Tutors
Also called: Academic Coach, Academic Guidance Specialist, Academic Mentor, Academic Teacher, Academic Tutor, Accounting Tutor, ACT Instructor (American College Testing Instructor), ACT Tutor (American College Test Tutor)
Instruct individual students or small groups of students in academic subjects to support formal class instruction or to prepare students for standardized or admissions tests.
What tutors do
Typical tasks
- Provide feedback to students, using positive reinforcement techniques to encourage, motivate, or build confidence in students.
- Review class material with students by discussing text, working solutions to problems, or reviewing worksheets or other assignments.
- Assess students' progress throughout tutoring sessions.
- Teach students study skills, note-taking skills, and test-taking strategies.
- Provide private instruction to individual or small groups of students to improve academic performance, improve occupational skills, or prepare for academic or occupational tests.
- Participate in training and development sessions to improve tutoring practices or learn new tutoring techniques.
- Collaborate with students, parents, teachers, school administrators, or counselors to determine student needs, develop tutoring plans, or assess student progress.
- Monitor student performance or assist students in academic environments, such as classrooms, laboratories, or computing centers.
- Schedule tutoring appointments with students or their parents.
- Organize tutoring environment to promote productivity and learning.
- Communicate students' progress to students, parents, or teachers in written progress reports, in person, by phone, or by email.
- Maintain records of students' assessment results, progress, feedback, or school performance, ensuring confidentiality of all records.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Tutors salary
The median annual wage for tutors is $43,350 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $29,430 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $75,990. The mean annual wage is $48,050.
The mean hourly wage of $23.00 is 3.2× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Tutors (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $43,350 → in 3 years $47,100 → in 5 years $49,700 → in 10 years $57,100 (10-year range $49,100–$66,300). The model assumes pay growth of +2.8% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Tutors
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Tutors? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Tutors
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Tutors United States | 学習塾教師 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $43,350 | ¥4.42M ≈ $28,111 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $57,100 | ¥5.70M |
| Outlook score | 44 | 42 |
| AI replacement risk | 50% Moderate | 53% Moderate |
| Workers | 175K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Tutors
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become tutors
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as tutors
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.