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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… the holidays will be here before you know it! In this post, Keenan R. from our Teacher Support team will show you how to maximize your time and efforts — and find new music students, language students, and more.
With the holidays just around the corner, there will be tons of new students looking for the perfect instructor to help them achieve their personal goals (and New Year’s Resolutions!). Wouldn’t it be nice to close out the year with a roster full of new students? Of course it would!
Throughout my tenure as a Teacher Support Representative with TakeLessons, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with thousands of teachers and tutors. The question that I receive the most is: “How can I leverage the TakeLessons platform to get more private students?”
I can assure you, it’s easier than you think! And it’s more important than ever during the hectic holiday season.
What Trends Do We See for Private Lessons?
The holiday season is an exciting time for our partners! TakeLessons has been around since 2006, so we’ve worked through enough holiday seasons to notice the trends.
Yes, you may have to deal with reschedules or canceled lessons as people travel and take time off. But we also see a lot of students taking extra lessons to gear up for holiday recitals and semester-end final exams. And behind the scenes, we’re helping parents and loved ones pick out the perfect gift, setting up our top teachers for a busy (and lucrative) January.
So, want to improve your chances of getting new students during this time? Here are my tips to ensure you’re making the most of your time and efforts.
1) Teach Online
The best way to get new students and keep your roster full? Be accessible to more students! When you offer online lessons, your profile shows up for students searching from all over the world — one of our instructors just taught an online lesson to a student in Dubai! With online learning, students are no longer bound by time, space, or transportation. This means they have a better chance of finding the perfect teacher who best matches their needs and goals. (And who knows… that could be you!)
Not only that, offering online lessons adds value to your current students. If you or your student is traveling for the holidays, you can continue your lessons through the TakeLessons Classroom, no matter where you are.
2) Keep Your Availability Updated
With finals typically falling in December, it’s a prime time for tutors. To reduce snags, make sure your available timeslots are up-to-date.
But even if your teaching schedule is slowing down, it’s just as important to maintain your availability calendar. You never know who might be checking out your profile! Around the holidays, we sell a lot of lesson packages as gifts — so you may get inquiries or bookings early on, though the student won’t actually start until after the New Year (after they’ve received the gift!). Again, ensuring your calendar is correct will make for better matches and fewer scheduling issues when they do start up.
3) Spruce Up Your Profile
Attracting new music students, language students, and other private students begins with a quality profile. If you have extra down time due to reschedules, take some time to review your profile, update anything that’s outdated, and ensure that you’ve completed all available sections of your profile. Then, take advantage of the resources TakeLessons has to offer. Here’s what I suggest:
- Curate more reviews: Our research has shown that students are more likely to book instructors with a minimum of 7-10 reviews. Remember, reviews are not limited to TakeLessons students. They can come from previous students, current private students, and even colleagues. Request more reviews and you should see an improvement in your profile views.
- Update your profile picture, if needed. Your profile picture is your personal brand and it’s the first impression that a student gets. Make sure the picture you’ve chosen conveys a sense of professionalism and reflects the quality of your lessons. (Check out more profile picture tips here.)
- Improve your subject details: This may be the most underrated section of your profile. If you haven’t taken the time to write a thoughtful entry for each subject that you offer, you may be missing out on some great opportunities! Explain your unique value propositions for each subject and avoid information that is already listed on your profile.
4) Respond Quickly to “Ask A Question” Inquiries
Prospective students and parents typically browse through several profiles before booking lessons — so you’ll need to stand out from the crowd! While your profile will display your rates, available timeslots, and lesson details, students sometimes have additional questions. That’s why we created the Ask a Question tool, allowing you to communicate with prospective students before they book lessons.
The student-teacher relationship begins here, so it’s important to remain patient, friendly, and accommodating when responding to these types of inquiries. Thank the student for contacting you, and tell them how excited you are to get started! You can also provide instructions for purchasing lessons, to help move them along the process.
Now is the perfect time to focus on your TakeLessons profile, and the tips above will help you gear up for the New Year and increase your chances of getting new students. Still have questions? Check out the Teacher Support Center for help with profile settings, teaching tips, and more.
Suzy S.