Physics is one subject that graduates have little difficulty securing employment in once they graduate. The subject opens countless doors to students, providing highly sought-after skills and a strong foundation that allows them to succeed across a variety of career paths.
If you enjoy the theoretical aspect of physics or wish to add another lucrative avenue to earn a living, then tutoring might just be the perfect fit for you.
Before you get stuck into preparing to give your physics lessons, you should give some consideration to the level you intend on teaching along with the various aspects and factors that impact the tutoring fees you can charge for your service.
- Salary Range: The salary range for a post-graduate physics tutor in the US typically falls between $42,868 and $69,640.
- Median Salary: The median salary for a post-graduate physics tutor in the US is $53,574.
- Influencing Factors: Location, relative cost of living, experience and qualifications are some of the biggest determining factors that will influence the rate that you can charge.
In this article, we will cover your earning potential for post-graduate physics lessons, along with the various factors that affect how much you can charge for your time.
How Much Can You Earn as a Post-Graduate Physics Tutor?
One of the things you should know about becoming a private physics teacher is how much other teachers charge for their classes and what is the common price in the market.
Tutors are freelancers, and the first thing you should know about freelancing is that there are no fixed salaries. Fixed salaries are offered in big companies that have a steady income. However, a freelancer is not guaranteed a steady income, at least not at first.
There is a lot of room for variance when it comes to the take-home pay of a tutor in any subject. This is because there are so many factors that influence earning potential, such as whether you are tutoring on a full-time basis or as a side hustle outside of your regular work hours. But more on that later; for now, we will arrive at a range of postgraduate physics tutors.
We have gone ahead and compiled the average hourly rate for private tutoring in physics across the US. From this, you can see that the amount you can expect to put in your pocket at the end of each session can even depend on where you are in the country.
| State | Average Hourly Pay |
|---|---|
| New York | $24.00 |
| California (Los Angeles) | $23.00 |
| Illinois (Chicago) | $21.00 |
| Washington (Seattle) | $20.50 |
| Connecticut (Hartford) | $19.25 |
| Texas (Dallas) | $17.75 |
| California (Sacramento) | $16.75 |
| Ohio (Akron) | $15.50 |
| Kansas (Kansas City) | $15.75 |
| Colorado (Colorado Springs) | $15.25 |
One important thing to note is that these average hourly are representative of physics tutoring sessions as a whole, comprising introductory, high school, and online lessons.
These lessons are far more common than university-level physics lessons and beyond and are also typically considerably less expensive. So, do consider this when you are taking a look at what you might earn in a specific state.
As a postgraduate physics tutor, your earning potential is likely to be much higher than this, given the complexity of the material you will be covering and your superior expertise and knowledge on the subject. The pool of experienced tutors at this level is also significantly less; the price isn't brought down in light of competition among tutors too!
While high school physics teachers face competition, resulting in competitive salaries, postgraduate tutors can capitalize on the scarcity of their skills to charge premium rates for their services.
Maryland emerges as the top-paying state for full-time tutors at the postgraduate level, offering a salary of $74,574.
And if you’re looking for some more reassurance, you’ll be more than glad to hear about the trajectory of salaries in this domain, seen a 52.43% increase nationwide since 2004 which really showcases the rising demand for physics instructors here in the US!
Factors That Influence the Cost of Physics Lessons
We touched on the variance that can exist when trying to arrive at a figure when calculating your expected salary as a post-grad physics tutor here in the US.
It's crucial to grasp these factors to have an idea of what to expect and how to make the most out of your earning opportunities. It will also help you get a more realistic number so that you can manage your expectations before jumping into your lessons.
Continue learning about the subject and find out what qualifications physics tutors need.
Location and Cost of Living
You can see from the table yourself, that location is one of the biggest determining factors when it comes to salary.
Certain states and cities have higher costs of living, leading to higher tutoring costs. If you find yourself in a city like San Diego, you will likely be able to charge more than you would if you are tutoring in a smaller town or area where the cost of living is lower.
