether it’s from graduating as an education major or from taking educational credits post-graduation. This ensures that they have the necessary foundation to be imparting knowledge to your kids.
Teaching Experience
While you can hire private teachers with little to no experience, it helps if they already have some years behind them. This signifies that they know how to work with a range of different personalities.
Communication Skills
Private teachers must have excellent communication skills to be able to keep their students engaged in lessons and receptive to what’s being taught.
Organizational Skills
A good private teacher knows the importance of being organized with their curriculum, grades, and other learning materials. They should also be resourceful; they need to be quick on their feet when the need arises.
Passion for Teaching
Teaching is a noble profession–not everyone can do it. You want to hire a private teacher who loves their job, and who can passionately go about their tasks despite any challenges that may come their way.
Budget
How much does a private teacher cost? Prices vary, with some charging as low as $10 an hour to others costing over $85 hourly, mostly depending on their expertise and experience. You don’t always have to splurge to find the best teacher, but it’s good to have a budget in place and start looking for candidates within a range you’re willing to spend.
How to Hire a Private Teacher
Get Referrals
If your child is coming from a traditional school, their teachers will have an idea of his or her learning style and will be able to give you recommendations based on who they think can best teach your child.
Look at Education-Specific Job Boards
Several job boards are specific to teachers. Check these out as they have a good selection of private teachers for hire who you know are legitimate.
Ask Recent Education Graduates
Recent graduates will be looking for hours to add to their private teaching experience, making them willing candidates you can hire on a budget. Because they’re fresh out of school, their training will be top-of-mind.
Go to Teacher Job Fairs
Check if there are any job fairs happening around your area. These events are a great place to field potential candidates as you’ll be able to meet them in person and get answers to some questions or concerns in real-time. If you have your kid tagging along, you can even see if they jive as a duo!
Hire Online
You can hire a professional freelance private teacher through reliable freelance hiring platforms like Guru. This is an especially good route if you’re looking for teachers who can educate online or for those who have very strong expertise on certain subject matters (you get more choices from across the globe!).
Hire a Freelance Private Teacher on Guru
Guru is a top online freelance marketplace with a wide array of private teachers for hire. The best thing about hiring through Guru is that you can do everything–from posting a job to managing tasks and making payments–right on the platform. Find the best private teacher to suit your budget on Guru today!
