I tutor and it works pretty well for me.
I am an adjunct. That is not enough for a living.
Tutoring is a good piece of my income. I just did a rough tally, and so far this year I have earned about $17 K from it. It's not a complete income, but it's a nice piece.
Plusses: The work is rewarding and fun. Although it's hard to earn much from it altogether, it works well as a piece of income, because you can charge maybe $60 per hour. That's my rate. One client told me it's too low and I resolved to ask for more from the next client, but did not dare. Of course, only the well off can pay that, and that brings guilt. I resolve the guilt by taking on pro-bono clients here and there, people who clearly cannot afford much.
Minuses: It's real hard to make a complete living out of this, because your work is limited to afternoons, evenings, and weekends during the school year. I do get a few students who want to continue during the summer. I understand there is a homeschool market. And if you can find college students to work with, you can find tutoring work in what would otherwise be dead time. But college students are harder to get than high school students.
Plus or minus, depending on your background: Tutoring works better in some fields than in others. The best opportunities seem to be in math and in preparation for standardized tests.
If you want to do this, try this strategy:
1. If not done already, revise your resume to highlight your teaching quals.
2. Get business cards made advertising yourself as a tutor.
3. Go to your local middle school and high school and introduce yourself to the head of the department in your field. A good time to do this is in the week or two before school starts up. Tell them you are available for tutoring. You can do this in person or by phone.
4. Volunteer an hour or two per week to help out a teacher in your field at the local high school. This will earn some trust from the school and put them into a position to recommend you.
5. Go to your local public library and ask them if it's OK for you to tutor there. Almost certainly they will say yes.
A website will probably help you if you can get one, but it won't do nearly as much for you as will getting to know the local high school teachers in your field.
Business expenses are pretty low: business cards (typically $20 at Staples), possibly a website (probably $11 per year for a domain plus possibly a monthly fee for hosting), a lot of paper (I spend like $30 or $40 per year), and possibly some other things. For example, I need to use a calculator ($100).
Good luck!
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