How to become a private tutor: a complete guide to starting in 2026

The short answer: to be a private tutor you need five things: a subject and level that you truly master, a clear audience (who is the student and who pays), a first rate, an orderly registration with the tax authorities, and a first student. In private lessons it is the parents who choose, and what interests them is whether the child is progressing. What separates a tutor who stays with two students from a tutor with a full calendar is mostly an orderly start: a good lesson, a clear payment, and students who recommend you onwards.

This guide goes through the stages in order. At each stage there is a link to a more detailed guide.

Step 1: choose a subject and a level

A common mistake among beginners is to offer "everything to everyone": math, English and physics, from first grade to the matriculation exams. A parent looking for a tutor for the matriculation exam in math at the 5-unit level will not choose someone who looks like a "general homework helper".

Ask yourself three questions:

1. Where am I strongest? Not only in content, but in explaining. Middle school math and high-level matriculation math are two different subjects from the teaching point of view.
2. Who is the student? A child in fourth grade who needs reinforcement in reading, a high school student before the matriculation exams, a university student before an exam, or an adult learning an instrument. Each has a different pace, hours and expectations.
3. Who pays? With children and teenagers, the parent is the customer. They want to know what happens in the lessons, how much it costs and when to pay. With adults the student and the customer are the same person.

A suggestion for beginners: choose one subject and two or three adjacent levels, for example "math for middle school and high school up to 4 units". You can expand later, when you have recommendations.

What if you are a student?

Quite a few private tutors start during their studies. The advantages are clear: you are close to the material, you have flexible afternoon hours, and high school students connect with university students. The disadvantage: your exam period sometimes falls exactly on the students' exam period. Plan for it in advance, and tell parents at the start of the year which weeks will be busy.

Step 2: in person, at the student's home or online

There are three ways of working, and many tutors combine them:

When you calculate a price, remember that a 20 minute trip each way is almost a whole lesson a week for each regular student. On remote teaching in detail: private lessons online.

Step 3: a first rate

A first price is not a decision for life, but it is hard to raise the price for existing students. So it is better to start at a fair price and not too low "to attract".

How to reach a number:

1. Check what is charged in your area for your subject and level. The price varies a lot between cities and levels. A detailed guide with sources: how much a private lesson costs in 2026.
2. Count the real time. A 60 minute lesson is sometimes 90 minutes with preparation, travel and messages to parents.
3. Separate a private lesson from a group one. In a lesson of two or three students each pays less, and you earn more per hour.
4. Decide on cancellations in advance. Until how many hours before one can cancel without a charge. A rule like that is worth real money over a year.

An example (illustrative numbers only): a tutor sets NIS 140 for a private lesson and NIS 90 per student in a group lesson. A group lesson with three students brings in NIS 270 an hour, and for each parent it is cheaper than a private lesson.

A weekly calculation: how many hours you can really teach

Most lessons for school students take place in the afternoon and evening, Sunday to Thursday, and sometimes on Friday morning too. That means your capacity is more limited than it looks on paper: if you are available between 15:00 and 20:00, you have about five slots a day, and not all of them will fill.

An example (illustrative numbers only): 12 private lessons a week at NIS 140 are NIS 1,680 a week. But in a month there are holidays, cancellations and a student who disappears for two weeks before a school trip. If you plan on 80% of the lessons, you will reach about NIS 5,400 in a month of four weeks, before tax and expenses. A calculation like that helps to understand what the price should be so that the hours are worthwhile.

Two more things that affect the actual income: a cancellation rule (a last-minute cancellation that is not charged is an hour that is gone), and orderly collection (a lesson that was not paid for is a lesson you worked on for free).

Step 4: business registration and tax - what to check

Whoever receives money for private lessons runs a business, even if they are a student and even if it is "just a few lessons". This is the part that most beginners put off, and it is a pity: the start is simpler than it seems.