Location can also come down to your proximity to the students that you intend to tutor. This can influence the hidden costs that might surface, such as the opportunity cost of spending more time and money commuting to your lessons.
Experience and Qualifications
Another factor that you, as a post-grad physics tutor are already reaping the benefits of is your qualifications. The amount that you can charge for your lessons is massively influenced by your level of expertise and qualifications.
A postgraduate physics tutor like yourself might ask for $48.50 per hour for your in-depth subject knowledge and skills.
Finally, people pay attention to the materials and resources a tutor provides, including science books, activities, exercises, tools, tips, and more.
Providing classes at a higher level will also come with a substantial amount of preparation along with a host of resources that are needed for each session, so this should also be reflected in the rate you arrive at.
Type of Institution or Tutoring Service
The place where you work as a tutor can affect how much you earn. Tutors linked with known universities or respected tutoring companies usually make more money than independent tutors or those working for smaller organizations. As an aspiring post-grad physics tutor, this is just another factor that sways in your favor!
There are also online classes, a medium that has quickly become the preferred mode of learning for many students across the US. If you go on Superprof, you'll see that many online physics tutors charge between $20-$40 per hour. This variety shows that the levels of education and preparation of each tutor are different.
Though by giving online lessons in the subject, you will also be subjected to more competition and a lower cost for your service, it will also enable you to fit more sessions into your schedule, which can allow you to scale your service.
Are you searching for physics tutors near me? Find them here on Superprof.
How to Charge More for Your Lessons
If you take a look at the experienced postgrad physics tutors who are offering their services in your area, you might feel envious when it comes to the rate that they charge for their time.
If you find yourself asking what you can do to help elevate your take-home pay after a long day of classes, we’ve got you covered!
A great start is to highlight your graduate qualifications, research background, and teaching experience anywhere you advertise your services. It’s important that potential students are made well aware of the quality of the learning experience you offer and differentiate yourself from tutors with lower academic credentials.
This will most certainly capture the eyes of college students and have them reaching into their pockets!
Once they see that you are capable of offering lessons in challenging physics topics that are assessed at that level such as quantum mechanics, electrodynamics, or theoretical physics, they will be more than willing to pay a higher rate for your help.
Another actionable step that you can try to employ in order to raise your hourly fee would be to focus on personalizing your lesson plans according to the student you are dealing with.
Tailoring your teaching approach can provide an optimal learning experience, justifying the higher rates you charge. For example, you could provide lessons with a particular focus on exam preparation or help with assignments!
By applying an effective mix of these strategies, you should have little difficulty finding students who are more than willing to pay top dollar for your advanced knowledge of the subject.
Find out how to find students to tutor physics in the United States.
How You Can Become a Physics Tutor with Superprof
Handing out flyers around your local neighborhood definitely doesn't have the same return for your time as the simple process of listing your services on a tutoring platform. There is perhaps no better platform to enlist your services than Superprof.
First of all, in order to become a physics tutor with Superprof, you must meet the requirements. The platform requires its tutors to have the necessary skills to deliver effective tutoring services.
When setting up your profile, you should pay particular attention to the description you give of your services. Make sure to cater the learning experience you are selling to those who will benefit the most from your expertise.
By offering a trial lesson free of charge to potential students, may result in more students continuing on with you into the future. It is also a great opportunity to showcase your suitability as an experienced mentor in a more personal environment.
As a postgrad physics tutor, this won’t be an issue for you, but it does mean that many of the students turn to the platform in seek of capable mentors, so you’re in luck!
To effectively tutor students who reach out to you on the platform, it's important to have patience and flexibility, as each student will have their own set of strengths, weaknesses, and learning preferences. By tailoring your lessons and explanations to meet their needs, you’ll have little difficulty securing positive reviews on the platform!
In our economy, experience, hours of work, and knowledge are valuable and valued. It doesn't matter how big the demand for physics tutors is; if you are not prepared, your work will hardly be valued.
If you really want to make it as a tutor in the subject you love, then you'll certainly accomplish your goals once you put the hard work in so that you can help students succeed.
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