All careersEducation, law & social work

Tutor

$43,350
median / year
$29,430 – $75,990
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Help students understand subjects one-on-one or in small groups, review material, and build study skills.

You may also see this posted as: Academic Coach, Academic Guidance Specialist, Professional Tutor, Accounting Tutor, Finance Tutor, Grade School Tutor.

Where you work

Homes, libraries, schools, and online

The hours

After school, evenings, and weekends

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • 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.

Good fit if you like…

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Artistic

creating, designing, performing, or working without a rigid script

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityCooperationOptimismEmpathy

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

FacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordZoom

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$43,350
per year
Hourly median
$20.84
per hour
What most earn
$29,430–$75,990
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~37,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+0.6%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
175,070
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 13.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Some college, no degree

Training path: Some college, learn on the job.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Subject knowledgePatienceCommunicationAdaptability

The honest take

Flexible teaching work you can start with some college — often part-time, and a good on-ramp to education careers.

Standard Occupational Classification 25-3041. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.