Are you still putting together your schedule of private classes by hand and charging by transfer without any registration? Tools for private teachers allow you to centralize each student's agenda, fees, and materials in one place. For this reason, many independent teachers only organize their business when they have already missed a class due to a schedule clash or a payment that no one confirmed.
Official source: Calendly official site.
Before choosing, check if you also manage a complete academy
Before choosing individual tutoring tools, it's worth checking whether you actually run an academy with multiple tutors. If this is your case, our guide on software for mathematics academies and exam preparation may better suit your operation. Additionally, if you also teach language classes, this guide on management software for language academies provides another alternative. On the other hand, if you ever plan to sell recorded courses, this guide on e-learning platforms helps you decide. This way, you choose the right approach before spending time setting up loose tools.
Free tool: Operational Tasks and Projects
Before paying for a platform, define tasks, responsible parties and dates. A simple flow allows you to evaluate software with a real process, not just a list of features.
Agenda tool to not miss any class
Among the tools for private teachers, the agenda is usually the first piece that the business organizes. In addition, it prevents two students from booking the same time by mistake and sends automatic reminders so that no one misses without warning. Calendly, for example, allows you to share a reservation link and synchronize the teacher's calendar.
How much does an agenda like Calendly cost
Calendly's free plan is enough for a teacher just starting out, according to its official site verified today. However, the Standard plan costs $10 per seat per month billed annually. Therefore, that cost pays itself if you need multiple event types or integrations with other tools.
Payment tool to collect without chasing anyone
Charging class by class per transfer forces you to keep a manual record of who paid and who did not. Therefore, among the tools for private teachers, a billing system like Holded generates the receipt as soon as the payment is recorded. Thus, each invoice is organized by student or family in a single panel.
How much does a billing system like Holded cost
Holded's Basic plan costs 14.50 euros per month, according to its official site verified today, without taxes included. This plan includes up to a thousand invoices per year and two users, plus the support of an associated manager. So a private teacher with few students rarely reaches that monthly limit.
Video calls and class material: the minimum you need
If you also teach online, you need a stable video calling tool with a shared whiteboard. Likewise, it is advisable to save each student's material, such as exercises, mock exams and notes, in a folder organized by topic. Since losing that material in the middle of the year forces you to redo everything from scratch.
What to look at besides the price
What to look at besides price matters as much as the monthly cost of each tool. The learning curve, for example, can weigh more than a few euros of difference between plans. In addition, it is worth checking if the agenda and billing can be used from the cell phone between one class and another.
What this looks like in practice
A teacher with few students gains order almost immediately just with a shared agenda and a simple payment record. A teacher with a larger agenda, on the other hand, takes better advantage of automatic billing and payment reminders. However, no tool replaces a good class. In fact, it only organizes the administrative part of the work.
How to choose according to how you teach your classes
If you teach a few classes a week, a free agenda plan and a simple invoice template can last a long time. This way, you avoid paying for features that you don't need yet. If, on the other hand, you already have a full agenda and several permanent students, it is advisable to add paid Calendly and a billing system like Holded. Since each teacher has a different pace, it is a good idea to try the free versions before paying for both tools.
Frequently asked questions about tools for private teachers
Do I need both tools from day one? No, many teachers start only with the agenda and add the billing later. That step can wait until we have regular students.
Are these tools useful if I teach in-person and online classes at the same time? Yes, that's why the agenda and billing work the same regardless of where the class is taught.
Can I migrate my students from a paper agenda? Yes, although loading the data by hand takes time at first. Since most of these tools allow you to import contacts from a spreadsheet.
Does this work for group classes, not just individual classes? Yes, in fact the agenda and billing are equally adapted to a small group of students.
Digital Tools for Private Teachers: in summary
Choosing the right tools for private tutors depends on how many students you manage and how much time you want to dedicate to administrative tasks. Calendly orders the agenda for free, and Holded bills from 14.50 euros per month. In the next article in the series we review the best appointment management software for freelancers. That is another option if your job goes beyond teaching.
