Work from home. How to make real money working from home.

Can you really work from home and make money? In each part of this series of hubs I am going to explore a different way of making money working from home, from a little to, hopefully, a lot. In part 1 I suggested earning some extra money at home by doing something for other people that they don’t want to do for themselves. In this part I am going to give you a possible way to make some extra money each month by giving other people something they can’t do for themselves because they lack the necessary skills.

Ask yourself this simple question, do you have any skills that other people would pay you to teach them? If you answer yes, then there is a way for you to earn some extra money working from home as a home tutor.

You need no official qualifications to become a home tutor. If you know a subject well and can explain it easily you can be a home tutor. If you are good at science or maths for example then tutor in that subject. Perhaps you have a degree, which is good but by no means essential. You can tutor on a one to one basis for which you can obviously charge a higher fee, or have a number of students and charge a lower fee to each one.

When you are starting out why not consider having an open day or evening, where prospective parents and pupils can come along and meet you and find out what you have to offer. Sell yourself. Try to sign up a few pupils on the spot. Familiarise yourself with the local curriculum and try to have a few reference books handy. Advertise the event on line, in local shops, local papers etc. You are not required by law to get a CRB (criminal record check) in the UK but check with your own local authorities before setting up.

If you are not confident that you will be able to pass on your skills then why not consider volunteering at a local school for a short while, not only will you make valuable contacts but you can ask them for a reference when you leave. Always ask your ex pupils and their parents for a reference too. If you are uncomfortable tutoring in your own home for any reason then you can always visit the pupils in their homes, many parents might prefer this as they will be present in the home.

If you are fluent in a second language you can easily make very good money from home tutoring. You don’t have to tutor children either as many adults would pay for a few lessons in conversational French or Spanish etc in preparation for a holiday, you might even be able to teach a whole family. Children pick up languages quicker than adults, I know that my own children have put me to shame before now on holidays. Consider forming a small group and make it a social event too, who knows, you might just end up with some new friends as well as making some money.

A nice idea is to combine a language lesson with a dinner party, barbeque or wine and cheese style buffet. Have a french, spanish or italian evening, speaking the language in conversation can be a great help when you are trying to learn it and a social event helps to put people at ease and make it seem much less like being back at school. 

If you feel that your academic skills aren’t good enough to pass on then think about some other skill that you might have. Maybe you can play a musical instrument. Many people would be more than happy to pay someone to teach them how to play the guitar or similar.

I hope that this hub has given you food for thought. Home working doesn’t have to mean sitting at a computer, of course, you can make good money doing just that. I will be exploring that avenue in a future part of this series.