How to start tutoring in the UK — a step-by-step guide for teachers

Step 1 — Decide who you tutor

Specialists earn more than generalists. Don't say 'I tutor primary'. Say 'I tutor Year 5 and 6 children preparing for the 11+' or 'I tutor Reception and Year 1 reading and phonics' or 'I tutor GCSE English'. Specific gets booked. Generic gets ignored.

Pick the niche where (a) you're already strongest, (b) parents in your area are actively looking and (c) you can charge a premium. Phonics, 11+, KS2 SATs, GCSE English, GCSE Maths and A-Level sciences are all premium niches in most UK areas.

Step 2 — Set your pricing properly

1:1 — £30–£50 per hour for primary, £40–£70 for secondary, £50–£90 for A-Level. Group of 3–4 children — £25–£35 per child per hour. Group tutoring is the secret to replacing a teaching salary fast.

Do NOT undercharge to 'get started'. £15-an-hour tutors burn out in six months and attract parents who treat the sessions as childcare. Charge what reflects you being a qualified teacher. The right parents will pay it.

Step 3 — Get your first three students

Source one — your existing network. Parents at your current or previous schools, friends with children, neighbours, the school WhatsApp group your partner is in. Tell ten people in week one. Three will reply.

Source two — local Facebook groups. 'Mums of [your town]', 'Local primary parents'. Don't spam. Post ONE thoughtful introduction with what you offer, your QTS background and a clear price.

Source three — your existing tutoring families. Once you have two children, ask each parent if they know one other family. Word of mouth is the long-term engine.

Step 4 — The legal bits (15 minutes, then done)

Insurance — get professional indemnity AND public liability cover. Combined for a small tutoring business this is around £80–£150/year. Try Markel, Hiscox or PolicyBee.

Tax — register as self-employed with HMRC within three months of your first paid session. Set aside 25–30% of everything you earn for tax. Use a separate savings account from day one.

Safeguarding — keep your DBS up to date. If you're tutoring 1:1 in a child's home, message both parents in advance to confirm sessions. Keep parent communication on email or WhatsApp, not text.

OFSTED — only required if you tutor children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day. Most tutors don't need this. Check the gov.uk page if your offer might trigger it.

Step 5 — Run sessions parents rave about

Send a one-paragraph progress note to parents at the end of every session. This single habit is why my retention is 90%+ and my word-of-mouth never stops. Parents do not know what happens behind the closed door. Tell them.

Have a clear plan for each session. Even a six-line plan. Parents can feel the difference between 'qualified teacher running a sequence' and 'someone winging it'. Lean into being a teacher, not a 'tutor'.

Step 6 — Scale (when you're ready)

Once you're at capacity 1:1, switch to group tutoring. Same hour, four children, four times the revenue. This is the single biggest unlock in a tutoring business and the thing most tutors take years too long to do.

Once your groups are full, employ another teacher. This is how a tutoring business becomes a real business and not just a job with a different boss. I went from solo tutor to four employed teachers in 18 months. It's not magic, it's a sequence.

The biggest mistakes I see weekly

Charging £15 an hour. Tutoring randomly without specialising. Not getting insurance. Not registering with HMRC. Not telling parents what happened in the session. Not switching to groups when 1:1 is full. Trying to scale by working more hours instead of changing the model.

Avoid these and you will be in the top 10% of UK tutors within six months. Genuinely.