Full guide
How to start tutoring as a teenager
You do not need to be the best student in your grade. You need to be two or three years ahead of the person you are helping and able to explain a thing without making them feel stupid. That second part is rarer than the first, and it is the one parents pay for.
What it costs
What you actually need
- Nothing
- $0
- A notebook per student
- $3
- Somewhere to work
- $0
This is the cheapest business on the list to start.
What you covered, what they found hard, what to do next time.
A library, a kitchen table with a parent nearby, or a video call.
Borrow before you buy
Do your first three jobs with equipment you already have access to. Buy your own out of money a customer has already handed you, never out of money you are hoping to make.
What to charge
Pricing, honestly
Start at the lower end of each range. Raise it once five people have paid you without hesitating.
- One hour, elementary subject
- $15–$25
- One hour, high school math or science
- $20–$35
- Block of five sessions, paid up front
- 10% off
- Two students at once
- $25–$40 total
Start at the lower end until you have three students.
Harder subjects and exam season both push this up.
Better for their routine and far better for your cash.
Only siblings or friends at the same level. Otherwise nobody gets helped.
Your first five
Exactly who to ask, in order
Warmest first. Your first attempt should be with someone who will be kind about it, because you will be bad at it.
Person 1
A younger sibling's friend. The parent already knows you.Person 2
Your old elementary school teacher — ask if they can pass your name to parents.Person 3
A parent who has mentioned their kid is struggling. Someone in your life has said this recently.Person 4
Your own teacher, for a recommendation to a younger class.Person 5
The parent of your first student, once their marks move. That referral is worth more than any advert.
Send this
“Hi Mrs. Oyelaran — I'm Danny, I'm in grade 11 and I tutor grade 7 and 8 math. I heard Amara's been finding it tough this term. I charge $20 an hour and we'd work at the library or on a call. Could I do the first session free so she can see if it helps?”
Change the names and the price. Keep the shape: who you are, how they know you, what you do, the price, and an easy way to say yes.
Not optional
Staying safe
- Always work somewhere public or where a parent is at home. This protects you as much as them.
- Keep every arrangement with the parent, not the student, including money.
- If you tutor on video, keep it to a platform the parent set up, and keep the parent in the invite.
- Never do the homework for them. It is the fastest way to lose the job and it does not help.
Tell a parent or guardian where you are working and when you expect to be finished, every time.
The actual business
Getting them to book you again
- End every session by telling them one specific thing they got better at.
- Message the parent after each session, three lines, what you did and what to practise.
- Have a plan for the next session before you leave this one.
- When their mark goes up, say it out loud. Parents renew on evidence.
- Raise your rate at the start of a new term, never in the middle of one.
Anything about licences, taxes or getting paid under 18 is on the Ontario guide. More ideas are on the full list.
Free, for students
Want help actually starting one?
These are what people commonly charge, not what you will make. Look up what adults near you charge for the same job, then start a little under it and raise your price once you have five happy customers.
All the ways to make money 50 business ideas Getting your first customer