Parents want the best for their children. So they go out of their way to get teachers for them at home. This is why the demand for home tutors at the primary and secondary education levels is increasing these days, reports Assistant Editor Chikodi Okereocha.
At 28, Amaechi Goodluck, a 400-Level English/ Christian Religious Knowledge student of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos, is off to a good start. She is taking no fewer than nine pupils with ages between three and 14 in private lesson.
The Abia State-born budding teacher told The Nation that the pupils attend schools in Iyana-Ipaja, a Lagos suburb, where Goodluck is one of the most sought after /home tutors. “I have been into this for eight years fulltime, and it’s been a wonderful and rewarding experience,” she said, adding, “Most of the parents who enrol their children for extra classes do so on the recommendation of other parents whose children I also coach at home.”
Some of the her pupils, she said, have gained admission into tertiary institutions. One of them, she said, is an undergraduate of Bowen University in Iwo, Osun State. She said because of her inability to meet the increasing demand for her services, she has introduced six other people into the job. This is instructive because most of her peers are either still in school or searching for jobs.
Pointing out that her desire is to set up a thriving private school in future, she said opportunities abound in the education sector for unemployed youths wishing to work as part-time or full time home tutors. From crèche to nursery, primary and secondary levels, she said, home tutors are in high demand.
She said although she takes nursery/primary, secondary and adult education classes, she hopes to incorporate university undergraduates when she completes her degree programme.
Job in high demand
Across the country, private coaching is the in thing. Young and enterprising youths are taking advantage of the rot in the education sector to become sole entrepreneurs as home tutors. The Nation learnt that while some of them prefer teaching pupils at home, others have coaching centres. Such coaching centres abound in every nook and cranny of major cities.
The number of jobs created could not be ascertained, but it could be proportional to the number of those that require the service. Although some home tutors, who spoke with The Nation declined to say how much they charge, it was learnt that the fee range from N10,000 to N50,000 per month, depending on the location.
With nine students under her, it means that Goodluck takes home about N90,000 monthly, an amount considered a dream by many in corporate organisations. It also means that home tutors for wealthy Nigerians whose children attend upscale schools cannot wish for a better employment.
Why the high demand?
What is responsible for the increasing demand for the services of home tutors and operators of coaching centres? Some public and private schools, Goodluck, said, lack the resources to hire qualified teachers to handle pupils, hence; parents are left to fill the gap with home tutors. She said private teachers especially those with skill, passion, and commitment are rising up to the challenge.
That is not all. She also identified instability as another factor fuelling the demand for private teachers. “There is lack of stability. Some schools change teachers every term in various subject areas, which affects students’ academic performance and to make up for the lapses, most parents engage the services of private tutors. Distortions in the academic calendar due to persistent strikes by teachers especially those in public schools also contribute, as parents resort to private teachers to ensure continuity in the school curriculum,” she said.
Home tutors are exploiting the gap in the provision of qualitative education to make a killing, especially during the long vacation.
During the holiday, most parents would rather have their children benefit from extra classes by home tutors or enrol in a summer coaching centre until the beginning of a new academic session. Parents reason that this would ensure that their kids still remember what they were taught, in the last session.
During the holiday, many pupils are likely to forget what they were taught and as such would require the services of private teachers to be in shape academically. Keeping the children busy academically also helps to reduce the nuisance some of them constitute at home.
There is also a psychological perspective to the upsurge in private tutorials, which has opened a new employment vista for discerning youths.
The belief, for instance, is that if children are taught the same thing again and again, they tend to lose interest or get easily bored because, according to psychologists, human beings need varieties, change, and stimulation.
Challenges
However, as exciting and highly rewarding as the business is, there are challenges. One of them is how to manage time. As Goodluck explained, most of her pupils close by 4 pm and so, need some time to eat, shower and freshen up before the extra classes. This, she said, eats into the time she allocates for each pupil. With many pupils under her, how to manage time becomes a challenge.
To get round the problem, she said she takes on three pupils from three different families on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, allocating one hour to each of them. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are allocated to three other pupils for one hour. She said while she has managed to make effective use of her time and schedule, some others may not be able to do the same.
Attributes
As challenging as the job may be, an interesting thing about it is that it does not require any specialised qualification; rather, it depends on the level one wishes to operate. The only exception perhaps, is that those wishing to coach university undergraduates require at least a first degree or a master’s degree in relevant discipline. But for those handling nursery/primary and secondary school pupils, Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) or its equivalent is required.
Beyond certificate however, Goodluck advises that passion, commitment, diligence and patience are qualities required for anyone to excel in the business. These, she said, are some of the qualities that will earn the home tutor the trust and confidence of parents and their children.
