How much does a tutor make?

The median pay is $20.84 per hour — roughly $43,500 a year, with the real range running from about $14.15/hr (10th percentile) to $36.53/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a tutor?

The typical entry-level education is: Some college. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a tutor actually do all day?

Provide feedback to students, using positive reinforcement techniques to encourage, motivate, or build confidence in students. Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments. Assess students' progress throughout tutoring sessions.

Education

Tutors

Instruct individual students or small groups of students in academic subjects to support formal class instruction or to prepare students for standardized or admissions tests.

What it pays
Tutors earn a median of $20.84/hr — about $43,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.15/hr; the top 10% earn $36.53/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Provide feedback to students, using positive reinforcement techniques to encourage, motivate, or build confidence in students.
Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments.
Assess students' progress throughout tutoring sessions.
Teach students study skills, note-taking skills, and test-taking strategies.
Provide private instruction to individual or small groups of students to improve academic performance, improve occupational skills, or prepare for academic or occupational tests.
Participate in training and development sessions to improve tutoring practices or learn new tutoring techniques.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Some college. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

The work is mostly indoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 13.7% of tutors are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, organized and detail-focused and analytical.

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Related careers

Quick questions

How much does a tutor make?: The median pay is $20.84 per hour — roughly $43,500 a year, with the real range running from about $14.15/hr (10th percentile) to $36.53/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a tutor?: The typical entry-level education is: Some college. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
What does a tutor actually do all day?: Provide feedback to students, using positive reinforcement techniques to encourage, motivate, or build confidence in students. Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments. Assess students' progress throughout tutoring sessions.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.