Long gone are the days when you just hire your teenage neighbor to babysit or walk your dog.
Now there are websites like Caremessage, Papa Elder Care, and Care.com dedicated to connecting professional service providers with those who need their help.
Care.com’s care providers offer everything from senior care to pet care to childcare to housekeeping to personal assistant services to tutoring.
This article will introduce you to Care.com tutoring, go through what Care.com tutors typically teach, show you how to start selling your tutoring services on Care.com, and teach you how to use Care.com to find the right tutor for your needs.
This article will also help you determine whether or not you should splurge on a premium membership.
An Overview of Care.com Tutors
While many people associate Care.com exclusively with child care (mostly babysitting and nannying) and pet care, there are many more services that care providers on Care.com offer.
Tutoring is one the most popular services you can find on Care.com.
So if you or your child need a tutor, Care.com is a great place to start your search.
Care.com tutors will generally travel to your house and offer both individual and small group tutoring sessions.
Expanding your tutoring clientele through Care.com is both affordable and easy.
Care.com is one of the largest platforms for finding help and there are dozens of new jobs listed daily.
The tutor and the care seeker negotiate where the tutoring happens, what the needs are, and what it costs.
No matter what you need or are offering, there is probably a match for your skills and needs on Care.com.
What Care.com Tutors Teach
Care.com tutors teach a range of subjects and levels and Care.com separates them into seven basic categories.
These categories are:
- Pre-K Tutors — Pre-K tutors work with 4- and 5-year-olds to prepare them for preschool. They focus on improving comprehension and increasing vocabulary as well as instilling an overall love of learning.
- Elementary Tutors — Elementary tutors help guide elementary students through their first standardized testing experiences and generally teach math, science, social studies, reading comprehension, and music.
- General Tutors — General tutors work with middle and high school students, helping them prepare for tests and keep on top of their schoolwork. Typical subjects include pre-calculus, algebra II, trigonometry, and world languages such as Spanish and French.
- Special Education Tutors — Special education tutors work with a wide range of ages and adapt the lessons to their student’s needs. Special education tutors will generally hold a degree in special education and work with special needs students who have dyslexia, autism, and speech or language difficulties.
- Specialty Subject Tutors — Speciality subject tutors focus on teaching just one subject but at a very high level. These tutors usually work with college students or high schoolers looking to pass advanced placement exams.
- Test Prep Tutors — Test prep tutors focus exclusively on preparing their students for exams, which can be regular standardized testing, college admissions exams (SAT, ACT, and PSAT), or placement tests for preparatory or charter schools.
- Homework Helpers — Homework helpers assist students who are struggling with the day-to-day homework assigned by their school. A little homework help can go a long way.
How to Become a Care.com Tutor
If you’re interested in tutoring through Care.com, Inc., you’ll first need to sign up for an account.
You can do so by heading to their website and filling out the form with your first name, last name, address, zip code, email address, and a password.
Be sure to choose “Tutor” as the service you offer.
You’ll be asked to share which subjects and ages you tutor, your rates, and your availability.
Some Care.com tutors work full-time and others are graduate students or full-time employees working as a part-time tutor around their other commitments.
Be sure to note whether you have years of experience as a tutor or are just starting out.
Tutors on Care.com generally earn between $10 and $20 per hour and Care.com’s free membership will give you access to job postings.
If you choose to upgrade to a premium membership, your profile will show up higher in the search results and you’ll be able to see when an employer views your profile.
You can always cancel your membership later if you no longer want to work for the platform.
How to Find a Care.com Tutor
If you’re looking for a Care.com tutor, you have two ways to find one: by searching for available tutors or by posting a job listing on Care.com.
Search for a Tutor
On Care.com you can search for a professional tutor by location, with some of the most popular locations for tutors being Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, Orlando, and Boston.
Start by visiting their website and choosing “I need a caregiver.”
Now you should select “Tutoring & lessons” for the type of care you need help with.
Choose which subject area(s) you need tutoring help in.
Enter a valid United States zip code to see if there are tutors in your area offering lessons in the subject area(s) you need help with.
Care.com will let you know how many tutors in your area are able to help and will invite you to sign up for an account to communicate with those tutors.
You’ll just need to provide your first name, last name, an email address, and a password to get started.
Once you’re signed in, you’ll be able to correspond with the tutors you just found.
Post a Job Listing for a Tutor
If you’d prefer to post a job listing and screen applicants, you can do so easily.
Just log into your Care.com account and choose “Post Job” at the upper left-hand corner of your Care.com home page.
Now select “Tutoring/Lessons” as the type of care you need.
You’ll now fill in your job posting title, the description of your needs, and the dates and times of when you need tutoring help.
Keep the description short and simple but include important details such as special requirements.
If your child needs help with trigonometry, say that over “math tutor.”
If your child has OCD or English is their second language (ESL), mention it.
Let potential tutors know what your student’s needs are upfront and the relationship will be happier and more productive for everyone.
Once you find a tutor you’re interested in, it’s not a bad idea to request a background check.
Care.com premium membership care providers will have undergone a basic background check they can share with you or you can run one on an applicant through Care.com.
Care.com Premium Membership
What your Care.com premium membership cost includes will depend on whether you’re a care seeker or a care provider.
Care Seeker Premium Membership
While browsing tutors and creating a job listing is free, you’ll need a premium membership on Care.com in order to be able to fully review applicants messages and their profiles.
A free membership only grants you a limited preview of their messages.
A premium membership will cost you:
- 12 months: $13 per month
- 3 months: $26 per month
- 1 month: $39 per month
While it is slightly annoying to be forced into a paid membership, the fees do include more than just the ability to communicate with applicants.
You also get access to background checks.
Care Provider Premium Membership
While it’s possible to find a tutoring job on Care.com without paying for a premium membership, many job seekers do anyway.
A free membership on Care.com entails having Care.com act as a middleman in your communication with potential clients; a premium membership allows you to communicate directly and more often with care seekers, thus speeding up your job search process.
Additionally, premium membership profiles are displayed at the top of search results, increasing the number of eyeballs on your profile and the odds that you’ll be contacted about jobs.
You’ll also get a free basic background check that will enhance your legitimacy in the eyes of care seekers.
A premium membership as a care provider will cost you:
- 6 months: $10 per month
- 3 months: $15 per month
- 1 month: $20 per month
Learning Made Easy
Whether you’re looking for help or are interested in earning some cash through providing help, Care.com is a great platform for you.
It’s free to get started and explore your options.
Once you’re sold on using Care.com to find your next tutor or tutoring gig, you can choose to upgrade to a premium membership (or not!).
The only thing holding you back is in action, so get started today.
Happy tutoring!
