BEFORE YOU ACCEPT THE HOME-LESSON OFFER, READ THIS.
Private home lessons or evening lessons have been with us since time immemorial. Many of us can relate to experiences where we attended evening classes to reinforce what we learned in school. Personally, I can recall attending about 10 evening classes throughout my basic schooling journey.
There are two models of the evening class setup. In the 90s, it was the norm for a teacher or group of teachers to organize lessons in a neighborhood, enrolling students from various locations. The primary focus was to enhance students’ skills in subjects like Mathematics, English, and Sciences. In this model, teachers did not usually assist students with their formal school homework, as it lacked personalization. The arrangement was typically semi-formal. I remember attending some lessons where we had to bring our own sitting stools (apotis in Yoruba). Later, it improved to a slightly more formal setting where the school provided benches. Can you relate? However, this model is gradually becoming outdated.
First and foremost, the first model makes more business sense for teachers as it allows for easy scalability.
What we are seeing in the second model is an increase in the number of parents seeking private classes for their children at home. The primary aim here is for teachers to support the children in solving their homework and other schoolwork. This can be financially beneficial for teachers, as some of them earn more than their salary. But, is it truly worth it?
This is a complex question, as the answer varies from individual to individual.
However, I will argue that if, as a teacher, these opportunities are not truly improving your life or preparing you for the future, it is worth reconsidering.
I invite you to seriously rethink this, as in this day and age, you can use your skills to earn better. I invite you to think of something you can scale.
Imagine having something that can generate income for you while you are in school. If you examine the two types of home lessons I explained earlier, you will see that the first model, where students come to a class, makes more business sense because it can eventually be scaled up to become a school. You can start this in your living room today. Instead of going out to individual families, they come to you. As you grow, you can hire more teachers and acquire more space. Before you know it, you have a fully functioning school.
Instead of accepting home lesson offers that limit you, why not consider helping parents whose children have difficulty with reading? You can create a weekend or evening class focused solely on reading and charge based on subscriptions.
Do you have a unique way of solving students’ math problems? There’s an opportunity. Ditch the idea of home lesson contracts and get to work. Package that idea as a solution so that parents facing that challenge can bring their children to you.
Other customized services can include reading skill or club, evening science clubs, language classes, exam preparation classes, and more.
If you are tech-savvy, you can consider building a YouTube channel, blog, or other online platforms. All of the aforementioned ideas take time but can be more rewarding than simply teaching one child. Most importantly, some of these ideas can be scaled so that you don’t have to work forever to make a living.
Note: I am not trying to argue that accepting a home lesson offer is wrong. I am simply suggesting that you can earn better with your skills when you consider other ideas. If home lessons pay you well, please enjoy it.
In conclusion, this century offers many benefits for teachers, and only those who take action will truly enjoy these benefits. Join them.