Tutoring Agencies have traditionally been one of the most popular marketing vehicles for both upcoming and already established tutors.
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Tutoring Agencies (or TA's) are basically like middlemen. They put time, money and resources into marketing their agencies so that tutors don't have to.
From the outset, TA's can seem very appealing to tutors because they make getting clients a whole lot easier. However they're not a perfect solution for all tutors.
Here are 3 signs you should consider signing up with an Agency:
1. They're niche. In other words, a good agency that's likely to find work for you will most likely be a niche one because parents go to them when they want to find tutors who can teach a specific subject.
Niche agencies tend to be smaller but more focused and often enough, they're usually hunting for tutors who can teach specialist subjects.
2. They have good PR. A reputableTA will most likely put time and effort into getting positive PR from national and local media outlets such as newspapers, magazines and news stations.
If they're scoring PR, they're most likely to be generating awareness which means that they're able to reach a lot of parents which in turn increases your chances of being hired.
3. They take care of their tutors. A good TA understands that it's important to nurture the talent that they have. In other words, they should be willing to provide some form of training, support or advice to you which should help you to improve your work as a tutor. If an Agency signs you onto their books and only reaches out to you when they're desperate for you to take on a students, they're probably not a great company.
If you do choose to sign up with a TA be cautious, be careful and be clear. Ask them questions, do some background research on their company and check the small print (e.g. What commission do they take? Do they support their tutors? etc).
PS. I managed to score some great press in one of the UK's most prestigious newspapers. Take a look at it here.
I'll be sharing the secrets to landing PR in one of my upcoming training materials so keep an eye out for my emails.
Finally, if you have a question that you'd like to ask about your tutoring business- tweet it to me @thetutoress.com and I'll answer your question in a future blog post. You can also find me on Google+.
Wishing you a great week!
Victoria.
Author, Become A Private Tutor & founder of TheTutoress.com