My Experiences as a Part-Time Tutor

There are many benefits to getting a part time job. For most teenagers, myself included, the biggest benefit is gaining some financial independence from your parents and being able to have a little more freedom with what you purchase. Also, it never hurts to start saving up what you can earlier than later. One day, you may look back and thank yourself. I began looking for a job around my junior year of high school. I wanted to buy some frivolous things that it didn’t seem worth the bother to ask my parents for. Traditional part time jobs, such as ones at my local grocery store or at a fast food restaurant, were not the best option for me. I wanted something that was more in my control as my school schedule was crazy and the amount of homework that I had on any given day was unpredictable. Because of this, I wanted a job that had a lot of flexibility and that I could be in control of. It was difficult to find a retail job because my needs were so specific. My education had to come first and the hours that I could work were limited. Then, I got the idea to tutor at my local library and through Care.com. Business was slow, but I did get one or two steady tutoring jobs per week. I was not spending more than two hours a week working and I was able to use the money that I did get to go out every once in a while, or in order to buy something here or there. However nice this extra pocket money was, there were some drawbacks. As I stated earlier, it was hard to get tutoring jobs and I only had a few clients. The work was dependable to a certain extent, sometimes clients canceled on me last minute. Also, teaching another personal any type of subject or topic is much harder than it sounds. After one session, I was usually mentally drained and often, I would still have obligations at school to deal with. All in all, I would say this about getting any part time job, make sure you can handle it. Once you are getting paid to complete any job, it is now your obligation to do so to the best of your satisfaction. You’re not working for your best friend but for a boss whose only obligation to you is to make sure that you get paid and that you stay safe on the job. Here’s what I took away from my temporary tutoring business gig, the money and independence is great. It nearly trumps all other cons and other reasons as to why I would get a part time job in the first place. Over all, I’m glad that I did it. Though I stopped tutoring in order to focus more on school and keeping my stress levels to a minimum. My recommendation to others who are considering getting part time jobs is to evaluate the pros and cons. Also, consider what is best for you and your education. I have friends who work regular hours almost every day after school and on weekends and they are doing great! There are different strokes for different folks. Getting a part time job is no small thing. After all, the transition from a dependent to a semi- dependent to an eventually totally independent lifestyle must start somewhere and the best place to start is with a part time job!