“It’s an amazing job”: Senior Michael Rogers and Tutoring
May 19, 2021
In 2020 the global tutoring market size was over $90 billion, making it a massive and also growing industry. For RMHS Senior Mike Rogers, this industry was the perfect opportunity to utilize his skills, help the community, and earn a nice wage.
Getting Started
For just about all his life, Michael Rogers knew that he had an exceptional understanding of math. He loved to learn new concepts and ways to do things. However, it seemed like every class he was in was too slow for him, and he loved to use his extra time in class helping everyone around him.
It wasn’t until the summer before he went into 7th grade that he began tutoring. He had been talking to his friend about school coming to an end and finally reaching summer. That was when his friend brought up that he had been tutored over the last year. “Once I realized that people could get paid to help people the same way I already did, I knew that tutoring was going to be perfect,” said Rogers.
When he first began tutoring, what he taught was limited. As Michael said: “You can only teach what you know,” and when you are just a seventh grader your knowledge is limited. However, because of his complete understanding of math he was able to be placed in the accelerated level of math and even take an extra level of math his freshman year of high school. This allowed him to quickly learn every topic that he would need to know to tutor just about anyone in the Reading Schools District. Rogers now tutors students in every math class the high school has to offer as well as middle school math classes.
When Rogers first started his tutoring business in order to get business he said “I would usually post on the Reading Parents Network as well as go to work with guidance to find students who needed extra help.” This start wasn’t easy though.
“Getting a start was the hardest part. It took so long to start getting clients to tutor,” Rogers said. But after tutoring for a while and getting his name out there, Rogers now has a far easier time finding clients. “Many clients come to me from people’s recommendations,” said Rogers.
A Financial Opportunity
The tutoring industry is absolutely massive, as well as extremely profitable for many. As reported by the Globe Newswire, the industry worldwide totals to over $90 billion annually. A lot of this industry is run by independent tutors who often charge anywhere from $45 per hour all the way to $200 per hour depending on the course and level of expertise needed. For many tutors this leads to an average income of over $50,000 per year, with many making a much larger number than this.
For Rogers, this economic opportunity is no different. Rogers will tutor anywhere up to 10 students weekly, charging a fee of $60 per hour with discounts for some students. In his time as a tutor, Rogers has tutored over 100 clients, tutoring “roughly 15 students a year.” For a high school student, this wage is unheard of, and he has been able to earn a large sum of money that he has saved for his future.
The Challenges of COVID
Throughout this past year and the COVID-19 pandemic that came with it, the tutoring industry as a whole has been completely changed. Because of lockdowns that stretch across the world as well as personal safety in person tutoring has come to a near complete stop in many places.
However, education continues and a need for extra help still exists, which has led to the major rise in online tutoring. Many students in need of help are turning to online teachers to get the extra support they need. Many in the industry believe that this type of teaching is the future of tutoring.
For Rogers, the change caused by all of this was major. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Rogers tutoring business in a major way, keeping him out of business for a number of months. “For the most part, I’ve had to put everything on hold during the pandemic, only a few video calls but no in person tutoring,” said Rogers. “I didn’t want to put myself, my family, or anyone else at risk by keeping up my tutoring.”
A Tutor’s Future
Rogers is unsure of his future with tutoring. He plans on going to the University of New Hampshire to major in economics then move towards a financial focus as a cfo or financial adviser. “I don’t know where any tutoring fits in there,” said Rogers.
Though tutoring may be over for Rogers, it is a job that he remains very fond of. Rogers said, “Starting to tutor was one of the best choices I made. I would recommend it to anyone, helping people who need it is an amazing thing, and it’s an amazing job,” he continued.
For anyone considering getting involved with this industry, Rogers had a bit of advice to share. “Just get yourself out there and start trying, that’s the hardest part of it all. Post anywhere you can, and once you get your first client, it all gets easier from there,” were Rogers parting words.
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