1. Pick a niche you can actually teach
The narrower your focus, the easier you are to recommend. “GCSE maths” or “IELTS speaking” is easier to market than “all subjects”. Choose something you know well and enjoy — you will teach it a lot.
2. Set a rate before you take a single student
Work backwards from the income you want and your costs, then check local market rates. Underpricing is the most common beginner mistake and the hardest to undo with existing students. A rate calculator gives you a number you can defend.
3. Find your first students
You do not need a website on day one. The fastest sources:
- •Tell everyone you know — referrals convert best.
- •Post in local parent and student groups.
- •List on a marketplace to get reps, then move repeat students to your own system.
- •Ask every happy student for one referral.
4. Decide how you take payment
Pick one or two methods (bank transfer, PayPal, Mono) and state them clearly. Agree whether you bill per lesson, monthly, or in blocks — blocks improve cash flow and commitment.
5. Put a simple system in place
From your very first student, track three things: what you covered, what homework you set, and who has paid. A spreadsheet works at 1–3 students; beyond that a dedicated tool like OBRI keeps the admin from becoming a second job.
6. Keep records for tax from day one
Log every payment and keep your invoices. It is far easier than reconstructing a year from memory. See our tax basics guide for what to keep.