Private teacher
Also known as
Work environment
- Usually work part time, including evenings and weekends but may work regular business hours
- Usually work in different places and may travel locally
- Need to communicate well, identify and solve problems and be organised
Salary information
Typical tasks
- Plan lessons and teach students
- Teach practical skills, hobbies and crafts
- Assess student’s strengths and weaknesses
- Create individual educational plans for students
- Plan games and activities
- Manage different student learning needs
- Prepare students for tests and exams
- Encourage students
- Communicate with parents, caregivers and whānau
- Set up classroom materials and equipment
Outlook
Private teaching is being shaped by growing interest in tailored learning support, exam preparation, language learning and specialist subjects. Online tutoring platforms and video tools have made lessons more flexible and widened access to tutors, including internationally. Demand can vary with household budgets, school needs and subject areas, while concerns about online safety and quality remain important.
What employers and industry want in graduates
- Clear, patient communication that makes learning understandable
- Strong knowledge of the subject being taught
- Ability to adapt lessons for different learners
- Good planning, organisation and time management
- Ability to give helpful, encouraging feedback
- Professional boundaries, reliability and respect for privacy
AUT programmes
The above is a suggestion only and a starting point. You may need to meet other criteria or take additional steps to work in this career.
Content is reviewed by our experts, but information can change over time. Some content is created with AI support.
This data is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahtu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Some of the information has been modified by AUT. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this data.