This section is correct as of October 2026, according to "Kol Zchut" and the National Insurance website. It is general information and not tax advice.

• VAT: according to Kol Zchut, you open a file before the business activity begins. A dealer who is eligible to be exempt can register online on the Tax Authority website, without going to an office.
• Exempt dealer: according to Kol Zchut, the ceiling for 2026 is an annual turnover of NIS 122,833. An exempt dealer does not charge VAT, but must issue a receipt immediately when receiving payment. Whoever regularly teaches groups of 5 students and more should check whether they can be exempt at all.
• Income tax: you open a file with the Income Tax too. The exemption of an exempt dealer is from VAT only.
• National Insurance: according to National Insurance, you report working as self-employed as soon as it begins. When opening a file online at the Tax Authority you can tick that a National Insurance file will be opened too.

All the details, including the difference between an exempt dealer and a "small business owner" and what to give parents as a receipt: an exempt dealer for a private tutor. If you are also an employee, talk to an accountant before you start.

Step 5: tools from the first day - recording lessons and collection

At the beginning, with three students, it seems that you can remember everything. After two months the questions begin: did Dana pay for the lesson of the 12th? How many lessons did Omer have in October? Which of them cancelled at the last minute?

The most important habit: record every lesson on the same day, and mark every payment when it arrives. A notebook, Excel or an app - the main thing is that it happens consistently.

How it looks in Teaching

Teaching was built exactly for this stage. Signing up at app.teaching.co.il takes a few minutes:

1. Sign up: you choose "Private teacher", an email and a password (10 characters or more).
2. A three-step opening wizard: the name that will be shown to parents and two rates (private and group), the name of the first class, and the option to set up a public profile now or later.
3. Adding students: a name, a parent's name, a phone and an email. Every change is saved immediately.
4. Registering a lesson: you choose an hour (there are quick times) and mark students. One student is a private lesson, two or more a group lesson, and the price is set by itself according to the rates you defined.
5. Collection: one screen with everyone who owes, how much, and for which lessons. The "WhatsApp" button opens a ready message to the parent with the list of lessons and the amount, and you press "send". When the parent pays, you mark "Paid".

And in addition: a history for each student, export to Excel, and a phone or a computer - whichever is convenient.

How much it costs

• A 30 day trial on the Pro plan, with no credit card.
• If the trial ends without you entering a card, you move automatically to the free plan, with no lock-out and without losing data.
• The free plan lets you manage up to 5 active students, at no charge. That is enough for someone just starting. It does not include appearing in the student portal.

What Teaching does not do

So that there are no surprises: Teaching does not issue receipts or invoices to parents, and does not collect money on your behalf. The parent pays you directly, and the receipt is issued in a receipts program or app. The invoice that Teaching issues is only for your subscription. The export to Excel too is a tracking tool that helps you and your accountant, and not a tax report.

On collection methods that work from the start: collecting payment for private lessons.

Step 6: find your first five students

The first students almost always come from nearby. A few steps that work:

1. Tell everyone you know. Family, friends, neighbours, parents of children you know. One clear message: what you teach, for which age, where and when.
2. Neighbourhood groups. A short and to-the-point post in the neighbourhood group or the parents' group in the city. No slogans, with details.
3. An excellent first lesson. A parent whose child left the first lesson understanding something they did not understand before will recommend you.
4. Ask for a recommendation at the right time. After a good grade or after the student said they finally understand - that is the moment to ask if there is someone else who needs help.
5. One profile with a permanent link. Instead of explaining again and again who you are, send a link.

Appearing when someone searches for a tutor in the area

In Teaching's student portal (teaching.co.il), parents and students search for a tutor by address and subject. Your profile includes subjects, age groups, how you teach (online, at the student's home or at yours), an area and a radius, and a WhatsApp number for enquiries. Your exact address is never shown, and the distance is shown in ranges. You also have a permanent link to your public page, with a "Copy link" button, to share in groups and messages.

