Declaring yourself in business as a French tutor is commendable but you have to have students to give lessons to. Some might think it a daunting task to entice language learners to private lessons. It's no mean feat if you know how to go about it.
Recently, the Australian leadership has declared French one of the 10 essential languages Oz students should study. That's because economists and business leaders project French to replace English as the language of business and science by 2050. Even if that seems a stretch, consider that 29 countries use French as their official language. Several other states accord French the same prestige as they do their national language. It's a tongue spoken by more than 400 million people worldwide.
All of that should make it easy to find pupils for your French lessons. Especially our Department of Education's push for more French (and other languages) taught in our schools. You still have to do a bit of legwork, though. Your clients won't know you're ready to help them learn French unless you get the word out. Here are a few tips on how to do that effectively.
Post a Profile
These days, students are all about their electronic devices. If whatever they're searching for can't be found on Google, it must not exist. Indeed, they're more likely to comb through search results for 'French tutor near me' than take the time to read through adverts posted on Gumtree.
After scrolling past all the adverts and preferred places I should go for French classes, I found listings for different tutoring platforms. Superprof was second in line, boasting 81 teachers available for lessons in the Melbourne area - in case you were wondering. Gumtree didn't even feature on the first page of Google results.
Posting a listing online has its merits; we'll talk about them, next. However, Google is more likely to return results to get you seen if you build a tutor profile with a reputable platform like Superprof. Letting potential clients know upfront about your qualifications and how much you charge for lessons is the best part of that arrangement.
Verified credentials are another selling point for promoting your French instruction. All of the other methods presented in this article, save one, leave this vital information an open question. Superprof's tutor platform not only gives you space to list your French language bona fides but it verifies them before allowing your profile to go live. There is no fee to create your Superprof profile.
Post a Listing
Let's explore Gumtree a bit more in-depth. Digital natives, those who've never known life without a device in hand, tend to demand answers as quickly and effortlessly as possible. French learners who know how to find things without a Google assist rely on sources like Gumtree to find what they needed. What type of French learners are we talking about?
Let's say a pupil's grandparent is their primary caregiver. Or maybe a group of retirees want to learn Conversational French before setting out on holiday. Such Google-wary internet users might first turn to their preferred adverts outlets. They may even turn to social media outlets to scan French tutor profiles.
You won't get the visibility that a tutoring platform offers when you post such an advert. Also, you'll have less space to list your particulars and hourly rates. However, you are placing yourself optimally to reach a specific demographic of French learners so it's a good idea to create such an advert in conjunction with more overt ways of getting the word out. Posting such a listing is usually free; Gumtree may charge a small fee for premium ad placement.
Hand Out Flyers
As long as you're drafting an advert to post online, how about printing out a few? You can post these flyers on notice boards at supermarkets, shops and petrol stations; in libraries, on community bulletin boards and in college dorms. You may even distribute them outside of schools and education-related parental gatherings, provided that doing so isn't deemed too intrusive.
Flyers let you inject a bit of personality into your advertising. You can choose coloured paper and different fonts; maybe even attach a small graphic design. Beware that you shouldn't go way overboard on the vibrancy; you want your clients to know you're serious when it comes to French instruction.
These bills are also generous with space. You can pack a lot of information on a piece of A5 paper. Be sure to include details like how long you've been tutoring in French and at what level, the types of French lessons on offer - Conversational French, French language exam prep, Business French and so on. Don't forget to include your contact information!
Admittedly, flyers are not the most efficient way to promote your tutor business. You must first ask if you're allowed to post an advert in many locations. Handing them out presents its own challenges, not the least of which is the time you spend doing so and the risk of your adverts being tossed. You must factor in the cost of making your promotional materials: the paper, the ink to print them, the time to design them and so on.
Register with Alliance Française
Surely, you know of this initiative to promote the French language and culture worldwide? Did you know they also offer French lessons and preparation courses for the French Language certification exams? It should come as no stretch to realise, then, that they also promote French tutors.
In exchange for the Alliance directing French learners your way, you may have to give up a bit of your independence as a French tutor. In particular, how you organise your French classes, the materials you use to teach French and the array of French language services you provide. Still, they do their best to match French tutors with their preferred instructional setting, teaching formats and lesson delivery options. Also, becoming an Alliance member is free and you get a ton of benefits!
Host an Event
Adverts proclaiming you teach French don't really reveal anything about you. However, inviting the public to a French food cooking demonstration or hosting a French film night at an agreeable café lets you show off your passion for French. Whether known to the community or recently moved in, the point of such undertakings is to introduce you as the French tutor with the most to offer.
Such occasions needn't be so social - although that does help build your image. Or that costly, and only indirectly related to learning French. How does a workshop on French words used in English sound, instead? Such a topic may attract prospective clients who don't yet know that they want to learn how to speak French. Don't forget to hand out your contact details.
Talk With Schools
Generally, schools prefer to remain impartial when recommending additional educational services to their students and caregivers. It doesn't hurt to ask if you can post a flyer on their student bulletin boards or place a stack on the office counter. Maybe their French teacher makes recommendations for homework help and exam prep tutors.
Are you a French schoolteacher who wishes to earn a bit extra by giving lessons outside after class? Becoming a French tutor shouldn't conflict with your salaried position. However, promoting your tutor business during your French classes would be unethical. It's a good idea to ask your school administrators before posting any adverts or telling your students you give extra lessons for a fee.
Word of Mouth
Finally, we come to the most effective - and cost-effective way to advertise your French tutor business. Also called viral marketing, this cost-free promotion of your tutor business amounts to people talking you up. The psychology is simple. If you promote your services as a French teacher, you're tooting your own horn. If others talk about how great a French teacher you are, that's something to sit up and pay attention to.
Student testimonials are the ideal word-of-mouth advertising. However, if you're just launching yourself into tutoring you'll not have any students to brag about how well you taught them. Let everyone you know get in on the action, then! Your parents, friends and other relatives know you best. They're uniquely qualified to extol your qualities as a master of the French language and your skill at teaching it. Arm them with flyers (or your business card) and let them chat away.
Controlling the message is the most challenging aspect of viral marketing. Your gran would talk about you all day long but is she presenting you as a French teacher of good repute or her grandkid who happens to teach French? The danger here is prospective clients not taking you seriously.
How you run and promote your business is one advantage of being an independent French tutor. You can and should choose more than one way to find students for French lessons. Why not try a combination of these seven methods?
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