How to Get Your First Tutoring Student
Getting your first tutoring student is the hardest part. Once you have a few sessions under your belt and an initial review on your profile, enquiries become much easier.
Getting your first tutoring student is the hardest part. Once you have a few sessions under your belt and an initial review on your profile, enquiries become much easier. This guide focuses specifically on what new tutors should do in the first 30 days to land that first booking.
1. Set Up a Strong Profile Before You Do Anything Else
Your tutor profile is your shop window. Most students and parents will decide within 30 seconds of reading it whether to message you. A weak profile wastes all the other effort you put in.
The components of a strong profile:
- Professional photo — a clear, friendly headshot. Not a holiday photo. Not cropped from a group shot.
- Specific, honest description — name your subjects, the levels you cover (GCSE, A-Level, Key Stage 3), and your exam board experience.
- Your qualifications — degree subject and class, teaching experience, DBS status if you have one.
- Who you help best — mention specific student types if relevant.
- Your approach — briefly explain how you structure sessions.
2. Set a Competitive but Honest Rate
- GCSE subjects: £20–£28/hr to start
- A-Level subjects: £25–£35/hr to start
- Primary / KS2: £18–£25/hr to start
Once you have 3–5 reviews, you can increase your rate by £5–£10 per hour. On TheTutorLink, tutors keep 95% of every lesson fee.
3. List Yourself on TheTutorLink First
TheTutorLink is free to register on and charges only 5% commission per lesson — the lowest in the UK market. Create your free tutor profile here.
4. Tell Everyone You Know
Word of mouth is still the fastest way to get your first student. Message former classmates, tell family friends, post on your personal social media. Be specific — “I’m tutoring GCSE Maths and A-Level Chemistry in [area] or online” performs better than a vague mention.
5. Be Responsive and Easy to Book
Speed is a significant advantage when you are new. If a parent messages two tutors and you respond within the hour while the other responds the next day, you will almost always get the booking.
- Reply to enquiries within 2–4 hours
- Keep your availability calendar up to date
- Offer a flexible first session time
6. Deliver an Excellent First Session
Your first session sets the tone for the entire relationship. A strong first session:
- Starts with a short diagnostic (10 minutes of questions)
- Covers one topic well rather than rushing through many
- Ends with a clear plan for the next few sessions
- Asks for the next booking before you finish
7. Ask for a Review After 3–4 Sessions
Most students will not leave a review unprompted. After three or four sessions, send a short message: “If you’ve found the sessions useful, a quick review on my profile would really help — it only takes a minute.”
One good review changes everything. It gives future enquiries the social proof they need to book.
Ready to start? Create your free tutor profile on TheTutorLink — it takes under 10 minutes.