Appearing in the portal is included in the Pro plan, and so also during the trial. Details: join the student portal.

More channels, in detail: how to find private students, and what to write in a profile: a private tutor profile that brings enquiries.

Step 7: the first lesson and setting expectations

The first lesson decides whether there will be a second. It is also the time to settle with the parent everything that is hard to talk about later.

A recommended structure for a first lesson

1. A short assessment (10-15 minutes). What the student knows, where they get stuck, what the next exam is. Ask them also what bothers them, not only what is in the syllabus.
2. One small success. Choose one topic that can be solved in this lesson, and leave with it. A student who leaves with "now I understand" comes back.
3. A plan for the coming weeks. Three or four simple goals, in the student's language.
4. A summary for the parent. A short message after the lesson: what we did, how things stand, what's next. Parents appreciate this more than any advertisement.

What to settle with the parent right at the start

• Price and payment date. At every lesson, once a month or in advance. Write a date.
• Cancellations. Until how many hours before one can cancel without a charge, and what happens with a late cancellation.
• A communication channel. Where to report a cancellation and where to send updates.
• A fixed hour. If possible, a fixed weekly slot. It is good for the student and for your calendar too.

It is worth gathering all of these in a short document that the parent confirms. See terms for private lessons.

Step 8: growing - from a few students to a full calendar

After the first months, when you already have a base of students, the questions change. No longer "how do I get a student", but how to manage ten or twenty without losing control. A few steps that help at this stage:

• Fixed weekly slots. A student with a fixed hour is a student who stays. Your calendar is also easier when most of the week is fixed and the free hours are clear.
• Group lessons. Two or three students at the same level, in the same hour. Parents pay less, and you earn more per hour. In Teaching the price is set by itself according to the number of participants.
• Payment in advance. A package of several lessons reduces chasing payments. See lesson packages.
• A price update once a year. Preferably at the start of the school year, with notice in advance. How to do it without losing students: raising the price of a private lesson.
• Fewer phone calls about cancellations. When there are many students, every cancellation and rescheduling takes time.

The Studio: students cancel and book by themselves

Teaching has an optional module called "Studio", which you turn on in the settings when you reach this stage. What it gives:

• A fixed weekly lesson in the calendar, from which the system creates lessons for the next 12 weeks.
• A personal link for each student, with no password, where they see their upcoming lessons.
• Cancellation according to your rules. The student sees in advance whether the cancellation is on time (no charge) or late (charged).
• Make-up lessons at free times that you open.
• Terms and a digital signature on the participation conditions.

Whoever does not turn on the Studio sees no change in the app. You can try it first with a "test student" and see exactly what the parent will see.

Common mistakes at the start

• A price too low "to get started". It is hard to raise it later, and parents do not always read a low price as an advantage.
• No cancellation rule. Every cancellation becomes an uncomfortable conversation, and in the end you give in.
• Collecting "whenever convenient". A debt of a few weeks is much harder to ask for than a debt of one lesson.
• Recording lessons in your head. After a month you are no longer sure who paid for what.
• Putting off the registration with the authorities. It is easier to open a file before you start than to sort it out afterwards.
• Saying yes to every level and every subject. It is better to be an excellent tutor in one field than average in five.

A starting checklist

Before the first lesson, check that you have ticked:

• [ ] One subject and clear levels
• [ ] A way of working (at my place, at the student's, online) and an area
• [ ] A rate for a private lesson and a group lesson
• [ ] A written cancellation rule and a payment date
• [ ] A VAT file and an income tax file, and a report to National Insurance (with an accountant if needed)
• [ ] A way to issue receipts
• [ ] One place to record lessons and payments
• [ ] A profile with a link to share

Written by the Teaching team · Updated on 14 October 2026. The information on VAT, income tax and National Insurance was checked against "Kol Zchut" and the National Insurance website in October 2026 and is not tax advice. The numerical examples are for illustration only.